The government places great importance on Hakka culture and will continue to promote its development, Premier Jiang Yi-huah affirmed today while visiting the Liudui Cultural Park in Pingtung County.
Taiwan is very lucky to have been enriched by diverse cultures, an important one of which is Hakka culture, Jiang said. He praised the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) for employing local resources in building the park and proactively promoting Hakka culture, and he expects the council to work in step with the administration while adhering to the government's core cultural policies, principles and spirit.
The premier toured the park, watched the music and dance performances of children in its Hakka-language school, and participated in a do-it-yourself oil-paper umbrella making activity to experience some of the varied aspects of Hakka culture.
Today's visit to the Liudui Cultural Park in southern Taiwan was a sequel to Jiang's trip to the Hakka Cultural Park Miaoli in northern Taiwan last year. He pointed out that the Hakka parks in northern and southern Taiwan vary greatly, as the northern park is mainly indoors while the southern park occupies a vast area surrounded by nature.
Moreover, the Liudui Cultural Park features six unique umbrella-shaped communal structures, whose design concept—"shading the earth with umbrellas"—incorporates the principles of energy conservation and environmental protection as well as the Hakka imagery of bamboo hats and oiled-paper umbrellas. The structures are each outfitted with solar panels that make use of southern Taiwan's ample supply of sunlight, thus saving energy and reducing carbon emissions.
The park focuses on Liudui's history and local culture and highlights the historical footprints left by the community's forefathers' interactions with the land. From its opening on October 22, 2011 through the end of August 2014, the park had already recorded more than 2.7 million visitors, making it a landmark for tourists exploring southern Taiwan's Hakka culture.
"Soft power is a major strength of Taiwan, and the island's culture is its most attractive feature," the premier said.
The government has always been working to preserve and develop Hakka culture, and upon taking office President Ma Ying-jeou proclaimed a fundamental policy of honoring the Hakka and helping their communities to flourish, Jiang noted.
In its recent administrative report, the Executive Yuan delineated seven major policy areas, one of which was cultural policy. The government has pledged to propagate all cultures in Taiwan, including Hakka culture, and the premier expects the HAC to continue promoting the sustainable development of Hakka culture under the administration's policy guidance.