30th Taiwan-France Cultural Award honors Tamkang professor and French scholar for bilateral ties

The Ministry of Culture and the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences of the Institut de France jointly announced the winners of the 30th Taiwan-France Cultural Award. Yang Shu-chuan, professor emeritus at Tamkang University, and Michel Chambon, director of the Taipei Center of the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO), were named as this year's co-recipients. This honor not only serves as the highest recognition of their long-term dedication to Taiwan-France cultural exchanges, but also once again highlights the profound friendship and close cooperation between Taiwan and France in the humanities, academic, and artistic fields spanning several decades. Since its establishment, the Taiwan-France Cultural Award has been an important bridge for promoting mutual cultural trust and deep dialogue between the two nations, with each edition's winners building solid bridges of understanding between Taiwan and France in their respective fields.

Reviewing the history of the Taiwan-France Cultural Award, it was jointly established by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and the Institut de France's Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, a prestigious institution with a long history and lofty academic standing in France. As the highest temple of French academia, the Institut de France comprises five academies, among which the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences has always played a key role in promoting international humanities exchanges. The award's purpose is to recognize individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to promoting cultural, artistic, literary, and academic exchanges between Taiwan and France, or more broadly, the European region. For thirty years, this award has witnessed the fruits of the quiet dedication of countless cultural workers, scholars, and artists, while also serving as a major indicator of bilateral cultural diplomacy between Taiwan and France.

Yang Shu-chuan, professor emeritus at Tamkang University and one of this year's laureates, has long cultivated Taiwan's higher education sector, making remarkable contributions particularly in French literature, French cultural studies, and the promotion of Taiwan-France academic exchanges. Yang has not only nurtured countless outstanding French-language talents within the university, but has also actively fostered substantive cooperation between Taiwanese and French academic institutions. Her efforts have provided Taiwanese students with more opportunities to experience France's profound cultural heritage while simultaneously introducing Taiwan's academic achievements to the French academic community. Her dedication to research and teaching has transcended geographical and linguistic boundaries, allowing French culture to take root in Taiwan and building deep trust and friendship among scholars from both countries. Her award is well-deserved.

The other recipient is Michel Chambon, director of the Taipei Center of the French School of Asian Studies, whose award similarly underscores the deep connection between Taiwan and France in history, sinology, and regional studies. The French School of Asian Studies has long been dedicated to Asian research, and its Taipei Center serves as a vital hub for exchanges between the academic communities of Taiwan and European sinology. Chambon has been stationed in Taiwan for a long time, leading his team in deeply engaging with local research on Taiwan's history, society, and culture. He has not only fostered French scholars' understanding of Taiwan's contemporary and historical development, but has also provided Taiwanese researchers with a broad platform to connect internationally. Through his expertise and passion, the Taipei Center of the French School of Asian Studies has become an indispensable cooperative stronghold for the academic communities of Taiwan and France, continually deepening dialogue between the two nations in the humanities and social sciences.

From Professor Yang Shu-chuan's deep cultivation in education and the promotion of French literature to Director Michel Chambon's outstanding contributions to sinology and regional studies, the two winners of the 30th Taiwan-France Cultural Award perfectly embody the foundational role that grassroots and academic exchanges play in state relations. Against the backdrop of globalization and a shifting geopolitical landscape, official diplomacy is certainly important, but academic and artistic exchanges based on mutual understanding and cultural resonance are often more enduring and deeply moving. Interactions between Taiwan and France in culture, technology, democratic values, and other areas have become increasingly frequent in recent years. The continued holding of the Taiwan-France Cultural Award and the outstanding achievements of its winners undoubtedly inject a continuous stream of vitality and depth into this transnational partnership, while also allowing the world to see Taiwan's proactive role in international cultural exchange.