The Ministry of Culture on Monday honored four Taiwanese artists as “national living treasures” for their intangible cultural achievements and contributions to the arts.
The ministry in a statement said Yu Li-hai (游禮海), Chuang Wu-nan (莊武男), Chiang Shi-mei (江賜美) and Cheng Rom-shing (鄭榮興) have been recognized for the role they have played in preserving the nation’s traditional performing arts and crafts.
Yu’s woodworking skills originate in Taoyuan’s Dasi (大溪) area known for traditional wood-based crafts, the ministry said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture via CNA
He is also known for blending the traditional Fujian woodworking style and Western carving in works that showcase a unique type of Taiwanese craftsmanship.
Chuang has over the past 60 years specialized in painting traditional buildings and is a master of colored depictions of traditional Taoist temples, it said.
Chiang is a puppeteer who has performed glove puppetry in Taiwan for 70 years, the ministry said.
The artist has accumulated a rich array of skills, including variations in narration and voice, and developed her signature style, it said.
She also founded the Jin Kwei Lo Puppetry Co.
Cheng is a skilled Hakka bayin (客家八音) master who learned the craft from his grandfather. He is also the founder of the Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe, the ministry said.
Bayin, which literally means eight notes, refers to the eight materials used to make instruments — metal, stone, string, bamboo, fruit shells, earthenware, animal hide and wood.
Performances by Hakka bayin troupes involve a four-person group, with one playing the suona, a traditional Chinese wind instrument, two playing string instruments and one playing percussion.
The national living treasure designation recognizes individuals and groups for their role in preserving the nation’s cultural heritage. As of the end of last year, 59 individuals and groups had received the honor.
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