Art and Entertainment

Kai Ko reflects on past mistakes ahead of release of ‘The Road to Mandalay’

“I was somewhat aloof and indifferent to many things around me” before the incident, Ko told media.

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/22
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwanese actor Kai Ko reflected on his past mistakes ahead of the 2016 Golden Horse Awards, the

Taiwanese actor Kai Ko reflected on his past mistakes ahead of 2016 Golden Horse Awards, the Taiwanese counterpart of the Academy Awards, with a change of attitude. (By Central News Agency)

Taiwanese actor Kai Ko reflected on his past mistakes ahead of 2016 Golden Horse Awards, the Taiwanese counterpart of the Academy Awards, with a change of attitude. (By Central News Agency)

Taiwanese counterpart of the Academy Awards, with a change of attitude, according to media reports.

When he won the Best New Performer award at the 48th Golden Horse Awards in 2011 for his role in “You Are the Apple of My Eye,” Ko was still a student. The sudden fame landed Ko not only more invitations for film appearance but also more love scandals.

As he seemingly was on a soaring career trajectory, Ko took a fall and was arrested for drug using with Jaycee Fong Jo Ming, the son of famous Chinese actor Jackie Chan, in Beijing in August 2014. The news spread in Greater China and the criticism heaped on Ko by his fans was tremendous and sometimes poignant.

“I was somewhat aloof and indifferent to many things around me” before the incident, Ko told media.    [FULL  STORY]

A cultural awakening in the ‘Wan-Li Era’

The China Post
Date: November 23, 2016
By: Chris Chang

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Ancient China not only saw profound cultural developments within its borders, but

Writing in Cursive Script after Drunk (醉後浪書) by Fu Shan (傅山) (Courtesy of Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts)

Writing in Cursive Script after Drunk (醉後浪書) by Fu Shan (傅山) (Courtesy of Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts)

also influenced the varied nations that surrounded it, especially during the Wan-Li Era (萬曆) of the Ming Dynasty (明朝) — from the 16th century to the early 17th century. Many of these influences are still visible in the present day.

For instance, if you take a closer look at Korea’s thousand-won note, you will see the characters “ming lun yang” (明倫堂) imprinted on the drawing of Sungkyunkwan (成均館). This writing is the work of Chu Chih-fan (朱之蕃), a famous Chinese calligrapher, painter and politician in the Wan-Li Era, and was bestowed as a gift to the Kingdom of Joseon at the time.

Described as one of the most prominent Ming Dynasty figures, Wang Yangming (王陽明), a Chinese idealist, neo-Confucian philosopher and military general, also had a significant impact on the values, thinking and moral conduct of people in Japan.

Co-hosted by the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館) and the HCS Calligraphy Foundation (何創時書法藝術基金會), the “Wan-Li’s Era of Talent and Elegance” (萬曆萬象—多元．開放．創意的晚明文化) exhibition takes place from now through Mar. 12, 2017. It not only contains Wang’s calligraphy and painting works under the theme “Cultural Giants Who Influenced Japanese and Korean Cultures” (影響日韓的明人), but is also host to 110 precious masterpieces by distinguished cultural and artistic figures from the same period, illustrating the national power, literary refinement and artistic sophistication of the Wan-Li Era.

On display under the themes of “Outstanding Governmental Officials” (治國能臣), “Great Military Strategists” (軍事), “Science & Technology Masters” (科學大師), “Great Thinkers” (思想大師), “Eminent Monks” (高僧), “Masters of Arts and Cultures” (文藝), “Calligraphy Masters” (書法), “Painting Masters” (繪畫) and “Talented People in Life Aesthetics” (生活美學), are works by Li Shizhen (李時珍), pharmacologist and author of “Compendium of Materia Medica” (本草綱目); Xu Xiake (徐霞客), travel writer and geographer; Zhang Juzheng (張居正), reformer and grand secretariat of the Ming Dynasty; Tang Xianzu (湯顯祖), playwright and author of “The Peony Pavilion” (牡丹亭) and many more.    [SOURCE]

What’s On in Taiwan this Weekend (11/18-20)

The News Lens
Date: 2016/11/18
By: Hsu Chia-yu

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Photo Credit: Sausage Party Movie

Music

■ Lucy Rose Live in Taipei / Nov. 20 / The Wall Gong-Guan
Lucy Rose has built up her reputation as a folk singer and songwriter since her debut in 2009. Having featured on songs with Bombay Bicycle Club and toured with Counting Crows, she has gradually become one of the most respected and influential of the new generation of U.K. artists.

After releasing her second album, this is Lucy Rose’s first series of concerts in Asia as part of her world tour.

Theater

■ “The Audience” – National Theatre Live (《女王召見》英國國家劇院現場) / Nov. 23 / Vie Show Cinemas Taipei Hsin Yi (台北信義威秀)

National Theatre Live’s smash-hit broadcast of the original West End production of “The Audience” – featuring Helen Mirren’s multi-award-winning performance as Queen Elizabeth II – returns to cinemas in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday.
“The Audience” is about Queen Elizabeth II’s weekly private meetings with each of her twelve Prime Ministers, in which no one knows what they discuss, not even their spouses.

The theater has been recorded as a film and will be played at Vie Show Cinemas, Xinyi, on Nov. 23.    [FULL  STORY]

INTERVIEW: Taiwan’s ‘Digital’ Minister, Audrey Tang (Part 2)

The News Lens
Date: 2016/11/03
By: Edward White

Photo Credit: 青春發言人

This is the second of a three-part interview with Taiwan’s ‘genius hacker.’
ft0sfutqyahds07s7o87yw2xq8c4xvAudrey Tang (唐鳳) last month started in her new role as Taiwan’s first “digital minister.” Officially, she is a minister without portfolio in Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Cabinet with responsibilities for the digital economy and open government.

Tang, 35, “retired” from the business world in 2014 after a successful tech career, which included time working with companies in Silicon Valley. Over the past two years, she has been dedicated to public service and her new position will see the continuation of her work using her advanced programming skills and passion for open democracy. She is also Taiwan’s first transgender politician and the youngest member of the Tsai administration.

In this interview series with The News Lens International, Tang describes the crucial behind-the-scenes role she played in the Sunflower Movement, how Taiwan’s digital community has continued to create new avenues for citizen participation in the years since, and her beliefs about how assistive technology will benefit society in future. She also explains her views on different types of hackers, and why, actually, she is still an anarchist.    [FULL  STORY]

▶ See also: “Audrey Tang, Part One”

Art exhibition pushes for sustainable Penghu

Taiwan Today
Date: October 14, 2016

An exhibition by local and foreign artists is currently running at the Xue Xue Institute in Taipei

The short film “Childhood of an Archipelago,” created by French artist Yannick Dauby and his wife, Penghu artist Tsai Wan-shuen, is projected at the “A Sea to Our Children” exhibition at the Xue Xue Institute in Taipei City’s Neihu District. (Courtesy of Xue Xue Institute)

The short film “Childhood of an Archipelago,” created by French artist Yannick Dauby and his wife, Penghu artist Tsai Wan-shuen, is projected at the “A Sea to Our Children” exhibition at the Xue Xue Institute in Taipei City’s Neihu District. (Courtesy of Xue Xue Institute)

City’s Neihu District, highlighting opposition to a proposal that, if approved, would authorize the construction and operation of casinos in offshore Penghu County.

Residents of the archipelago will head to the polls Oct. 15 to take part in a referendum on the issue, the second time such a vote has been held since 2009. The first took place Sept. 26 of that year following the passage of an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act that allows local citizens to vote on the establishment of gambling facilities. The proposal failed after being rejected by roughly 56 percent of voters.

Titled “A Sea to Our Children,” the exhibition runs until Nov. 20 and includes art, sound and film installations expressing the artists’ anti-gambling views, as well as their desire to protect the environment, which they say would be irrevocably damaged by casino construction and the resulting influx of gamblers.     [FULL  STORY]

LGBT Film Festival celebrates ‘Queermosa’

The China Post
Date: October 12, 2016
By: Chris Chang

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The first LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Film Festival in Taiwan —

A spin on 'Huaren' concepts for the Golden Pin A loyal friend of the LGBT community, Ella, center, believes that love transcends gender and sexuality and that no one should faced setbacks based on who they choose to love.(Courtesy of TIQFF )

A spin on ‘Huaren’ concepts for the Golden Pin
A loyal friend of the LGBT community, Ella, center, believes that love transcends gender and sexuality and that no one should faced setbacks based on who they choose to love.(Courtesy of TIQFF )

the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival (TIQFF, 台灣國際酷兒影展) — has another first in the making. Returning for its third year, from Oct. 22 to Oct. 30 in Taipei, the festival consists this year not only of film screenings and panel discussions, but, for the first time, will also include the Queermosa Awards (酷摩沙獎). The awards celebrate individuals who have contributed to the LGBT community and their work.

Nominees for the Queermosa Awards include public figures, pioneers, entrepreneurs, enterprises, celebrities and artists who have played a significant role in shaping contemporary LGBT culture or have contributed to advancing LGBT rights. The awards also celebrate Asian short films, Chinese-language TV series and journalistic works that depict LGBT people and their stories fairly, accurately and comprehensively. The first Queermosa Awards will further highlight social participation and public knowledge, in addition to high-quality entertainment.

“I know so many talented LGBT friends who don’t get the respect they deserve, at work or at home. I hope that with however little power I have, I can use my platform to raise awareness of the challenges they face and to shine some light on their stories,” said Ella (陳嘉樺), a member of the singing trio S.H.E. and a 2016 TIQFF Ambassador.    [FULL  STORY]

‘A Touch of Green’ wins 6 Golden Bell Awards

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-09
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TV drama “A Touch of Green” is the biggest winner at the 51st Golden Bell Awards (GBA) ceremony at 6774350the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei City on Saturday night, winning 6 awards.

The Golden Bell Awards is an annual Taiwanese television production award. It is the first television production award in Chinese circulation, founded in 1965, and Taiwan’s equivalent to the Emmy Awards. It is also one of the three major annual awards presented in Taiwan, along with the Golden Melody Awards for music and the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards for movies and films.

Living up to the expectation to be the biggest GBA winner, A Touch of Green won 6 awards, including Best Drama, Best Leading Actor–Drama, Best Director – Drama, Best New Actors / Actresses – Drama, Best Lighting and Best Art and Design.     [FULL  STORY]

Ivy Yin wins GBA for Tele-movies best lead actress

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-09
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Ivy Yin of “The Island of River Flow” won Golden Bell Award for best lead actress in a Tele-movie on 6774355Saturday.

The Island of River Flow tells the love story between a national highway toll collector (played by Ivy Yin) and a silly but innocent truck driver (played by Zheng Ren-shuo) she met at a turning point of her life when she is in her last week on the job and having relationship problems.

National highway toll collectors were laid off after the manual toll collection was replaced by electronic toll collection across Taiwan in December, 2013.  [SOURCE]

Taiwanese singing king Kuo Ching-fa dies

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/08
By: Lilian Wu

Kaohsiung, Oct. 8 (CNA) Kuo Ching-fa (郭金發), whose signature Taiwanese-language song “Hot Rice

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

Dumpling” (燒肉粽) has been popular for more than half a century, died of a heart attack on Saturday. He was 72.

Kuo, dubbed the “singing king of Formosa,” was performing at an event to honor senior citizens supported by Fengshan District Office in Kaohsiung when he suddenly passed out on stage. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors failed to resuscitate him.

Kuo showed his talent at the young age of 15 when he took part in a singing contest. He released his first album at 17, and put out more than 100 albums during his lifetime.

His most memorable song was the Taiwanese language hit “Hot Rice Dumpling,” which first came out in 1949, four years after the end of World War II.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese American beauty contest [VIDEO]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/08/2016

At this beauty contest held in Los Angeles in August, the contestants all had to have Taiwanese heritage. They either came from Taiwan or their parents are from there. The contest is not like others and is organized partly to promote awareness about Taiwan.    [SOURCE]