Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te conferred to six individuals certificates honoring them as Taiwan's traditional arts and cultural heritage preservationists, also known as national living treasures, at a Bureau of Cultural Heritage-staged ceremony in Taichung on August 1.
The ceremony saw embroidery artist Liu Chien-shao (劉千韶), Kesi silk tapestry artist Huang Lan-ye (黃蘭葉), silk-wrapped flower artist Chen Hui-mei (陳惠美), traditional wood carver Chen Chi-tsun (陳啟村), Taiwanese opera artists Wang Ren-hsin (王仁心, stage name Wang Jin-ying 王金櫻), and Chen Feng-kuei (陳鳳桂, stage name Hsiao-mi小咪) bestowed the coveted title.
Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te said at the event that in addition to conferring the six veteran artisans certificates that recognize the their efforts to reinvigorate traditional arts, he would like to express his gratitude on behalf of Taiwan to all the "national living treasures" for their life-long devotion to cultivating and passing down timeless art forms. Their creativities not only reflect the cultural capacity of Taiwan, but also demonstrate the nation's diverse and rich culture to the world, Lee noted.
To garner greater appreciation and understanding of Taiwan's cultural diversity and vibrancy, Lee said his Ministry will continue to integrate resources of the three Ministry of Culture-affiliated agencies, namely the Bureau of Cultural Heritage, the Yilan-based National Center for Traditional Arts, and the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute in Nantou.
The Ministry will also strengthen the capacity of the three institutes which are dedicated to preserving and promoting Taiwan's tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Lee added.
An exhibition to showcase the extraordinariness of the six cultural practitioners is now open to public until August 15 at the bureau. In addition to masterpieces created by newly recognized preservers of cultural heritage, the exhibition also presents replicas of Taiwanese opera setting and the recording studio for the traditional performing art, offering viewers a glimpse into how the careers of the two senior Taiwanese opera artists unfolded.