[Life] National Cultural Conference Central Taiwan Forum: Cultural Translation Becomes Focus
bellala 央廣7h agoEdited
The 4th and final regional forum of the "2026 National Cultural Conference," the Central Taiwan forum, was held on the 16th at the Cultural Heritage Park of the Ministry of Culture. Facing globalization and the digital age, participants believe that cultural preservation should not just be about retaining artifacts and historical materials, but more importantly, how to reintroduce historical memories into contemporary life through cultural translation.
Tang Sheng-jung, Chairman of Hancao Culture and Creative, cited Korean pop culture as an example. After their military service, the K-pop group BTS reunited and released a dance album titled "Arirang," sung in English, incorporating traditional Korean dance elements into their world tour. This proves that popular entertainment is not just a commercial product but can also be an important vehicle for cultural export.
Tang believes that "cultural translation is always in life." The key is not to faithfully replicate history, but to find ways of expression that contemporary people can understand and accept, making culture content that is "approachable," "perceivable," and "transmissible."
He also cited several recent Taiwanese works as examples. "Rose Rose I Love You" made the history of Taiwan in the 1950s "approachable" through music, costumes, scenes, and daily details; "Us in That Photo" deliberately downplayed historical events, focusing on a love story, making history a "perceivable" collective memory for the audience; and "The Ghostly Tales" expanded from comics to a web series, blending fantasy and romance elements, demonstrating how historical themes can continue to be "transmissible."
Tang stated that in recent years, "Taiwan Wanderer" has rewritten Taiwanese history through literature and gained international attention, proving that local culture can dialogue with the world if appropriate translation methods are found. He hopes that cultural workers will start from deeply cultivating culture, combine technology with diverse media, and create content that is both profound and popular, "This is our mission."
Cultural translation is not only found in film, television, and popular culture but also concerns the future of local culture and cultural heritage. Chang Ching-yeh, CEO of Lukang Kids Cultural Business, shared his experience of returning to his hometown, pointing out that young people returning to their hometowns should not just accept subsidies but also cultivate the ability to respond to the market and cultural translation, integrating local culture into daily life to form a sustainable new popular culture.
Yang Fu-tzu, founder of "Island Escape," used Penghu's stone weirs as an example, stating that when the Twin Heart Stone Weirs become a tourist landmark, the younger generation should think about new cultural governance methods, making the stone weirs not just a postcard but a "household register of the sea" that truly enters the public view, reconnecting cultural preservation with life.
Regarding cultural heritage preservation, Rong Fang-chieh, Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental and Cultural Resources at National Tsing Hua University, stated bluntly, "The interpretation and presentation of the value of cultural heritage are the fundamental goals of preservation." If cultural heritage is reduced to mere restoration and reuse, understood only by experts and scholars, or cannot become part of life, then we must reconsider: "Why preserve? For whom to preserve? And how to establish contemporary memory?"
Tsai Po-cheng, Artistic Director of B.DANCE, believes that Taiwan now has no shortage of venues, art festivals, and creators, but lacks cultural IPs and systematic accumulation that can be recognized by the world long-term. He described Taiwan as "a blooming garden," and in the future, it should move from single-point output of works to a continuously accumulating cultural ecosystem, allowing the world to understand Taiwan anew through its culture.
The Ministry of Culture stated that the 4 regional forums and 2 professional forums held this year have all been completed. A "Youth Session" will be held later, inviting the younger generation to participate in discussions from their own perspectives. All opinions will be compiled at the National Cultural Conference Plenary Session on September 20th to form a policy blueprint for the cultural "future."
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=214907
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