Page Three

Taiwan Film Festival to Launch in Australia

ScreenAnarchy.com
June 26, 2018
By: Hugo Ozman

Many great films have come out of Taiwan over the years, but sadly only a limited number of them are ever shown in Australian cinemas. Now fans of Taiwanese cinema in Australia can finally celebrate because the new Taiwan Film Festival (TWFF) will be launching here in just over a month’s time and it aims to showcase the depth and breadth of cinematic works from Taiwan.

The inaugural festival’s exciting and eclectic programme includes nine feature films and four short films. The Opening Film is Sen Sen from director An Bon, which tells the heart-warming story of a little boy who befriends a webcast host, played by acclaimed Hong Kong actress Nina Paw (The Way We Are), after his brother dies. The Closing Film is Father to Son, a film about family relationships, identity and reconciliation that is directed by award-winner Hsiao Ya-Chuan (Taipei Exchanges) and produced by Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Assassin).

Having its international premiere at TWFF will be The Story of the Stone, a modern adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of China’s Four Great Classics (alongside Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin). It depicts gay life in Taipei and explores stereotypes of male masculinity. Debut director Starr Wu will appear for a special guest Q&A session after the screening.
[FULL  STORY]

Digital simulations help share Taiwan on screen

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-06-25

For years, Taiwan’s storytellers have had to rely on simulations of foreign streets and buildings to tell their stories on screen. Now, the brand-new Taiwan Digital Asset Library is creating mock-ups of local landmarks – past and present – to help anchor these stories in locations closer to home.

At first glance, it looks as though Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun is holding a press conference in front the historic Red Theater in Taipei’s western Ximen District.
[FULL  STORY]

3 tourist spots to receive makeover in central Taiwan

2 scenic walking trails and Beigang sweet factory precinct in Yunlin County receive NT$29.5 million in funding for renovations

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/06/25
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Scenic walking trail in Yunlin County (Yunlin County Government)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Yunlin County Government has secured NT$29.5 million (US$0.97 million) in funding to restore three scenic walking trails to help improve the safety and quality of tourism facilities in Yunlin County, central Taiwan, reported CNA.

Two walking trails in the Caoling area (草嶺地區) will be renovated, as well as walkways close to the old Beigang sweet factory (北港糖廠).

The plan will focus on restoring trails, taming the surrounding landscape and improving lighting.

The Gukeng valley trail (古坑鄉幽情谷步道) and the Shibi Youlong lake trail (石壁遊龍湖步道) will be restored with an emphasis on replacing rotten wood with steel.
[FULL  STORY]

International pro-democracy activists gather in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/25 
By: Joseph Wu (吳釗燮)

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) Global pro-democracy activists from several countries gathered in Taipei on Monday to discuss strategies to defend democracy as the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) celebrated the 15th anniversary of its establishment.

Established in 2003 as the first national democracy assistance foundation in Asia, the TFD hosted a forum titled “Global Solidarity of Democracy in Taiwan” to celebrate the occasion, accompanied by an exhibition on the pursuit of democracy and freedom by Taiwan’s people going back to the Japanese colonial period.

Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Taiwan’s foreign affairs minister, said in a speech that the TFD has played a crucial role in educating the public about democratic values such as individual rights and social justice by working with academics and nongovernmental organizations (NGO).    [FULL  STORY]

Ko says ‘empress’ holds sway over Tsai: report

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 26, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has claimed that a potential collaboration with the Democratic Progressive Party for the mayoral election fell through because President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is being controlled by certain members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) said yesterday.

Sources said that at a meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Tuesday last week, Ko said that Tsai originally wanted to collaborate with him in the November mayoral election, but that she is now being controlled by the “empress,” referring to Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊), and the “prince,” referring to the DPP’s former New Tide faction, the report said.

Ko also told Wang that if he did not win re-election, he would return to work as a doctor.

Asked about his meeting with Wang, Ko yesterday said: “I met with former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng last week mainly to discuss the Taiwan Healthcare+ EXPO that is to be held at the end of the year.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei scrambles jets and navy as mainland China sends warships through Taiwan Strait

Destroyer and frigate appeared to be on long-distance training mission and sailed towards South China Sea on Friday, island’s defence ministry says

Date: 23 June, 2018
By: Lawrence Chung

Taiwan has scrambled jets and navy ships as two mainland warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait, in the latest sign of heightened tensions between Beijing and the self-ruled island.

