Lung Ying-tai vows to ‘sweeten’ Taiwan’s soft power

(Ecns.cn)--Well-known Taiwanese essayist and cultural critic Lung Ying-tai has been in the headlines since February 15, when she was sworn in as the new head of the "Council for Cultural Affairs." The council will be formally upgraded to the "Ministry of Culture" on May 20, at which time the 60-year-old will become the first head of Taiwan's top cultural authority.

From 1999 to 2003, Lung served as the first director of Taipei's Department of Cultural Affairs, established by leader Ma Ying-jeou during his first term as Taipei mayor. Lung said in mid-February that she is now more prepared than she was 10 years before to adjust to life as a public servant, reported the Taiwan-based Central News Agency (CNA).

"I hope this time I will achieve my tasks smoothly," she said at a press conference, referring to her previous difficulties with Taipei city councilors. Lung also expressed a wish to bring progressive ideas and practices to Taiwan's cultural department.

"Equal cultural rights and access to cultural resources for people at the bottom rungs of society will be the guiding value for all cultural policymaking," Lung was quoted by Taiwan Today.

"Without a citizenry with strong cultural literacy, Taiwan will never be sufficiently strong," she said. "This process should begin with the most ignored children from villages in the poorest regions."

Lung further pointed out that a region's soft power is manifested more in the growth of cultural strength at all levels of society. "To achieve this, I will need support from society as well as from other government departments," she noted.

Addressing the long-standing weaknesses in cultural administration compared to other organs, Lung told Taiwan Today that she expected the new department to play a soft but persuasive role in emphasizing the value of culture--as opposed to economic development--in the government as a whole.

The "Ministry of Culture" should be like sugar dissolving in the water of government, she explained, so that we can all work together to build Taiwan's soft power.

Speaking of Lung's role as a politician, ruling Kuomintang legislator Chiang Nai-hsin, who was a city councilor while Lung served in the Taipei city government, revealed to CNA that in the past Lung was more subjective and would not easily budge, probably because she had a great sense of pride.

"Now, Lung is much softer, with a greater passion to serve. I believe she will make a great political appointee," Chiang added.

Chang Tieh-chih, a cultural critic, analyzed that Lung's appointment reflects Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's intention to make a difference in cultural policies.

Sharing Ma's vision of building Taiwan on its culture, one of the tasks ahead for Lung will be to promote closer cooperation with the mainland, pointed out Want China Times, a Taiwan-based English news website, citing Ma's remarks at the opening ceremony of the Taipei International Book Exhibition on February 1.

Since Lung exercises a fair amount of influence in the Chinese-speaking world, her appointment and the fact that she is expected to subsequently head the future "Ministry of Culture" indicate that Ma is now more confident about actively fostering cross-Straits cultural exchanges, analyzed the website.

Lung, born to a Kuomintang soldier's family, is best known for her poignant and critical essays on Taiwan's democracy and society. She has produced more than a dozen books and is an influential writer in the Chinese mainland.

"Creating a civil society is something that Lung knows a lot about. With 15 book titles to her name, the current chair of arts and humanities at Tsinghua University frequently publishes critical essays in European magazines and newspapers on both sides of the Taiwan Straits," commented the Taipei Times.