Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-31

Taitung’s Museum of Prehistory is holding an exhibit on Taiwan’s history of jade. The

unique exhibit is called Igniting the Stories Behind Taiwan Jade.

Jade is unique in that it is a mineral yet also a cultural and historical relic. Curator Lu Mei-fen says the history of jade in Taiwan spans thousands of years. The exhibit displays how the value of this precious stone was developed by humans throughout the ages. It also shows the history of jade in and outside of Taiwan from ancient ages to modern times.

The museum said it is the first time they are displaying 701 jade pieces unearthed from a land belonging to the Puyuma tribe. They have also borrowed 734 jade works from other collections. The insurance on the jade pieces is over NT$20 million.   [FULL  STORY]

TSMC describes reports as rumors

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/31
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The world’s biggest computer chip contract maker, Taiwan

Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., discounted reports Tuesday that its founder and chairman, Morris Chang, was recovering from a fall at his home’s swimming pool in Hawaii.

Chang, 85, is one of Taiwan’s highest-profile business leaders, and is often consulted by the media to speak on economic or political issues.

Chinese-language Next TV reported on Tuesday that he had fallen near his swimming pool at his Hawaii home and suffered an injury near his eyes. Preparations were being made to transfer the businessman to Taiwan for further medical care, the report said.

The accident was the reason why Chang did not appear at a dinner hosted by Taiwan’s chief representative in Hawaii, Wallace Chow, on January 30, the TV station reported.
[FULL  STORY]

LONG LINES:People in Pingtung started lining up at 2am to receive a special gift from Du Cheng Huang Temple and a red envelope containing a ‘mother coin’

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 01, 2017
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

People yesterday prepared fresh flowers and food in a ritual based on the belief that

the fourth day of the Lunar New Year is when gods return to the mortal realm, while temples celebrated the return of the god of wealth by handing out thousands of red envelopes.

In Taoist belief, gods travel to heaven on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month to report on the activities of the past year to the supreme deity, the Jade Emperor, and return to the mortal world on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

At the Du Cheng Huang Temple (都城隍廟) in Pingtung City, people began lining up early in the morning, waiting to receive a red envelope containing a “wealth-attracting coin,” or “mother coin” (錢母), which is believed to bring in more money throughout the year.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 31, 2017, 7:04 pm TWN
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Unprecedented traffic congestion is expected on the nation’s

freeways Tuesday, as travelers head home in time for work following the Lunar New Year holiday, the National Freeway Bureau has warned.

The bureau said traffic would be at its worst Tuesday afternoon

Morning traffic around 10 a.m. was relatively smooth flowing, with average speeds of above 80 kilometers per hour on the southbound and northbound lanes of Freeways No. 1 and No. 3.

But signs of a slowdown were already apparent on Freeway No. 5, with Yilan-bound vehicles clocking average speeds of around 30 kilometers per hour.    [FULL  STORY]

Miss Universe is more than just a beauty pageant to many in the Philippines.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/01/30
By: Michael Beltran

The Philippines hosted this year’s Miss Universe pageant after winning the crown last year for the third time. As expected, the country is going nuts about the whole affair.

Criticism has been leveled at both the Miss Universe pageant and the Filipina representative Maxine Medina. Gabriela, the largest and arguably most influential grassroots women’s group in the country, says, “The Miss Universe pageant is an expensive exercise to lull the people and the international audience into a false sense of well-being and celebration.”

They add that the Department of Tourism has marketed the pageant and the country as a destination for beautiful women willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder.    [FULL  STORY]

Take a tour of the Kavalan Distillery and enjoy the flavors of Taiwan’s premier whisky

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/30
By: Matthew Lubin,Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) — As many head into Yilan, less than two hours away from Taipei by bus, they seek out the coast and hot springs in nearby towns. Just outside the city of about 100,000 in Yuanshan Township, however, is Taiwan’s premier whisky distillery—Kavalan Whisky, owned by King Car Group, which offers visitors a free tour and a sample of its classic single malt whisky. Guided Mandarin tours are available every hour, while English tours require an online reservation.

Kavalan whisky distillery
The Kavalan distillery has become more popular since 2010 when it won its first international awards, the more prominent of which was the gold medal for its Solist Sherry Single Cask Strength single malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The same organization awarded Kavalan Distillery of the Year in 2015. The company has since won more awards for its Solist series of whiskies.

Although it prides itself on the Solist series, its classic single malt is still its best seller as it’s more affordable for most consumers. The classic single malt was first released in April 2008 as the distillery was opened to the public.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/30
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Jan. 30 (CNA) Air quality was designated “unhealthy” for residents of Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District and the offshore island of Kinmen as of 2 p.m. on Monday, according to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network.

“Unhealthy” denotes an air quality index (AQI) reading of 151-200, while unhealthy for sensitive groups indicates an AQI of 101-150, according to the network.

Air quality was unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange alert level) in areas of Taoyuan and Hsinchu in northern Taiwan, Changhua and Yunlin counties in central Taiwan, Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan as of 2 p.m, according to the EPA network.

As of 5:00 p.m, there was no red alert level (unhealthy) in force in Taiwan, though parts of Nantou and Yunlin counties in central Taiwan and areas in Chiayi county and city, Tainan and Kaohsiung remained on orange alert, according to the network.    [FULL  STORY]

GUIDES WANTED:With the number of visitors from Japan, South Korea and other countries increasing, volunteers with foreign-language skills are needed

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 31, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Presidential Office Building’s permanent exhibition has seen fewer tourists from China since

reopening on Sept. 18 last year following extensive renovations to the building.

The number of Chinese tourists fell from 51.9 percent of exhibition visitors to 20.3 percent since the transfer of power in May last year, Presidential Office statistics showed.

The number of Japanese and South Korean visitors jumped from 6.35 percent to 14.69 percent during the period, while the number of visitors from Hong Kong and Macao rose from 2.6 percent to 3.3 percent.

The number of visitors from the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia climbed from 1.41 percent to 2.66 percent and those from Southeast Asia from 0.39 percent to 1.55 percent.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 30, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — This year’s Lunar New Year traffic is at its worst today, with both southbound and

northbound lanes heavily jammed, according to the National Freeway Bureau (高公局).

The freeway bureau reported that traffic was worst for southbound vehicles in the morning, with the average car speed measured at between 20 to 30 kilometers per hour.

Northbound traffic is expected to increase in the afternoon, with Freeways No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 congesting as people return to northern cities at the end of the holiday, according to a bureau spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that traffic diversion measures were being implemented for anticipated jams.

Measures include the suspension of toll collection from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day and the closing of the entrance to Freeway No. 1 from the Puyan system.    [FULL  STORY]