The 26th Taiwan-France Cultural Award will be presented to veteran pianist Chen Yu-xiu (陳郁秀), German translator Thilo Diefenbach (蔣永學), and associate professor Charlotte Pollet (博佳佳) of the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). The three recipients were selected by Culture Minister Lee Yung-te, Jean-Robert Pitte, perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences under the Institut de France and other jury members.
Chen, who was honored with a Taiwan-France Special Contribution award, returned to Taiwan to serve as a professor at the Department of Music of the National Taiwan Normal University after winning first prize at the Paris Conservatory (Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique de Paris). Later, she took over as the director of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, promoting the exchange in the field of visual arts and crafts while launching French language courses. During her tenure in public employment, she continued to expand cultural ties between Taiwan and France. Due to her long-term contribution to French-Taiwan exchanges, she has become the Taiwanese who has won the most French honors.
Diefenbach, who has a profound knowledge of Chinese literature, earned his doctorate from the University of Cologne, and he currently works in an institution in Berlin. Since 2009, he began studying Taiwan’s history and became the deputy editor of the Hefte für Ostasiatische Literatur after translating and producing a great number of articles about Taiwan and Taiwanese literature.
Charlotte Pollet received her doctorate degree from the Paris Diderot University (Université Paris 7) and is also a mathematics education scholar at the National Taiwan Normal University. She has resided in Taiwan for 15 years and is a naturalized Taiwanese. Currently, she teaches history of science and philosophy of science at NYCU and is committed to the promotion and development of philosophy for children in Taiwan. Moreover, she founded the nonprofit organization "PhiloZokids" with an aim of developing a methodology for teaching philosophy to Taiwanese children.