The PLA Navy warships – a Type 052C destroyer and a Type 054A frigate – sailed southward off the island’s east coast early on Friday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said.

“They were moving in open sea close to Taiwan’s territorial waters before passing through the Bashi Channel, south of Taiwan,” the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

It said the mainland vessels, which were sailing southwest to the South China Sea, appeared to be on a long-distance training mission.

“We immediately scrambled jets and navy ships to monitor the movement of the vessels in line with our regulations,” the ministry said.    [FULL  STORY]

Senior foster mother in eastern Taiwan passes the baton to her son

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/06/24
By George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—For 19 years, Gu Jin-ju (辜錦菊) has taken care of eight

Gu Jin-ju (辜錦菊) (By Central News Agency)

young children who were deprived of appropriate support and care, but as she has been 65 years old, she has successfully passed the baton to her son after having encouraged him to join the big family of foster families, according to a CNA report on June 20.

The home of Gu and her husband is the longest-running foster family in Taitung, the report said.

Gu, who is still taking care of two foster children, said the youngest foster child she had ever cared for was a 10-month-old baby girl, who stayed with Gu’s family until two years ago when she was 16, the longest among all foster children who came to stay with Gu’s family, according to the report.

The baby’s father died from an illness and her mother fell ill when she was just 10 months old, Gu said, adding that she had never thought she would stay for 16 years and when she left, “My tears were falling down like a faucet and I couldn’t hold them back,” the report said.      [FULL  STORY]

Father of Japanese cyclist killed in accident attends race this year

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/24
By: Tyson Lu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) The father of a Japanese cyclist, who was fatally struck by

Ryoichi (front)/photo courtesy of Tzu Chi Foundation

falling rocks during a mountain biking race in Taiwan last year, followed the competitors in this year’s race on Sunday, cheering them on.

Holding a photo of his late son, the 68-year-old man named Ryoichi joined a motorcade that was accompanying the cyclists along a grueling 90 km route to an elevation of 3,275 meters in the eastern county of Hualien.

Ryoichi said he arrived in Taiwan on Saturday and went to the site of the accident to lay a wreath for his son Hiroyuki Shirai, who was killed by falling rocks on Sept. 9 last year during a practice ride in preparation for the Maxxis Taroko Climb Challenge.

Shirai’s father attended the opening of the race this year at a school campus on the Hualien coast and carried his son’s photo and competition number 221 on a bus along the route behind the competitors, passing through Taroko Gorge, Swallow Grotto Trail and the Tunnel of Nine Turns.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan said to be asked to join US relief drill

HUMANITARIAN AID: Military medical personnel are reportedly to join their US counterparts taking part in a training mission in the Solomon Islands

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 25, 2018
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, staff writer

The US Navy has invited Taiwan to participate in the Pacific Partnership humanitarian relief training mission in the Solomon Islands in August, a senior defense official said on condition of anonymity.

Washington has been working toward giving Taiwan a greater role in the Pacific Partnership long before the US Senate began mulling hospital ship visits to Taiwan, although those efforts have received little publicity, the official said.

Taiwanese military physicians conducted a joint exercise with the US in Kiribati last year, the official said, adding that the yearly drills alternate between the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

The Solomons and Kiribati are diplomatic allies of Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Top Taiwan HEIs fail English requirements

The Pie News
Date: Jun 22, 2018 
By: Kerrie Kennedy, ELT, Government, News, under Asia.

Photo: Pexels

Four of Taiwan’s top-ranked public universities are under investigation emerged the proportion of English taught courses in each average just 8% despite large government investments into international programs and the hiring of foreign teachers.

An average of just 8% of courses at each university uses English as the language of instruction

According to a report by the Taipei Times, the National Taiwan University, National Cheng Kung University, National Tsing Hua University and National Chiao Tung University have collectively received investments totalling NT$4 billion (US$133.58 million) from the Ministry of Education.

It revealed an average of just 8% of courses at each university uses English as the language of instruction, meaning the schools are less able to attract international students the report stated.    [FULL  STORY]