It’s the time of the year when the silver grass along the Caoling Historic Trail is in full bloom

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/07
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

It is again that time of the year when the silver grass along the Caoling Historic Trail is in full bloom, and tourism authorities will provide shuttle buses at three locations from now until Nov. 27 to provide transportation to people who come by train or by bus.

Every Fall the 200-year-old Caoling Historic Trail is flanked by blossoming silver grass on the hills along both sides of the trail. Besides the flowers, the pleasant climate of the season and the scenery along the trail also attract visitors.

“Fall is the blooming season for silver grass. As the grasses sway with the wind and their beautiful tassels wave in the air, it seems that there are silver waves throughout the entire valley. In addition, the clouds and soothing winds here make visitors feel extremely comfortable,” the office of the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area said on its website.

In addition, hikers will pass two historic sites along the trail. One is the famed Tiger Inscription. Taiwan Regional Commander Liu Ming-deng visited Caoling in 1867 and was buffeted by strong winds. A Chinese saying states “Clouds obey the dragon, winds obey the tiger.” Inspired by this, Liu ordered that a stone bearing the character for “tiger” to be placed there. The other is a huge boulder inscribed with four Chinese characters that states “boldly quell the violent mists.” This was also commissioned by Liu that same year.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/07
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday outlined four major tasks in promoting

her government’s “new southbound policy” in its first year.

The president, who presided over a regular policy coordination meeting at the Presidential Office, urged the executive branch to make efforts to strengthen exchanges with countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia and Australia and New Zealand.

For those countries with which Taiwan has already built cooperative ties, it should promote high-level exchanges of visits.

The second task aims to speed up the collection of information by the government and private think tanks and step up cooperation with foreign think tanks, noting that Taiwan has yet to do sufficient research on these nations and their industrial sectors.

The third task will be to sign or renew bilateral investment and tax agreements with related countries to better protect the investments of Taiwanese businessmen in those economies.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 08, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday questioned the

competence of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) as an intermediary in cross-strait relations, pledging to work to restore exchanges and mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait at a non-governmental level.

“Cross-strait relations require delicate handling and stable management. However, [Mainland Affairs Council Minister] Katharine Chang (張小月), supervisor of the government agency in charge of ties with Beijing, does not even know the names of the Chinese Communist Party’s seven Central Standing Committee members,” Hung said.

In light of Chang’s apparent lack of knowledge about Beijing, the public can hardly expect the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to make any breakthroughs in cross-strait relations, Hung said, questioning whether the government has given up on cross-strait ties.

Hung’s remarks came hours after Chang struggled to answer KMT Legislator Chen Chao-ming’s (陳超明) questions about the names of the Central Standing Committee members, the top five Chinese provinces with the highest density of Taiwanese businesspeople and the names of the mayors of Beijing’s four municipalities at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee in Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 7, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI — A tour bus carrying 40 passengers on Sunday hit the rear of an empty coach in Lantan

Tunnel, Chiayi County on Freeway No. 3, injuring 31 passengers, Chiayi police said.

The accident occurred when the bus carrying 40 volunteers from a temple in Taichung was traveling to Zengwun Reservoir on the border between Chiayi and Tainan, according to the police investigation.

The southbound tour bus slammed into the vehicle in front of it before stopping at a traffic island on the left shoulder inside the tunnel, with the front of the bus severely damaged, according to police.

The driver of the empty tour bus said that he had just finished work and was preparing to go home when the accident happened, otherwise the incident could have been much worse.

The accident resulted in injuries to 31 passengers, including 13 men and 18 women. A 61-year-old woman was trapped on the bus and suffered severe injuries but her situation was not life-threatening, according to police.    [FULL  STORY]

The old market has been plagued with poor sanitation and mouse infestations

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je presided over a ceremony to start the reconstruction of Huannan Market on Sunday, saying it is a milestone in the development of Wanhua District.

Ko noted that 18 years have passed since the first mentioning of overhauling the market. He attributed the main cause to the daunting task of negotiating with the 1,300 vendors operating at the facility, saying that the last four mayors of Taipei rarely progressed beyond the negotiation stage.

Thanks to the overwhelming investment of manpower, the city is able to reach common ground with all 1,300 vendors and proceed with the renovation project, the mayor said.

Huannan Market, located on Huanhe South Road, is the biggest traditional market in the city and has been in use for 38 years. The market has been plagued with poor sanitation and mouse infestations.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/06
By: Wang Shu-fen and S.C. Chang

Kaohsiung, Nov. 6 (CNA) Supporters of a baker who became famous after posting a film of former

president Chen Shui-bian （陳水扁）walking in a local park have ordered so much bread that the man said it will take two to three weeks to clear the backlog.

Huang Shih-fu (黃士福), of Kaohsiung City, became a household name after his film of Chen walking in a Kaohsiung park — chiding him and even threatening to sue him — went viral on the Internet recently.

As the film showed the former president to be healthy and spirited when he is on medical parole from a 20-year corruption jail term, the baker has received threatening calls from Chen sympathizers who demanded the city government send tax and public health officials to inspect his small kitchen that makes bread products for sale on a park stall.

Not long after, Huang was visited by tax and health officials, followed by a message from his landlord that when the current tenant lease ends he will have to look for a new place to run his business.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 7, 2016
By: Dimitri Bruyas

From Nov. 3 to 6, critically-acclaimed South Korean chefs Yim Jungsik and Kang Mingoo collaborated in

Taiwan for the first time to present “Korean Masterchefs X2 Collaborative Guest Chef Event,” a gourmet feast combining classic Korean ingredients with Western culinary techniques.

Taking place at Regent Taipei’s Robin’s Grill between Thursday and Saturday and then at Tainan Silks Place’s Robin’s Grill on Sunday, the six-course lunch and eight-course dinner were accompanied by complimentary wines.

Highlights of the presentation included a “Mi Yeok” soup with abalone, “Doen-Jang” cured foie gras, king crab and seasonal fruits, as well as steamed Chilean sea bass with “Jang” béarnaise sauce and “Namul,” which formed an amazing link between the West and traditional Korean cuisine.

New Korean Cuisine Pioneers

Yim Jung-sik is the founder of two restaurants, both named Jungsik, one of which is the first Korean restaurant to earn two Michelin stars. Although “Jungsik” is indeed part of his name, in Korean it’s also the name of a formal dinner.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 6, 2016
By: CNA

The striped blue crow butterfly (euploea mulciber) congregates near flora in Kaohsiung City’s Maolin Valley, Saturday, Nov. 4. The species usually appears in the region in the hundreds of thousands annually during the fall, where they will stay for up to four months, bringing beauty to their surroundings.   [SOURCE]