The Ministry of Culture announced the winners of the 44th edition of the National Cultural Award June 3 in Taipei City, underscoring the importance that the government places on maintaining traditional culture.
Supported by the Executive Yuan, NCA is the highest government award for lifelong cultural achievement. This year’s three winners are Yang Li-hua, a Taiwanese opera performer, Fu Ming-kuang, a Hakka traditional builder and Wu Cheng, an author.
In Taiwan Opera, where both male and female roles are played by women, Yang usually takes the young male role, and performs on stage as well as for television and in movies. In 2023, she was recognized by the Taipei City Government as a preserver of intangible cultural heritage and a traditional artisan.
Fu specializes in repair techniques for traditional Hakka buildings and has worked as a builder for over six decades. He actively promotes repair and conservation skills and was certified by the MOC as a major conserver of building techniques in 2016.
Wu is a writer of both poetry and prose, with themes centered on fate and societal changes in rural life. He gained the Taiwan Literature Award in 2015, and is an activist for environmental sustainability and human rights.
The NCA was established in 1980 and has recognized 96 people over the past 43 years. This year’s recipients will be presented with a certificate, a medallion and NT$1 million (US$33,555) in prize money on July 10 in Taipei City. (POC-E)
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