Global Strategies In Developing Cultural Innovation Industry

Based on the case study of Cloud Gate Dance Theater and Pili Puppet Show and with a methodology of literature review, comparative study and systematic approach, this thesis explores the strategic theory and practice of cultural innovation industry in face of globalization. There are 6 questions raised and answered in the 6 chapters of this thesis.Chapter 1 presents to the readers the background and motive of this thesis in a detailed account. Starting from the analysis of the complex relationship between globalized politics and economy, the complex relationship between society and culture, the reflections on Cross-Strait interactions, on national modernization and on the development of localized culture, the thesis emphasizes that cultural development is not only the root for political, economic, social and educational progress in humanity, but also the political, economic, social and educational fruits of achievements. Culture gives a deep meaning and a wide perspective to all aspects of social development and state building, and what is more, it allows the status quo to go beyond time and space. Currently, especially when soft power is gaining growing concern and priority, establishing and promoting cultural innovation industry becomes a competitive mechanism for global management and marketing. Under these circumstances, it is of realistic significance that the author has a foresight to elevate the objective of the thesis from local strategy of cultural innovation industry to global strategy. Grounded on this perception, the author, an advocate of public affairs and woman affairs, is devoted to exploring cultural development with a global interest, thus contributing to introducing more of Chinese cultures to the world as well as to promoting Cross-Strait cooperation in promoting cultural innovation industry.Chapter 2 serves as the premise of this thesis as some basic concepts in cultural innovation industry are analyzed and defined. Firstly, the author examines and clarifies the evolution of the word"culture"in ancient Chinese books, and reviews different explanations of"culture"in western civilization. In a broad sense, culture refers to the spiritual representation and achievement of human society; in other words, it is the accumulation of all material and nonmaterial products. In a common sense, culture specifically denotes all the spiritual products, including language, literature, arts, and all other ideological forms. This exploration in the definition helps to clarify the overall perspective of cultural innovation industry. Secondly, in the analysis of general cultural rights stipulated in international laws, the author points out that human rights and culture rights are the most ambiguous and the least developed ones within the framework of international laws. It is imperative that cultural rights should be given a more important position as a social issue at human rights and justice forums. Thirdly, in the analysis of cultural rights and civil society, the author puts forward a concept of cultural civil rights, and argues that cultural civil rights focuses on: the ways people organize values and beliefs of collective benefits and the practice of cultural affiliation. Cultural civil rights will enable citizens to participate in national cultural activities more efficiently, more creatively and with greater success. Five principles are summarized in the analysis of cultural civil rights: adjacent knowledge, multicultural experience, adjacent information, participation on cultural transmission and equal exchange. Fourthly, the concept of cultural industry is adopted to show its complicated form and complex operation by revealing relationships between everyday life on one side and cultural connotation, creativity individuality, mentality of cultural workers and cultural products on the other side, and by revealing how this mode can promote economic values with a combination of industrial production and commercial services. Cultural innovation activities can evolve into an industry only with culture as its content, creative ideas as its form, and on-scale business operation as its mode. Globalized competition in cultural industry has been upgraded from industrial age highlighting mass production to knowledge economy era featuring innovative cultural products. All governments come to realize the importance of cultural creativity as an added value in production and to take measures to face up to the challenges. Finally, the author introduces all the basic principles about cultural policies: definition, decision making, influence, orientation, extension, dimension, direction, evaluation, objective, and performance, and then distinguishes the policies on cultural industry and cultural innovation industry, and analyzes the role of public policies in promoting cultural innovation industry.After describing and explaining in great detail the origin, growth and transform of Cloud Gate Dance Theater and Pili Puppet Show in Taiwan, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 probes into the significance of these organizations evolving from traditional industry to modern industry.Cloud Gate, in ancient records, is said to be the oldest dance in China. Legend has it that the dance could be dated back as far as in Huang Di (or Yellow Emperor) era, but today none of the postures and steps is left but merely a name. In 1973, Lin Hwai Min set up the first professional troupe Cloud Gate Dance Theater. Till now, the troupe has produced more than 160 works covering classic literature, folk stories, Taiwan history, social issues and there are even attempts at avant-guard ideas. With its creativity, dance skills, picturesque body language, it has won both the heart and hand of audience and critics. Legacy (薪传), one of Li's works, is based on the historical record of Yan Siqi leading early Taiwan settlers from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in building the ten villages of Ponkan in 1624. This performance of pure art goes down into the heart of laborers, and the elements of ancestor worship, inheritance, local color, pioneering spirit of settlers are confirmed by dancing language when dancers present the images perfectly. As for Water Moon (水月),a work inspired from a Buddhist verse"Flowers in a mirror and the moon in the water are nothing in the end", there are body movements of Taichi, mirror and flowing water, movements of arms and legs following the controlled deep breath. There are images of stillness and motion, feints and ambushes, yin and yang, willows in the breeze and overwhelming mountain, as if giving a vivid display of drawing a landscape painting in front of the audience. Particularly, Bach's unaccompanied cello suites are used in this oriental dance, which get along perfectly well and bring out the best of each other in a pure and unearthly atmosphere. Creative ideas and changes reflect the transformation of Cloud Gate Dance Theater in the face of globalization.Pili Puppet Show has been passed down three generations, and with the incorporation of television and digital technology, it has been brought into modern society, demonstrating the transformation of cultural activity from traditional form to modern innovation industry. Chinese puppet show has gone through different stages from traditional show to Jin-Guang Puppet, from televised show to multimedia form and independent radio show. Pili Puppet Show has experienced reforms in application of digital platform, music, martial arts actions and special effects, even puppet models and their costumes. Pili Puppet Show International Multimedia has created its own Pili style and established a corporation with highly integral puppet elements by sticking to its unique management ideas and system. In a capitalist economy, Pili Puppet Show has grown into a media company mainly producing large-scale shows, and at the same time, it is a complete system of puppet show culture industry having its own Pili Satellite TV, extending to advertising agencies, advertisers, and providing puppet show to system operators and other channels. In their shows, special concern is given to its unique style, thus Pili style which has been recognized by the market. People may differ in their views on its transformation from a traditional puppet troupe to an international multimedia company, but the change itself provides a good example.Chapter 5 explores the strategic significance of cultural innovation industry in policy making, as well as approaches the topics of promoting cultural strategies to influence policy remaking, streamlining policy-making procedures to revitalize production of cultural works, facing up to policy changes by taking bottom-line management and corrective measures, and allocating profits to stimulate creativity. By analyzing favorable conditions for the prosperity of nongovernmental artistic groups, management and resources support to nongovernmental organization, continuation of unofficial performance mode in the primary performance space, competitiveness of performing groups, this chapter also explains the effects of strategic values of Taiwan cultural innovation industry on nongovernment society.As the concluding section, Chapter 6 summarizes all the topics worth studying further. The question about the general direction of cultural innovation industry goes to the four pairs of conflict: politics vs policy, costs vs profits, social values vs concept, and resources raising vs resources integration. The author also provides a systematic analysis of present situation and difficulties, raises questions how to develop an advance cultural innovation industry to a higher level, and suggests that we should open eyes to foresee the challenges and open arms to face them.