The winners of the 12th Presidential Culture Awards were announced Tuesday by the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), with two individuals and three groups recognized for their contributions to Taiwanese society.
The biennial awards are divided into five categories: cultural endeavor, indigenous hope, humanitarian contributions, youth creativity and social reform.
In the cultural endeavor category, the award went to Liao Chiung-chih (廖瓊枝), a veteran Taiwanese opera performer, for her outstanding contribution to helping preserve the traditional art through her teaching at schools and community centers across Taiwan.
Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times
Regarded as the greatest master of female-role melodrama in Taiwanese opera history, the 87-year-old Liao thanked the GACC for the recognition as she talked to the Central News Agency and said she would teach as long as she can so that the art can be passed on next generation.
The artist has received many awards, including a Golden Melody Award for Traditional Arts and Music, the National Award of Art, and the National Cultural Award.
She has also been honored with the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon, a civilian order of Taiwan recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation.
Meanwhile, the indigenous hope category was won by the Hualien Kavalan Development Association (Lala Ban workshop) for its efforts to promote and revive the culture and traditions of the Kavalan, who are known for their unique banana-fiber weaving craft.
Association secretary-general Chieh Shu-chin (偕淑琴), who is currently on an overseas trip, expressed her excitement via telephone upon learning of the presidential award.
The Lala Ban workshop has seven elderly artisans, including the 84-year-old Aing Banday, who is recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a “Living National Treasure,” said Chieh.
The workshop was set up by the association after its establishment in 2003 to provide activities for the public to learn about the traditional craft of banana-fiber weaving.
The TransAsia Sisters Association Taiwan won the humanitarian award for its efforts to advance and protect the rights of foreign spouses in Taiwan through language lessons, workshops and forums on immigration issues. It has also organized art and cultural events to help members engage with the Taiwanese society.
Hung Man-chi (洪滿枝), who heads the sisters association, said the group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was the first independent organization to be established by foreign female spouses in Taiwan.
Taiwanese artist Zhang Xu-zhan (張徐展), who specializes in creating a riotous profusion of paper effigies ranging from luxurious mansions to paper-pasted mythological animals, received the award in the youth creativity category.
He was also the first Taiwanese artist to be chosen as one of the Deutsche Bank Artists of the Year in 2020.
The group winner in the social reform category went to the Public Television Service Foundation’s Our Island, a television program that has been aired for the past 25 years and focuses on Taiwan’s environmental policies and sustainable development.
The ceremony for this year’s Presidential Culture Awards is to be held Oct. 17.
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