Department of Cultural Affairs

Hsien-Yung Pai, Hsin-Chien Huang, and Margaret Shiu were selected as winners of the 25^th Taipei Culture Awards, and the Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs also awarded the Special Award to Doris Brougham, “mother of Studio Classroom”.
 
Hsien-Yung Pai: Pioneer of Taiwan’s Modern Literature
Born in Guangxi in 1937, Pai depicts in detail the nostalgia of mainlanders in Taiwan, the dilemma of homosexuality, and the despair of overseas Chinese. Pai has spared no effort in promoting traditional Kun opera.
 
In 1960, he co-founded Modern Literature with Tzu Ouyang and Jo-Hsi Chen, making him the main contributor to the development of Taiwan’s modern literature. Pai is keen on depicting social reality through ethnic identification. As a classic in contemporary Chinese literature, his short story “Taipei People” delicately narrates the life of mainlanders migrating to Taiwan from their distant homes along with the National Government. As a masterpiece of Taiwan’s LGBTQ literature, his novel Crystal Boys tells stories about homosexuality from that era.
 
From 2004, Pai embarked on the production of The Peony Pavilion: Young Lovers’ Edition for a global tour. He wrote books and held seminars on Kun opera, and his indisputable efforts and achievements in Taiwan Literature and traditional arts, Pai is a well-deserved recipient of the Taipei Culture Award.
 
Hsin-Chien Huang: Presenter of Taiwan’s New Media Art
Born in 1966, new media artist Hsin-Chien Huang received design education in the USA immediately after graduating from National Taiwan University. He eventually decided to return to Taiwan to engage in art creation and promote the interdisciplinary and integrated Steam (the world’s largest video game digital distribution service) education.
 
At the Dream Pavilion of the 2010 International Flora Expo, he directed The Journey of Paragenesis Installation, which earned him the “Pride of Taiwan” honor.
 
In recent years, Huang has devoted his efforts into making large new media artworks and has been recognized with numerous awards. His VR film La Camera Insabbiata co-produced with Laurie Anderson won the “Best VR Experience Award” at the 74^th Venice International Film Festival. His Bodyless won both the “Honorary Mention” at the Prix Ars Electronica 2020 in Austria and the “Golden Mask” at the NewImages Festival in France. His Samsara (2021) won the “Jury Award” at the SXSW Film and “Best VR Story” award at the Cannes XR Marche du Film.
 
In 2020, Huang was invited to be the curator of the Prix Ars Electronic to present the idea diversity of Taiwan’s VR Art based on the theme of “Taipei Garden: Kaleidoscope”.
 
Margaret Shiu: Builder of the Platform for International Artist Exchange
Born in 1946 in Hong Kong, ceramic artist Margaret Shiu has been supporting Taiwanese artists by collecting their works for over four decades, and promoting Taiwanese art into idle space for revitalization.
 
In 1995, Shiu founded the Bamboo Curtain Studio, Taiwan’s first no-profit international artist village as an incubation environment for artists to develop avant-garde artworks. Over the last 25 years, over 400 artists have resided at or traveled overseas through Bamboo Curtain.
 
To promote gender equity in the art circle, Shiu and Jun T. Lai co-founded the “Taiwan Women’s Art Association” in 2000 as Taiwan’s first association to promote and aid with the development of female artists in Taiwan. Shiu’s engagement in the community and connecting with the world have led to her being recognized with the Taipei Culture Award.
 
Doris Brougham: Pioneer of Taiwan’s English Education
This year, Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs specially recognized Doris Brougham with the “Special Award,” who has dedicated herself to English Education in Taiwan for over seven decades. Studio Classroom, which was founded by Brougham in 1962, has turned into a “must-read” English-learning publication in Taiwan.
 
In addition to publishing Studio Classroom, Brougham has also introduced various series of English broadcasting programs over the years to support the textual publications that include Studio Classroom, Let's Talk in English, and Advanced. These were launched alongside the magazines or multimedia materials that carry the same titles, and have become essential English-learning materials in Taiwan.
 
Brougham has worked diligently in organizing the Studio Classroom Bilingual Character-Building Camp and developing Lucy Says fundamental teaching materials for the rural areas of Taiwan. Over the last six years, Brougham has provided English teaching services for nearly 100 after-school clubs and elementary schools in rural areas. In recognition for her devotion and outstanding achievements in promoting English education in Taiwan, Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs presented her with the “Special Award” of the Taipei Culture Awards.
 
The experience from different eras, ethnic groups, and cultures is reflected in each of the four winners of the Taipei Culture Awards this year, and are examples of cultural pluralism in Taiwan to broaden the people’s cultural horizons while elevating Taipei’s international visibility and sense of pride in the City. 
 

Hsien-Yung Pai (photo by Pei-Hung Hsu)	Hsin-Chien Huang
Margaret Shiu	Doris Brougham