Cross-strait digital forum gets under way in Taipei

Source： Taiwan Today
By Grace Kuo
Photo: GIO Minister Philip Yang (second left), novelists and publishers from across the Strait attend the digital forum hosted by the United Daily News Group in Taipei Dec. 28. (CNA photos)

Authors and publishers from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China gathered together at a three-day forum in Taipei to share their views on literary creation in a digital era and the future of digital publishing, according to the Government Information Office Dec. 28.

“The digitization and mobilization of technology is the future trend of reading,” GIO Minister Philip Yang said. “In this tide, good content is what matters the most and is the key that leads to creation.”

Yang stressed that digital convergence is an important policy the ROC government is promoting. “People will be able to enjoy a technological lifestyle once the industries of animation, entertainment, publishing and television are integrated.”

Guo Jingming, a 28-year-old renowned writer from the mainland, said that the core of a novelist lies in his or her writing. “Authors should conquer their readers with their works instead of packaging. Some texts can only be presented by words, others by film and television,” he pointed out, adding that nevertheless, “digitization is highly convenient and eco-friendly, and will have a powerful force in the future.”

Sun Peng, chief executive officer of the popular Chinese online literature website Hongxiu, said that digitization allows authors to obtain feedback on their work immediately after it is released online, narrowing the distance between novelists and readers, and is the motivation for further creation.

Hosted by udn.com Co. Ltd., a member of the United Daily News Group, and sponsored by the GIO, the forum runs from Dec. 28 to 30. Famed novelists and illustrators at the event include Chen Fang-ming, Sisy Chen, Jimmy Liao and Tom Wang.