Stressing the Ministry of Culture’s role as a cultural advocate, new Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) stated that his first goal is to lower the age eligibility for Culture Points users from 16 to 13, aiming to cultivate cultural literacy among the younger generation.
In a press conference on May 21, Minister Li emphasized the positive intention of the Culture Points, a cash handout program, which is to encourage young adults to engage in cultural activities and deepen their cultural sensibility.
Li Yuan, better known by his pen name Hsiao Yeh (小野), was born in Taipei in 1951. He rose to fame with his first novel, “The Birth of Cocoon (蛹之生),” in 1972 and has written over one hundred books to date.
Li is also noted for his contributions to the Taiwan New Cinema movement. In 1982, he worked with young directors, including Edward Yang (楊德昌), Ko I-chen (柯一正), Tao Te-chen (陶德辰), and Chang Yi (張毅), to create the film “In Our Time (光陰的故事).” Following the success, he collaborated extensively with Wang Toon (王童), Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), and Wan Jen (萬仁), producing films that significantly influenced the development of Taiwan cinema.
Before being appointed Culture Minister, Li served as the Chairman of the Paper Windmill Arts and Educational Foundation (紙風車文教基金會), dedicating himself to the 319 Townships Children's Art Project (368紙風車兒童藝術工程).