Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/16
By: Zoe Wei and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) In celebration of Oct. 17 Taiwan Culture Day, 175 museums and

Image taken from Pixabay

cultural venues around Taiwan, including the National Palace Museum, will allow visitors free admission on that day, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said Tuesday.

In addition, local governments have organized arts and cultural activities in which people are welcome to participate to “appreciate from experience the vitality of Taiwan culture,” the ministry said in a statement.

In 2001, then-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) designated Oct. 17 as Taiwan Culture Day, partly to commemorate a cultural movement in the 1920s led by the Taiwanese Cultural Association, an organization established by a group of young Taiwanese people Oct. 17, 1921 with the goal of building and promoting Taiwanese culture.

Activities marking Taiwan Culture Day dropped off during the period from 2008 to 2016 when Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was president. It was not until 2016 that the event was revived, thanks to efforts by Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who vowed to promote Taiwan Culture Day into a national event.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-15

This past weekend, Taiwan opened its National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. It is the

National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts is open (CNA photo)

largest arts venue in Asia.

President Tsai Ing-wen spoke at the opening of the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, the world’s largest single-roof performing arts center.

The opening featured a concert featuring three generations of Taiwanese musicians performing in the grand concert hall, which seats nearly 2000, and is also home to the grandest pipe organ in Asia.

President Tsai said the construction of the center has progressed through three presidential administrations. The beautiful center was designed by Dutch architect Francine Houben and is situated on the 9.9 hectare Weiwuying Metropolitan Park, the site of a former military training ground. The new complex is home to five arts venues.
[FULL  STORY]

Your daily dose of news from Taiwan and around the region.

The News Lens
Date: 018/10/15
By: TNL Staff

Pope Francis said he will pray for Taiwan and has sent his regards to Taiwan’s President

Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office

Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) , Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday while on a four-day visit to the Holy See.

Chen, who is leading a Taiwanese delegation attending the canonization ceremony for pope Paul VI and six other figures, said he invited the pope to visit Taiwan while on a scheduled trip to Japan next year. He did not say whether the pope accepted his invitation.

The Vatican is one of Taiwan’s 17 diplomatic allies. Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that the Holy See would switch its recognition to Beijing after reaching a historic deal over bishop appointments in China, but this has not yet come to pass.

Speaking from the Vatican, Chen expressed confidence that the agreement between the Vatican and Beijing related to religious matters only and would not affect the 76-year-old relationship between Taiwan and the Holy See.    [FULL  STORY]

The culinary competition drew the attendance of students and professionals from 15 academies in Taiwan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/10/15
By: Alicia Nguyen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Image from Facebook of Taiwan Fruit Carving Association

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The 2018 Cooking Art of Culinary Awards wrapped up at Sea Fruit Restaurant in Tainan City with the top prize going to the students from Far East University, the Liberty Times reported on Oct. 14.

Organized by the Taiwan Fruit Carving Association, the culinary competition drew the attendance of students and professionals from 15 academies in Taiwan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.

At the competition, participants had to compete in seven categories, including food and beverage Aesthetics, vegetable display, Chinese-style main dishes, Western-style appetizers, Western-style main courses, and fruits carving.

According to the organization, the event was a success because it boosted the culinary exchange between Taiwanese chefs and others in both domestic and foreign food industries, attracted the attention of the public towards culinary arts, and consolidated the reputation of Taiwanese culinary expertise.    [SOURCE]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/15
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) A total of 181 people have been fined since September for trying to

Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine

bring meat products into Taiwan from China, with 25 given the maximum fine of NT$15,000 (US$486), the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said Monday.

China has reported 37 outbreaks of African swine fever in nine provinces, regions and cities and the disease continues to spread, the bureau said in a statement.

Last week, six passengers were caught trying to carry raw pork from China into Taiwan through airports and all were given the maximum fine.

According to bureau statistics, the 181 cases were reported between Sept. 1 and Oct. 14.
[FULL  STORY]

Photo: New Taipei City Fi

InkstoneInkstone
By: Grace Tsoi

If you have to be saved from a burning building, it might as well be by one of these calendar models.

Taiwan’s hunkiest firefighters are on show in this mostly shirtless calendar released by the New Taipei City Fire Department.

Every year since 2008, the department has released a calendar featuring a selection of its firefighters. 2019’s calendar may be its hottest yet.
Misters February, Li Wei-hao and Yeh Hung-ch’ing, tell you: be careful when playing with firecrackers, and make sure to read the label. Photo: New Taipei City Fire Department
But there’s a noble cause behind these steamy scenes.

“We have to educate the public about fire and disaster prevention,” said Huang Shang-ming, the officer-in-charge of the calendar project.    [FULL  STORY]

Test delivery of tea and coffee takes flight in rural area of Tainan

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/13
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

(Image from Max Pixel)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s National Development Council (NDC, 國家發展委員會) has begun to test drones as a form of mail delivery, with a parcel of tea and coffee sent 3 kilometers as the crow flies on Oct. 11.

If all goes well, drone deliveries could be rolled out to rural areas as soon as next year, reports suggest.

The NDC commissioned consultancy Nomura Research Institute of Taiwan to devise an innovative method to deliver mail, and Zuozhen District (左鎮區) of Tainan City (臺南市) was chosen to play host, NDC said in a statement.

Zuozhen District was chosen because its low population makes mail delivery inconvenient and costly. The local post office has only two workers, and no provisions to deliver mail.
[FULL  STORY]