NTNU Chair Professor Gao Xingjian Awarded the French Legion of Honor
Gao Xingjian, chair professor of National Taiwan Normal University and Nobel Prize laureate was awarded the Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron. Professor Gao is the first Chinese novelist honored with the highest honor in the French tradition that lasts 200 years, in recognition of his continuous commitment to outstanding achievements in literary and art creation. Prof. Gao Xingjian is a well known artist, novelist, playwright, critic, painter, photographer, film director, and translator who in 2000 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is also a noted translator, screenwriter, stage director, and a celebrated painter.
The French Legion of Honor began in 1802. It is an honor system established by Napoleon. It is nominated by the French government every year to honor the most outstanding contributors in various fields in France. It is the highest honor issued by the French government and one of the most famous medals in the world. First, it is divided into five ranks. For example, writer Jin Yong and film director Ang Lee have all won the fifth-class Chevalier.
The award ceremony was held exclusively for Professor Gao at the Élysée Palace in France. Government officials, French friends of Professor Gao and other distinguished guests from all walks of life participated in the event. French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech to praise his remarkable achievements.
According to President Wu, since 2012, NTNU has worked closely with Professor Gao to organize a series of events and performances. For example, in 2012, the university organized the “Encounter Gao Xingjian at NTNU - Commemorating Visit of Nobel Laureate in Literature Gao Xingjian.” In 2014, NTNU co-organized the Taiwanese premiere of the cinematic poem Requiem for Beauty with the National Palace Museum, published the Requiem for Beauty art book, and opened the Xingjian Hall, a rehearsal classroom for the Graduate Institute of Performing Arts donated and unveiled by Professor Gao himself. In 2017, NTNU held the “Gao Xingjian Art Festival” and received his ink wash painting The Thinker. In 2019, NTNU held “Gao Xingjian Week” and launched courses such as “The Literature and Art of Gao Xingjian” and “Studies on Plays of Gao Xingjian.” The Graduate Institute of Performing Arts has performed some of his classic works, including the world premiere of the Mandarin version of Nocturnal Wanderer (2012), the extravagant rock-and-roll musical Mountains and Seas (2013, 2017), the dance theater Soul Mountain (2016, 2017), the monologue Soliloquy (2019), and the university repertory production Soliloquy on Soul Mountain (2019).
Professor Gao has a deep relationship with NTNU and has generously donated his manuscripts and paintings to the National Taiwan Normal University. He even said in his speech on the centennial celebration of the National Taiwan Normal University, 'Taiwan has become my hometown, and the National Normal University is also my university.'
In 2021, to highlight the university’s academic connection with Professor Gao and promote research on Gao Xingjian’s work, NTNU established the Gao Xingjian Center on the 6th floor of the NTNU Library to store his works, documents, and relevant research materials. Through its advantages and characteristics in the field of arts and humanities, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts, College of Arts, and College of Music, NTNU hopes to become an important center of research for Gao Xingjian’s works in the Chinese-speaking world.
After Professor Gao received the honor, he talked with Director Susan Shu-Cheng Li
of the Gao Xingjian Center to share the excitement of the grand recognition. Director Lin said that Professor Gao was very touched that the French government highly recognized his works and the celebration.