Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By: LYNN F. LEE

Free recreational centers in Taipei offer engaging environments where parents and kids

Helping both parents and children interact with one another is one of the primary goals of the Parent-Child Centers. (Photo by Lynn F. Lee)

can interact and have fun.

The city of Taipei is dotted with parks and green spaces where parents can take their children to play when the weather is right, but even in this thriving metropolis there are about half as many kids playing on the jungle gyms as one might expect. People all around the country, not just up north in the capital, are choosing to have fewer children. Young adults are opting for education over offspring and placing professional prestige on a pedestal. The benefits of raising a family—emotional bonding as well as caregivers and monetary support in old age, among many others—are seen by some as secondary goals.

In order for a country to maintain the size of its population, women must give birth to an average of 2.1 children during their lifetimes, experts say. However, like many other industrialized nations, Taiwan has a substantially lower fertility rate. It was so low in 2014—1.11 children per woman according to the CIA World Fact Book—that the nation placed 222nd out of 224 countries and administrative regions, ahead of only Macau and Singapore.     [FULL  STORY]

NO ‘ONE CHINA’?MAC Minister Andrew Hsia said that KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu’s campaign slogan has meanings such as solidarity among Taiwanese

Taipei Times
Date:  Nov 03, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) yesterday dismissed

Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia answers questions in the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

speculation that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) campaign slogan of “One Taiwan” is a reference to the state of cross-strait relations.

Hsia was responding to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) at a question-and-answer session at the legislature in Taipei on whether China would regard Chu as “morally bankrupt” after the unveiling of his “One Taiwan” slogan on Sunday.

“Chu described cross-strait relations as ‘both sides belonging to one China’ at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in May, but now he is chanting ‘One Taiwan’ during the election season. China must think he lacks integrity,” Chuang said.     [FULL  STORY]

FULFILLING DREAMS:A 10-day, 1,100km cycling challenge is aimed at promoting exercise as part of the treatment process for cancer sufferers in recovery

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 02, 2015
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

About 70 cancer patients gathered at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei yesterday

Dozens of riders assemble at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei yesterday before starting out on the Taiwanese Anti-Cancer Association’s annual round-Taiwan cycle tour. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei

morning before setting off on a 10-day cycling trip around Taiwan — an annual event held by the Taiwanese Anti-Cancer Association.

The cycling trip, titled “Unbeatable rider, 1,000km challenge,” is held each year to encourage cancer patients to exercise more often, to have courage and the will to go ahead in fulfilling their life dreams, as well as to fight cancer bravely, the association said.

The cycling event, in its fifth year, began yesterday when President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) fired the starting shot.

Dozens of cyclists are expected to complete the roughly 1,100km trip in 10 days, arriving back to Taipei on Nov. 10.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Chen Chia-lun and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) A group of fans of Greyhound passenger coaches, which began public transportation services in Taiwan under the name of Kuo Kuang (國光號) over 30 years ago, continued a nostalgic trip through Nantou County in central Taiwan Sunday on one of the iconic coaches, creating a stir among local residents who saw it.

The group of 20-plus members was part of a bigger group of over 100 Greyhound fans, who kicked off a trip the previous day, traveling from Taipei to Sun Moon Lake, a tourist attraction in the land-locked county, aboard three Kuo Kuang buses, to bid a fond farewell to the much-loved vehicles, which are being taken out of service.

One of the coaches, rented by the diehard fans, continued the journey in Nantou, where Greyhounds have not been in service since the end of September last year.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) A short film about an Italian vampire and his encounter with a Taiwanese taxi driver won the NT$50,000 (US$1,542) top prize at the 2015 Taiwan International Queer Film Festival Sunday.

“The Thrill” (顫慄) by Taiwanese director Hou Chi-jan (侯季然) grabbed the Taiwan Queer Shorts Award’s “Thong Award” at the festival, according to the Taiwan International Media and Educational Association, which is organizing the festival for the second year.

The film is a part of “Taipei Factory II,” a three-part film co-produced by the Taipei Film Commission and Italy’s Rai Cinema. The film comprises three 30-minute shorts by Taiwanese directors in collaboration with Italian actors, covering the genres of thriller, romantic comedy and drama.

Meanwhile, “A Straight Journey: Days and Nights in Their Kingdom” (從黑夜到白天) by a China-based photographer duo nicknamed Masamojo (瑪鯊苗醬) grabbed the NT$30,000 “Brief Award.” To make the film, the duo travelled 11 cities in China to interview 48 gays and lesbians and their families.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Lillian Lin

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) The concept of living in homes for the elderly is not popular among

(file photo)

Taiwanese seniors, with more than three-quarters of the population aged 65 and over preferring to living with their families, and some favoring living alone as long as they don’t have serious health problems.

In view of the continuous growth of the aged population, medical institutions and construction companies have been developing senior home communities and care centers around the island.

The high occupancy rates in some of them, however, is no evidence of popularity of senior homes, because the number of senior citizens living in such communities is relatively small — less than 15 percent of the aged population in Taiwan.

Privately operated senior homes in Taiwan, such as the Chang Gung Health and Culture Village, are open only to people in reasonably good health who can take care of themselves, and the monthly charge of some NT$20,000 (around US$600) for a 45-square-meter room for a single person or NT$31,000 (around US$950) for a 72-square- meter room for two people is considerably high for the average pensioner in Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By: JIM HWANG

A handful of troupes endeavor to preserve the centuries-old art of shadow puppetry.

Shadow puppetry has been entertaining audiences in Taiwan since it was brought to the

Shadow puppetry was once a dominant art form in Taiwan, but its popularity has waned since the rise of film and television in the latter half of the 20th century. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)

south of the island by performers from Chaozhou in mainland China’s Guangdong province during the early Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Colloquially referred to as “leather monkey shows,” the performances were mainstays of temple fairs and celebrations for generations. The art form suffered a lull in popularity during World War II, but subsequently experienced a resurgence that lasted until the mid-1960s.

Television and movies became the dominant forms of entertainment in the latter half of the 20th century in Taiwan, and the rise of dance performances at temple fairs caused the age-old art to wane in popularity further. Currently, there are only a handful of shadow puppetry troupes left in the country.

Now operated by the fourth generation of the Zhang family, Yungshing-Le Shadowgraph Troupe in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City is one such company. In addition to preserving their family tradition, the brother-sister duo behind Yungshing-Le has been reaching out to elementary and junior high schools to not only entertain but to teach. Troupe members instruct students on the basics of shadow puppetry, such as how to construct the leather puppets as well as the fundamental techniques of maneuvering them.     [FULL  STORY]