How is it that Taiwan's "creative and cultural" industries have been able to draw so much attention to themselves in mainland China? Chan Wei-hsiung, vice president of the Xue Xue Institute, says that the main reason is that Taiwanese society emphasizes values of self-realization and respect for the individual. The following article is a summary of Chan's views.

"Right now the two sides are discussing creative and cultural activities, which is to say matters in the realm of the spirit and soul. In contrast to economic activities, culture, because it is not about production, is relatively ignored in Chinese societies," avers Chan Wei-hsiung. But, he adds, that's not the way they think in the UK, the first country to come up with the concept of "creative industries."

As it is used in the UK, the term refers to lines of business that have the potential to create wealth and jobs through the establishment and exploitation of intellectual property rights over ideas that result from individual creativity, skill, or talent.