Taipei Times
Date: Nov 03, 2015
By: Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

The cross-strait trade in goods agreement talks should be halted, as the deal would harm

Green Party-Social Democratic Party alliance members gesture in Taipei yesterday as they call on the government to halt talks on the cross-strait trade in goods agreement. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

the interests of workers and farmers, Green Party-Social Democratic Party alliance candidates said yesterday.

“Our salaries are already low and work hours long enough — how can the government keep harming us, even forcing us to eat contaminated food if the agricultural market is opened up?” alliance legislator-at-large candidate Chang Li-fun (張麗芬) said, adding that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration is pushing forward negotiations on the agreement prior to the passage of supervisory regulations by the Legislative Yuan.

Passage of regulations mandating greater transparency in negotiations with China was a key demand of last year’s Sunflower movement — a student-led action in response to the government’s handling of trade talks with China — with protesters demanding the regulations be passed prior to any further negotiations.

Taipei City Confederation of Trade Unions board of supervisors convener Chiang Wan-chin (蔣萬金) said the agreement would hurt workers’ interests by exposing them to further competition from cheap Chinese labor, forcing businesses in affected industries to shed workers and cut wages.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/01
By: Lin Ting-yi, Tyson Lu and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) A group of Binmao Junior High School students wearing Paiwan people’s traditional robes and holding a snake totem received a top honor at an award ceremony in Germany Sunday.

The students won a gold medal for improving child shoes at the INEA Nuremberg International Invention Exhibition, in which the Taiwanese delegation was honored with a total of 12 golds, 25 silvers and 18 bronzes.

Lan Chen-fang, a Taiwan educator leading the Taitung County team to the exhibition, said it was the first gold medal award for Binmao Junior High School kids — an achievement that could encourage young people in this remote rural area to make inroads into the international arena.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By: KELLY HER

Austin Wang sets the stage as a master of theatrical design.

In the final minutes before a Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan performance begins,

The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan production Moon Water features a visually captivating stage design by Austin Wang. (Photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

the house lights dim and the audience slips into silence. Patrons sit in hushed anticipation, waiting to witness something beautiful, frightening or even otherworldly. For the next few hours, the stage becomes a universe unto itself.

Founded in 1973 by celebrated choreographer Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), Cloud Gate has won critical acclaim at home and abroad with productions like Songs of the Wanderers (1994), Moon Water (1998), Bamboo Dream (2001), Smoke (2002) and Cursive II (2003). And at the heart of these productions are the mesmerizing stage designs of Austin Wang (王孟超).

Lauded by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s leading daily newspapers, for stage designs that “create a magical room that unfolds a poetry of its own,” Wang has been involved in more than 100 productions. He has collaborated with nearly 30 Taiwanese performance groups including Contemporary Legend Theatre, Creative Society, Golden Bough Theatre, Guoguang Opera Company and Tai Gu Tales Dance Theatre.     [FULL  STORY]

CPA official suspected of accepting bribes

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-31
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Farglory Group Chairman Chao Teng-hsiung posted bail of

Farglory chief posts NT$10 million bail. Central News Agency (2015-10-31 00:09:08)

NT$10 million (US$308,000) early Saturday in the latest corruption scandal to hit his company.

The chief secretary of the Ministry of Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency, Hung Chia-hung, was suspected to have handed Farglory a contract for the reconstruction of a veterans’ settlement in return for money.

The case was linked to the scandal surrounding Yeh Shih-wen, the former Taoyuan County vice magistrate and CPA chief who was sentenced to 19 years in prison last March for also accepting money from Farglory. Chao received a jail term of four years and six months in that case, but appeals are continuing.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/31
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the serene and scenic Chihshang Township (池上) in eastern Taiwan’s Taitung County welcomed thousands of visitors who had flocked to the rural township to see an annual art performance in its signature rice paddy.

Against the backdrop of a blue sky, mountains and rippling rice stalks, performers from the Taiwanese percussion troupe U-Theatre (優人神鼓) drummed and danced to the piece “Beyond Time” (時間之外) on a large stage that was set up in part of a rice paddy that had been cleared for the show.

At times spirited and at times meditative, the 70-minute performance by U-Theatre — known for its unique combination of drumming, Zen meditation and martial arts — drew cheers and applause from the 2,000-strong audience.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Review
Date: November 1, 2015
By: OSCAR CHUNG

Government initiatives and specialized package tours are facilitating the rapid growth of

Elderly tourists take in the sights at Wuling Farm in Taichung City, central Taiwan. Senior citizens’ interest in travel is increasing as tourist destinations become more accessible. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

the senior citizen tourism market.

On a gorgeous day in late October last year, the Baishawan area on the northern coast of Taiwan was bustling to an unusual degree with visitors advanced in years. As the temperature dropped and the young people who are often seen on the sands of Baishawan in summertime started to head elsewhere, 18 gray-haired tourists took their place, exploring a trail that was opened to the public at the end of 2013 by the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area Administration under the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. “The path is easy to walk on, with no abrupt drops or stairs, which makes it perfect for seniors or those with disabilities,” says Chiu Hsuan-wei (邱宣瑋), a specialist in the administration responsible for promoting travel for the elderly and those with physical impairments.

In August 2012, the Tourism Bureau set up a task force consisting of public sector officials and representatives from nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of creating barrier-free environments within the 13 national scenic areas on Taiwan proper and its offshore islands. “Life expectancies are rising across the globe. By offering barrier-free access, we also hope to attract elderly people from abroad,” says Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰), deputy director-general of the Tourism Bureau.   [FULL  STORY]