Often cited as Asia’s Nobel Prize, the Tang Prize shares the same progressive spirit in encouraging innovative research and promoting human development. Its defining value, however, lies in the priority it gives to practical application, according to Chern Jenn-chuan, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation.
“One may win a Nobel Prize for coming up with a brilliant idea, like finding a way to combat HIV,” Chern said. “But one has to turn it into practice and concoct a real cure in order to become a Tang Prize honoree.”
With the inaugural Tang Prize winners set to be announced June 18, Chern explained the origin and outlook of this global initiative.
The prize takes its name from the Tang dynasty (618-907), a period deemed the peak of ancient Chinese civilization and characterized by international exchanges and robust cultural activities. The open-mindedness exhibited by the Tang people in embracing different cultures underlies the core value of this prize, Chern said.
“The Tang Prize can be seen as a fresh contribution made by time-tested Chinese culture to the modern world. Through this initiative, the global Chinese community recognizes brilliance in four major fields of research essential to balanced yet forward-looking development of the entire humanity,” he added.
Biopharmaceutical science, rule of law, Sinology and sustainable development are the four categories covering the spectrum of human life from knowledge and physical well-being to sociopolitical and symbiosis with nature.
Ryoji Noyori, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in chemistry, praised the Tang Prize for encompassing reaches of human existence overlooked by Nobel Prizes. “Over the past century, chemistry and physics have become highly specialized branches of knowledge, but present-day society requires cross-disciplinary integration to advance to the next level,” he said.
Noyori explained, “Sustainable development is integral to human existence in the 21st century. Immediate action on the issues of climate change, epidemic diseases and resource deficiency is needed, but it takes across-the-board rather than piecemeal knowledge to reach feasible solutions.”
This is where the Tang Prize comes in, Noyori said. It is rooted in the comprehensive and macroscopic spirit of Eastern philosophy and informed by cutting-edge development of Western technology, which enables a communication between the best of both worlds.
Citing the Sinology prize, Chern said it sheds light on the modern condition drawing from the riches of Chinese civilization. The award focuses greater world attention on an underappreciated study and opens previously unthought-of opportunities.
“We must recognize the fact that the world is now facing problems of a different nature, as barriers to movement across borders have been drastically reduced. Only by joining the East with the West can we properly address the current situation.”
Taipei City-based Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s top research body, is in charge of the Tang Prize selection process. Led by the institution’s President Wong Chi-huey, four independent committees consisting of international scholars are working to help realize Yin’s vision.
With his family’s support for education and charitable causes dating back generations, the US$100 million donation Yin made to establish the Tang Prize is significant on many levels.
It replaces criticism with affirmation by honoring the contributions of others. Furthermore, it acts as a model for the possibility of building a better world founded on cooperation and understanding. The honor is not limited to ROC nationals, but open to all citizens of the world.
This bold ideal is embodied in the Tang Prize medal created by celebrated Japanese designer Naoto Kukasawa. Its most prominent feature is an open-ended spiral curve, which resembles a rising dragon and the double helix of a DNA strand.
According to Chern, he was surprised to discover a striking similarity between Fukasawa’s medal and an innovative spiral design developed by Yin in 2003.
A testament to Yin’s endeavor to make the world a better place for all, the spiral won him a National Invention and Creation Award in 2005. Reinforcing the strength of constructed structures, the spiral represents his trademark altruism. Yin voluntarily relinquished the patent for his invention, which has since been used in construction projects around the globe.
The long-term goal of the Tang Prize is to forge a sustainable future for humanity by bringing the world together in one place, with its launch auguring well for an auspicious journey down this path.
Recipients of the inaugural Tang Prize will be announced June 18-21, with winners of the four categories revealed separately each day. The awards ceremony is set for Sept. 18 in Taipei City. (YHC-JSM)
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