The Ministry of Culture announced the winners of the 42nd National Cultural Award, Taiwan's highest cultural accolade presented by the government, on Jan. 7. The recipients are violinist Li Shu-de (李淑德), master puppeteer Toshio Huang (黃俊雄), and theater performance arts educator Wu Jing-jyi (吳靜吉).
Culture Minister Lee Yung-te congratulated the three winners, commending their significant achievements in the fields of music education, traditional arts and performing arts as well as their efforts in actively increasing the visibility of Taiwan's arts and culture and spreading the beauty of Taiwan to the world.
Hailed as the mother of Taiwan's violin scene, Li was born in Pingtung County in 1929. In 1957, she studied in the US to pursue a master's degree and upon completion, she took up a teaching position in Taiwan. Recognizing the importance of talent cultivation, she dedicated herself to the education of string music for more than 50 years in Taiwan and took the initiative to search for young violin talents across the country, cultivating numerous renowned violinists and scholars. To date, the most prestigious of her many awards is the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon which she received from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2017.
Born in Yunlin County in 1933, Huang learned glove puppetry from his father Huang Hai-dai (黃海岱) at the age of 14 and has been actively innovating the performance methods and techniques of puppetry. At the age of 19, Huang formed Wu Zhou Yuan Third Troupe, building on the foundation set by his father’s training to establish his own distinctive performance style. In addition, he is a pioneer who took Taiwan's traditional glove puppetry from stage to television in the 1970s. Huang previously won several awards for his excellent achievements, including the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon in 2015.
Wu, who was born in Yilan County in 1939, dedicated his life to educating and cultivating local talent in the art of theater and stage. In 1977, he and other members took over the T'ien Experimental Drama Club (耕莘實驗劇團), which was later renamed Lanlin Theatre Troupe (蘭陵劇坊), introducing the experience and training methods of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, and fusing eastern and western theater elements with their life experience in Taipei. In 2021, MOC issued the Taiwanese Cultural Collaboration Medal (文協獎章) to Wu in recognition of his outstanding contributions.