Premier Lai Ching-te said on Thursday that a pluralistic approach to nurturing human capital is a top priority for preserving intangible cultural assets, and that education is a key component of any such effort. The premier directed the Ministry of Education to incorporate traditional arts and culture into curriculums at all levels of the educational system, and ensure that education and cultural preservation proceed hand in hand.
Physical and intangible cultural assets are products of human societies, the environments in which they exist, and their histories, said Premier Lai, and together make up the cultural traditions passed down from generation to generation. Both the tangible and intangible are well worth preserving and protecting. The premier instructed the Ministry of Culture (MOC) to plan talent development work, while also considering rules and regulations, administration and systems in developing a mechanism for preserving cultural assets. Technology should also be used to highlight the beauty of Taiwan's culture.
The preservation and propagation of intangible cultural assets is an important part of passing down historical impressions and the knowledge of those who came before, said Premier Lai. The MOC's budget for securing intangible cultural assets in 2019 is double that of 2018. The premier directed the ministry to accelerate the implementation and promotion of the full range of preservation and protection measures.
Premier Lai's remarks came following a presentation by the MOC on the safeguarding of intangible cultural assets.