Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/28
By: Lo Guang-jen and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 28 (CNA) Arthur H. Rosenfeld, a recipient of Taiwan’s prestigious Tang Prize in sustainable development, died in Berkeley, California on Friday. He was 90.

Rosenfeld, hailed as “The Godfather of Energy Efficiency,” was a respected particle physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, before he devoted himself to energy efficiency and conservation.

He awakened to the importance of energy efficiency in 1973, when the oil embargo caused energy prices to soar and created long lines at gas stations.   [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 29, 2017
By: Ting Wei-chieh and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A 328-year-old temple in Chiayi City has designed a dozen new charms that it is

distributing to temple-goers during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Shuangjhong Temple’s (雙忠廟) charms offer 12 different Taoist spells or blessings, promising success in love, examinations or weight loss, or warding off evils, such as a nagging or cheating spouse or loved one.

Su Chung-hao (蘇中浩), a temple devotee who works in the printing industry, said he made the charms with his good friend Kao Chi-jung (高基榮) as an offering after recovering from an illness.

The temple is dedicated to the gods of fidelity Chang Hsun (張巡) and Hsu Yuan (許遠).
Built in 1689, or the 28th year of the reign of emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, it is the first and oldest temple in the city, temple general manager Lin Chin-feng (林錦烽) said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Datew: January 28, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Like many people burning the candle at both ends, Deputy Foreign

Minister Francois Wu (吳志中) has only one thing on his itinerary for the Lunar New Year holiday: to get some rest.

Asked during a recent interview about his plans for the six-day break, Wu noted the extremely tight schedule he had kept since assuming his position on May 20 last year.

“So my only plan and wish is to fully rest up and sleep for six days to make up for my lost sleep during the past months,” he said.

A renowned expert in political science and geopolitics as well as French culture, Wu served as a visiting scholar at Harvard, visiting professor at IEP Lyon and professor at Soochow University before accepting the offer to become deputy foreign minister.

Son of former Vice Premier Wu Rong-i (吳榮義), Wu is the first scholar to take up the post.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/01/27
By: By Justin Wei

Taiwaneseculture.org is part of the American Citizen for Taiwan Foundation, a non-profit organization created to introduce the Taiwanese culture and its world-famous cuisine to the American people. We believe that when Americans learn more about Taiwan and its culture they will become supporters of its people and future.

 

Enjoy one of the all-time favorite Taiwanese snacks!

Difficulty Level: Medium
Time ’till Eat: 90 minutes
Hands-on time: 50 minutes

Introduction and history of the dish

Chinese legend has it that Venetian merchant Marco Polo once had a Green Onion Pancake (蔥油餅, iû-tshang-piánn in Taiwanese, cōng yóubǐng in Mandarin) in China, and upon returning to Italy, missed it so much and tried to have someone recreate it. Unable to recreate the green onions inside the pancake, they tried to put it on top of the pancake instead, and the pizza was born.

We don’t know how much truth is there to this story, but Taiwanese love their Green Onion Pancake and could care less of if the pizza was its cousin at all. They can be served as breakfast, an afternoon snack, or as part of a meal. Green onion pancake vendors usually open shop near schools as students usually grab these as a snack at the end of the day.    [FULL  STORY]

Southbound traffic has already started on Friday morning, with an average speed of just 10 to 20 km/h.

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/27
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Holiday traffic is expected to peak from Jan 29 to 30 and will

be heavier than the previous year due to the shorter holiday period of only six days, the government officials said.

Southbound traffic has already started on Friday morning, as sections of National Highway No.1 from Taichung to Nantun District, as well as Hsinchu’s Hukou to Hukou Service Area have remained congested, with an average speed of just 10 to 20 km/h.

The southbound section of National Highway No.3 from Taoyuan’s Daxi to Longtan District also reported an average speed of just 20 km/h, according to the traffic department.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 27, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The railway scrambled to keep trains on time Friday as hundreds of

union members stayed home to protest working conditions, while the southbound lanes of freeways were packed from dawn as people rushed home on Lunar New Year’s eve.

The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) initiated emergency measures in response to the strike, including deploying junior level managers to join low-level workers, Director-General Lu Jie-shen (鹿潔身) said.

Assuring passengers that “every train will depart at its scheduled time,” Lu said he had 100 percent faith in the administration, and added that 90 percent of workers disapproved of the union’s behavior.

The industrial action was taken in retaliation of the TRA’s continued refusal to hire more workers in order to ease the burden on its current staff, Taiwan Railway Union Director-General Wang Chieh (王傑) said.

“The union has received more than 1,000 signatures in support of the campaign,” Wang said, “but because many members were pressured by higher-ups, we’re expecting (only) around 400 to 500 staff to no-show from Jan. 27 through 30.”   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-26

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has rejected a media report quoting an unnamed official as saying that the government has become stricter about letting Chinese visitors into Taiwan.

Council spokesperson Chiu Chui-cheng said Thursday that the rules have not changed since the current government took power in May last year. Chiu said the government welcomes people from Mainland China to come to Taiwan. He said visitors should come without politics in mind in order to get an objective idea about Taiwan and further the development of cross-strait interaction.  [FULL  STORY]

Abbot will lead masters in ringing lotus bell to pray for all visitors on Lunar New Year’s Eve

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/26
By: Rana Yeh,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) — During the Lunar New Year’s Eve on January 27, the Buddhist organization

Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山) will hold a Dharma Bell Ringing Assembly (撞鐘祈福法會) in Jinshan District, New Taipei City to pray for good luck in the coming Lunar New Year for all worshipers and visitors.

Dharma Drum Mountain has the world’s largest lotus bell. Starting at 9:40 p.m., the Assembly will start to ring the massive bell 108 times, which symbolizes the sweeping away of 108 kinds of worries. The 108th ring will be rung precisely at 12 a.m. on Lunar New Year’s Day, bringing good luck and happiness to Taiwan in the coming Year of the Rooster.    [FULL  STORY]