outline of the speech (For more speech info,please feel free to contact us):

Creative Economy in the Rise of Asia

Chuen-Juei Ho, Chair Professor

Yin-Bin Ning, Distinguished Professor

National Central University, Taiwan

Context

The drive toward creative economy takes place in the context of increasing globalization, where certain nations have already achieved global domination of the market.  And now, a whole lot of other nations are being drawn into the game and are seeking their own niche.

Finding the Edge

As globalization puts late-comers at a seeming disadvantage, creative responses have to be generated to not only locate a competitive edge for being late-coming in the global marketplace, but also help strengthen local resistance to globalization.

The Flat World

Dominant economies globalize their products as well as lifestyles, thus flattening the world through dominating tastes and desires. Competing along established globalized tracks only turns late-comers into more OEMs that serve other countries’ interests.

Standing Out

Globalization’s de-differentiation of the world is best countered by creative re-differentiation of the local space so as to build up competitiveness in the race to produce distinction.  Where does marketable differentiation lie?

Marginality

Not yet fully saturated by globalization, cultural heritages become rich sources of uniqueness and differentiation: all quirkiness, peculiarities, eccentricities, even out-datedness (historical distance) can be transformed into interesting uniqueness

How to Re-create

In their original historical and cultural situatedness, such specificities may be the ordinary, the daily-life, the mundane; but creatively articulated with other cultural elements in other domains, they may shine a different light

Key Notions

Traditional cultural heritages make up the core content, but always transformed and integrated into contemporary lifestyles to create new aesthetic feelings and sense of trendiness, leading to identification with the cultural signification of the commodity

Chinese Drinking Culture

Always begin with history: the historical sites, stories, and lifestyles make up innovative elements to enrich the cultural content of the products

Sense of Design and Set

Join Chinese calligraphy, painting, or even poetry to the design; synchronize the packaging to reflect the motif; create tiles, wallpapers, furniture, glassware, bedding and sheets…everything that can be used in daily life

What Do We Need

Knowledge of Chinese culture and history, serious studies of historical sites and stories, artistic design through re-articulation of cultural elements, originality in design manufacture, refinement of craftsmanship, logistics and branding

Late-Comers

When it comes to creative economy, Asian countries may have an edge exactly because of their cultural heritage—provided we could make the best and the most creative use of what is already in our blood and in our lives

Local Uniqueness

In this case, economic growth will not be purchased at the price of erasure of cultural heritage; instead, it will revitalize our culture and pride—if we make a serious effort to integrate and recreate the past along with the present, art along with life.

Beyond Orientalist Cliché

Creative economy in Asia cheapens itself if it is content with Orientalist clichés. Originality does NOT lie in duplicating old motifs, but in aesthetically transforming the spirit of past ages and cultures.

Exporting Culture

Creative economy creates much more than commodities and profits, but, instead, newly fashioned lifestyles and cultures, newly engendered ideas and values—which is what will truly triumph in the global marketplace