The recipients of the 27th National Cultural Award in 2008 are:
The saying "drama is but a reflection of real life" is well-suited to describe the unparalleled life of actress Liao Chiung-chih, whose name has now become synonymous with Taiwanese opera. As one of the two recipients of the 27th National Cultural Award, Liao has devoted her entire life to preserving the legacy of her traditional craft; from establishing an opera foundation in 1999 to teaching the art form overseas, she remains a key witness to the history and development of Taiwanese opera.
Liao began her performing career at the age of ten, when she took up an apprentice role at the local Taiwanese opera troupe in the hopes of receiving a free pair of shoes. Shoes were sorely needed, Liao recalled years down the road, for she was selling popsicles during the heat of summer without protection for her feet against the searing hot earth. Two years later, when her last remaining kin passed away, the twelve-year-old orphan had no other choice but to take up full-time acting.
In the realm of Taiwanese opera, Liao quickly grew to master the role of "kudan," a sorrowful female character whose laments reflect those of real women. The perfection Liao achieved under the spotlight is said to have originated from her own background, for her tears and melancholy were genuine, not acts.
Now retired, Liao's persistence in preserving and promoting Taiwanese opera has only cemented her status as a national treasure. Liao, however, credits the opera itself: "I have not received even one day of formal education. Any honesty or kindness I know comes from the stories I've played. I also raised my children with the earnings from those performances. How could I not give my life to preserving the legacy of this art?"
As a pioneering gouache painter in Taiwan, Kuo Hsueh-hu was one of the three young artists who were selected by the 1st Taiwan Fine Arts Exhibition in 1927 under Japanese colonial rule. The other two were prominent painters Chen Chin and Lin Yu-shan. He has since created a style of painting that left a major impact on Taiwan's development of modern fine arts.
Influenced by Japanese aesthetics, Kuo specialized in gouache paintings. Most of his early works were inspired by his childhood memories in the Dadaocheng region. The vivid use of the color green and the exquisite techniques he employed made it a representative work of the Hsueh-hu school of painting.
In his prime, Kuo traveled to Japan, China, Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe, where he broadened his horizons. Kuo thus reinvented his painting style by using an outlining technique, blending in the rich colors to create a mixed style of presentation that is simple yet poetic.
The 99-year-old painter was unable to attend the awards ceremony on Jan. 22, 2008. Appearing at his place to accept his award were his four children.