Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 07 February, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Taiwan will see more exciting celestial events this year (CNA file photo of 2018 lunar eclipse)
The Taipei Astronomical Museum said that the two most exciting celestial events in Taiwan this year will be a partial lunar eclipse and partial solar eclipse.

The partial lunar eclipse is expected to take place between 4:01 am and 5:15 am on July 17. That’s when the moon reaches its closest to the center of the earth’s umbra.
[FULL  STORY]

Pink and white petals have begun to blanket the grounds of the landmark

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/07
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Groups of travelers continue to gather in the grounds of Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall to witness the bloom of Taipei’s cherry blossoms as the Lunar New Year holidays come to a close.

Lunar New Year means a boom in tourists for Taiwan’s capital, and the grand architecture of CKS Memorial Hall always draws in significant crowds. Throngs of visitors can be seen at the landmark capturing the first sign of the changing seasons.

People appear eager to snap the beautiful scenery as a canvas of pink and white petals begins to blanket the peripheries of the park.

Cherry blossoms are normally forecast to begin flowering around mid-February in Taipei and are usually in full bloom by early March, at the height of the YangMingShan Flower Festival (陽明山花季). The warmer weather this winter is likely to have brought the flowers into bloom early.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 08, 2019
By Su Fun-her, Lin Liang-sheng and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Distributing or selling Lunar New Year holiday items to raise campaign funds is a time-

honored tradition for Taiwanese politicians, but this year several lawmakers said their products are designed to highlight special causes.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Frida Tsai (蔡培慧) chose teabags filled with Taiwan-grown Assam tea to highlight her rural roots and farm-worker activism.

The type of leaf she chose is Tea Research and Extension Station No. 8, which is grown in her native Nantou County, she said.

“Growing up in a village, I served tea to friends and guests, and it was a very important social ritual,” she said, adding that promoting agriculture from her home county is never far from her thoughts.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 06 February, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

It’s the second day of the first lunar month. Traditionally, this is the day when married daughters go back to visit their parents. Learn more about the origin of the custom in today’s Chinese New Year Encyclopedia.

The second day of the Chinese New Year is known as kainian (開年), or “beginning of the year”. The second day is also a time when married daughters return home to visit their parents.

In the old days, married daughters were considered part of their husbands’ families and no longer members of their own families. Therefore, they were not able to go back to their parents’ homes very often.

In Taiwan, parents invite their married daughters and sons-in-law to have a meal together on the second day of the lunar month. This was traditionally an opportunity for a family to reunite with their daughter and to learn whether or not she was happy in her new home.
[FULL  STORY]

The book fair features a number of special guest authors and celebrities and runs for 6 days

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/06
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2019 Taipei International Book Exhibition is to begin following the New Year holidays.

CNA reports the fair will feature a number of stars including singer/songwriter Stone of Mayday fame (五月天石頭), actress Joanne Tseng (曾之喬) and TV host Wang Wei-zhong (王偉忠).

The book exhibition will be held from Feb. 12 to 17. and features several “Themed Pavilions” including “Across Time and Space,” “Roaming in Fantasy” and “Make a Zine.”

Germany is this year’s “guest of honor” theme country and 13 German authors will present their works at the fair alongside Taiwanese authors. Presentations will focus not only on literary voices but current social topics such as artificial intelligence and technology, as well as subjects specific to Taiwan like transitional justice.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/06
By: Yang Sz-ruei and Chi Jo-yao

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) A former colonial water purification pond, part of an old waterworks in southern Taiwan, has become home for Taiwan leaf-nosed bats and is an increasingly popular site with visitors.

The water purification pond was built during the Japanese colonial period as part of the old Tainan Waterworks in the southern city. It was decommissioned in 1981, and designated a national-level historic site by the Ministry of the Interior in 2005.

Tainan’s Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) Director-General Yeh Tse-shan (葉澤山) said that when the bureau conducted repairs at the site in 2011, it was found that endemic Taiwan leaf-nosed bats had taken up residence in the purification pond.

Yeh said the cave-like structure and humid environment of the facility make it an ideal location for bats and about 400 have made the pond their home. As a result, the bureau has decided to turn the facility into a bat conservation site.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 07, 2019 
By: Liu Hsiao-hsin  /  Staff reporter

A Changhua County man yesterday welcomed the Year of Pig with a new haircut featuring two characters from the British cartoon series Peppa Pig, Peppa and Baby George.

Barber Chen Hsiang-hao (陳祥豪), 38, said that in the past few years he had been creating hair portraits for his clients, ranging from Bruce Lee (李小龍) and Mickey Mouse to characters from the Japanese comic One Piece.

The man who wanted Peppa and George, who wished only to be identified by his surname Cheng (鄭), was a repeat customer, Chen said.

Last year, Cheng’s haircut featured a pineapple design, since pineapples are a symbol of prosperity to Taiwanese, along with the Chinese character wan (旺, prosper), Chen said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 05 February, 2019
By: Shirley Lin

President Tsai Ing-wen set aside her official duties on the first day of the Lunar New Year to cook up some fun with children at a local school.

President Tsai walks into a classroom where children from Taipei Heping Experimental Elementary School are waiting to greet her. This is no ordinary class — they’re going to make Lunar New Year’s dishes!

After the president puts on an apron and washes her hands, a group of students helps her make a turnip cake. One of the students pours ingredients into a mixing bowl while President Tsai stirs. After mixing all the ingredients into a thick white batter, she pours it into a rectangular container to be steamed later.

Next, Tsai has the children smell a block of grilled fish roe. She then cuts it into slices and arranges it on a plate. The next dish is “you fan” or “oily glutinous rice”. Tsai finishes the dish, asking the children to help her sprinkle dried Sakura shrimp and cilantro on top of the mixture in a wooden steamer.    [FULL  STORY]