Taiwanese embroidery artisan Nien Pi-hua (粘碧華) has received the National Crafts Achievement Award, becoming the first female winner of the highest honor in Taiwan’s crafts sector.
Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) presented the award to Nien at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, the organizer of the award, in Nantou County on Saturday, the Ministry of Culture said in a press release.
After dedicating over 40 years to the field of embroidery, Nien was named the winner of the award for her achievements and selfless contributions in preserving traditional techniques and bringing to life embroidery in contemporary Taiwan, the institute said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture
Nien is the first female and the first artist in fiber arts to receive the award since its establishment in 2007, Shih said.
Craftsmanship embodies Taiwan’s abundant and diverse cultural soft power, provides material for expressing Taiwan’s contexts and innovation and serves as a driving force for the country’s economic development, he said.
The minister thanked Taiwanese artisans for their efforts in preserving these art forms with an earnest spirit that is a positive force that makes society better.
Nien thanked the judging panel for the honor and all her artisan friends who had guided and encouraged her as she created, studied and promoted the craft.
She also expressed gratitude to all her relatives and friends who had supported her along the way as well as those from academia, civil societies and relevant government agencies for their assistance.
Chuang Po-he (莊伯和), a member of the judging panel and former board member of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, said that this year’s award was unanimously chosen by the panel after carefully assessing 40 candidates.
Nien’s academic background, research in embroidery techniques and long-term dedication to the education and promotion of the craft made her an obvious choice, he said.
She combined Eastern and Western techniques as well as contributing unique takes to the delicacy and elegance of the tradition, opening up a new chapter in Taiwan’s embroidery craft, the institute said.
Nien is known for her “embroidered jewelry” creations inspired by historical totem patterns, literary allusions and daily life, which show a flexible adaptation of various embroidery techniques, it said.
She has long been actively organizing embroidery craft exhibitions, lectures, training and education promotion activities to popularize the craft, the institute said.
To give back to society, she provided embroidery classes for the disadvantaged, students in remote areas and indigenous people, it said.
Nien’s work is on display at the Craft Exhibition Hall in the Taiwan Craft Cultural Park in Nantou County until April 7 next year.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS