In this age of globalization, there is nothing strange about the blending of different cultures, and the people of Taiwan, who have experienced many changes of government and today live in a pluralistic society, have long since internalized the skill of engaging in cross-cultural dialogues and mixing together different elements in rational, exciting, and unique ways.
Cultural diversity is a valuable asset in Taiwan’s performing arts world. This is expressed not only in large-scale performance groups moving from the local to the international level, but also in some small-scale young dance companies that are introducing exotic elements into Taiwan. These demonstrate the plasticity of Taiwanese society—its ability to accept cross-cultural mixing—which makes it possible for each individual to develop their own unique character and nurture their identity.
The Tang Dynasty, founded in 618 CE, brought one of the world’s great periods of cultural flowering. Different peoples intermingled as East met West, resulting in an open, advanced, and inclusive age whose culture influenced surrounding countries.
In 2012, Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin founded the Tang Prize in Taiwan, treating “618” as something of a cipher—the prize recipients are announced once every two years on June 18.
Jazz arose in the American south in the late 19th century, and its spirit of freedom from limitations has helped it to spread around the world. Taiwan’s freedom and cultural richness have enabled a diverse array of contemporary jazz bands to thrive, and some have integrated elements from genres such as Chinese classical music, Hakka folk songs, and indigenous people’s music into their work. Meanwhile, two of Taiwan’s major cities, Taipei and Taichung, hold international jazz festivals annually.
Temple-based folk arts performance troupes (yizhen), which developed around religious celebrations and temple processions, use the most downhome music and skilled artistry to venerate deities. They embody one of the liveliest of Taiwan’s popular cultural traditions.
Most of us recognize “To infinity and beyond!” as Buzz Lightyear’s catchphrase in the movie Toy Story, but it also describes an ambition shared by many nations on our blue planet. With vast realms to explore and curious to learn new things, humanity has learned from past mistakes and now prefers cooperation to competition to further its incremental march into space.
Founded in 1946, Taiwan Power Company has been providing power to Taiwan for 77 years. Generally considered a rather staid and conservative state-run enterprise, the company began intense internal discussions about its future direction and standing in 2016. It initiated a document preservation program in that year, and has been hard at work reframing its image ever since.
Faced with waves of change such as the trend toward intelligent manufacturing and the drive for net zero carbon emissions, Taiwan, the world’s fifth largest exporter of machine tools, has organized a carbon neutrality alliance and is actively pursuing carbon reduction by developing energy-saving technology for the spindle drives of advanced machine tools, as well as smart energy-saving products.
In an era in which we rely on images for everything, the idea of encouraging people to close their eyes and listen to the pure emotion of the human voice, a mode of communication completely different from the more visually oriented ones, is giving rise to a new wave of technological innovation.
While landmark structures in every country articulate the idiosyncratic visions of eminent architects, those public spaces that are closely intertwined with our everyday lives have a greater emotional resonance for us. Traditional markets are important sites in popular culture. In recent years, many of Taiwan’s tin-clad old markets have been rebuilt, but what else has changed aside from physical renovation?
