Peking opera performer Chu An-li, writer and filmmaker Lei Hsiang and Taipei City-based Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture are the winners of the 22nd Taipei Culture Award, the Taipei City Government announced Aug. 13.
The three were chosen for their long-term contributions toward enriching the city’s cultural landscape as well as for encouraging more residents to get involved in arts-focused activities, TCG said.
Chu, a leading actor with state-backed GuoGuang Opera Company, is being honored for dedicating more than four decades of her life to Peking opera and invigorating the tradition by working with contemporary forms including experimental theater and a percussion ensemble.
Lei is credited for his impressive output of award-winning books and films and his work as an arts educator, the city government said. Born in 1939, he has published 35 books and produced around 300 documentaries, TV shows and short films. Lei is an adjunct arts professor at Taipei National University of the Arts, taught filmmaking and literature at community colleges, and has conducted painting classes for the hearing impaired.
TCG said it chose the foundation because it established the Taishin Arts Award in 2002 and for its efforts to strengthen Taipei’s creative landscape by holding dozens of exhibitions and music concerts every year.
The winners will receive their award certificates and a cash prize of NT$500,000 (US$16,229) from Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je at the end of October. (CPY-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw