Sociopolitical

Making culture pay

Emile Chih-jen Sheng, Council for Cultural Affairs minister, believes the newly-passed Cultural Creativity Act will promote Taiwan’s arts sector on the domestic and international stage. (Photo courtesy of C.Y. Ho)

• Publication Date：01/29/2010
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Chiayi Ho

As far as Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Chih-jen Sheng is concerned, the recently passed Cultural Creativity Act represents a fresh start for Taiwan’s arts sector and signals the government’s commitment to promoting viable homegrown creative industries on the domestic and international stage.

“This is just the beginning,” Sheng said Jan. 19 in an exclusive interview with “Taiwan Today.” “Even though Japan and South Korea have a head start in developing their arts sectors, the new legislation will help Taiwan use its abundance of creativity in quickly closing the gap.”

According to the minister, Taiwan enjoys several valuable advantages over its neighbors' arts sector. “Taiwan is a unique place and one of the most exciting in which Chinese culture is rooted,” Sheng said. “Over the past 200 years, our society has been shaped by Chinese, Dutch, Japanese and American influences. Such a distinctive mix has created a fusion of cultures and produced a variety of creative and vital cultural activities.”

“Of course, the process has been supported by Taiwan’s vibrant democracy, which is conducive to constructing an enabling environment for creative thinking and living,” he added. “This fact goes a long way toward making up for the legislation’s eight-year delay in passage.”

Under the new bill, which was passed by the Legislature Jan. 7 after being held up by differences between ruling and opposition party lawmakers, the government will nurture Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries in a number of innovative ways. These include issuing elementary and junior high school students with vouchers to attend locally produced performing arts events; offering cinemagoers discounted tickets to Taiwan-made films; extending generous tax breaks to the private sector so as to spur investment in R&D for cultural and creative products; and identifying and fostering promising industry talents.

In addition, a cultural think tank—modeled along the lines of the Hsinchu-based Industrial Technology Research Institute—will be established with the purpose of promoting the island’s arts sector.

Sheng believes that such initiatives will have a “ripple effect” on Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries. “These moves are aimed at helping the younger generation and general public develop a greater appreciation for the arts,” he said. “Encouraging greater participation in locally produced performances and events lays the foundation for the future strength and success of this sector.”

With the voucher and subsidized film ticket programs set to kick off in 2011, Sheng said the CCA was planning to conduct test runs for both these schemes later this year. “Once funding has been secured, the CCA will conduct small-scale trials of these programs in order to iron out any kinks before going live next year.”

In seeking to promote Taiwan’s “unique cultural spirit” overseas, Sheng said the government had identified mainland China as an integral part of this process. “Considering the mainland’s geographical proximity, along with thriving cross-strait commercial relations, securing a greater share of this market for our arts sector is a logical step.”

To this end, Sheng said the CCA hopes to establish an office in mainland China before the end of the year. “By setting up an office on the mainland, we can introduce more of Taiwan’s best local artists and creative and cultural products into that market.”

Expected to open in an unofficial capacity as a foundation or non-profit civic organization, Sheng said the first CCA office would be situated in either Beijing or Shanghai. “Both locations have their pluses,” he said, “but Shanghai is the mainland’s most cosmopolitan city and would probably be best in terms of gaining international exposure for our activities.”

On the domestic front, Sheng said the new legislation contains an NT$20-billion (US$607 million) sweetener for funding local cultural and creative industries. “Allocating resources between competing interests is never easy,” he said. “The reality is that the pie is only so big, so rather than thinly spreading the money, backing strong industries that raise Taiwan’s international cultural profile is the soundest approach.”

But despite being hailed in many quarters as an outstanding legislative achievement that gives Taiwan’s arts sector a strategic sense of direction,
some opinion leaders in the cultural community have expressed concerns over the act’s potential to undermine creative diversity and “industrialize” fine art.

In a bid to assuage such fears, Sheng said that from March, the CCA planned to hold 14 public forums islandwide aiming to clear up any confusion surrounding the bill. “Once vested stakeholders understand the act, they will see that it poses no threat and offers many new opportunities for the development of the arts sector.”

With building consensus and consultation as personal mantras, Sheng said his background as a scholar in the field of political science—along with a reputation for getting the job done—will prove useful in the days ahead. Tasked with forming up the Ministry of Culture, which is to be created out of a merger between the CCA and Government Information Office, the self-described CEO said he is looking forward to shaping the new ministry’s structure and organizational culture.

Reflecting on the shape of the new ministry, Sheng said changes will be “very fast” and that the opening round of discussions had already begun. “It will not be a case of waiting two years and then making the switch overnight,” he said. “Talks concerning the new ministry’s formation and structure are already underway so as to complete the transition smoothly. It is important to start the dialogue and make sure the new design is accepted by everyone involved.” (JSM)

Write to Chiayi Ho at chiayi@mail.gio.gov.tw