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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Actress defends Taiwan's Public Television budget amid major cuts

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Public Television Service (PTS) in Taiwan faces a significant budget cut of NT$1.02 billion, nearly halving its government funding.
  • Actress Pan Hui-ru penned a lengthy defense of PTS, emphasizing that culture is a national investment, not a purely economic calculation.
  • She argued that PTS provides crucial opportunities for new talent and allows for the exploration of diverse Taiwanese stories, which might not be commercially viable elsewhere.

Taiwan's Public Television Service (PTS) is facing a severe budget reduction, with proposals in the Legislative Yuan seeking to freeze or cut its funding by NT$1.02 billion, effectively halving the government's contribution. This move has sent shockwaves through the film and television industry and sparked widespread public concern, with over 150,000 citizens signing a petition in support of PTS.

If cultural budgets are described as 'supporting people without value,' I am truly heartbroken.

— Pan Hui-ruThe actress expressed her distress over the criticism directed at cultural funding.

Actress Pan Hui-ru has voiced her strong support for PTS, publishing a 1,719-character essay detailing her personal experiences and advocating for the station's importance. She argued that culture represents an investment in a nation's identity, talent, and future generations. Pan expressed deep sadness over sentiments that cultural budgets are merely supporting unproductive individuals, stating, "If cultural budgets are described as 'supporting people without value,' I am truly heartbroken."

Pan highlighted PTS's role in nurturing emerging talent and fostering diverse storytelling. She pointed to programs like the "Student Drama Project," "Life Drama Project," and various drama initiatives that provide a platform for new creators and actors. Unlike highly commercial productions, PTS offers space for filmmakers to experiment with themes and develop characters, enabling actors to "perform properly" and teams to "tell stories belonging to this land well."

The value of culture is difficult to quantify solely by 'how much money is invested today and how much can be earned back tomorrow.'

— Pan Hui-ruPan Hui-ru argued against a purely economic view of cultural investment.

Reflecting on her own career, Pan recalled participating in PTS productions that explored topics such as land crabs crossing roads, marine ecology in Green Island, the challenges faced by women without a uterus, and same-sex marriage. She acknowledged that these subjects might not have broad market appeal or high viewership but stressed their importance in giving visibility to unique Taiwanese narratives and minority groups. "The value of culture is difficult to quantify solely by 'how much money is invested today and how much can be earned back tomorrow,'" Pan stated, comparing cultural inheritance to planting seeds, where the potential of each seed remains unknown without the act of planting.

I am very fortunate; I was once the one who was watered.

— Pan Hui-ruShe expressed gratitude for the opportunities PTS provided her early in her career.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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