The National Cultural Award is now in its 39th year. It is a lifetime achievement award recognizing those who have contributed to the promotion of culture in Taiwan.
The 39th edition of the National Cultural Award ceremony was held on Thursday at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. The recipients of the award this year are the master of traditional glove puppetry Chen Hsi-huang and the founder of the Ju Percussion Group, Ju Tzong-ching.
Chen is now 90. He began learning glove puppetry at a very young age from his father, who was also a master of the art form. In his acceptance speech, Chen said that the art form is not as popular as it once was, meaning that even after decades, he must still find ways to innovate. His apprentices put on a show at the ceremony to honor his work.
Ju, meanwhile, studied percussion in Vienna and has gone on to become one of Taiwan’s most distinguished percussionists. In his acceptance speech, Ju said that he will donate his NT$1 million (US$33,600) prize to the National University of the Arts, in order to fund the teaching of percussion. His ensemble group also performed during the event in his honor.