You might want to take some time to wander around the ‘old streets’ in Taiwan.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/11/05
By: Steven Crook

International brands are every bit as popular in Taiwan as they are in the West, yet wander around any of Taiwan’s cities and you are sure to come across photogenic shops selling products which hark back to an era before mass marketing and containerisation. In many old neighborhoods, there are businesses which specialize in rice. In such places, various types of Asia’s staple grain are stored in large ceramic pots or square wooden vats, labeled by strain or place of origin. Taiwan grows over 80 percent of the rice it consumes. Since Japan 1895-1945 occupation of Taiwan, many have regarded Chishang – an inland township in Taitung County in Taiwan’s southeast – as producing the island’s finest rice.

Many of the commercial thoroughfares promoted in English and Chinese as “old streets” are nowadays dominated by souvenir shops and snack vendors. That said, many tourists find casual browsing very rewarding, filling both shopping bags and camera memory cards.    [FULL  STORY]

Chen opens Asia-Pacific Culture Day

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/05
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Vice President Chen Chien-jen on Saturday called for more intensive cultural exchanges with the Asia-Pacific region.

He made the remarks at the opening of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Culture Day in Taipei. The day lasts from Saturday noon until Sunday evening and is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the past, Taiwanese governments used to emphasize trade and economy in their relations with South Asia and Southeast Asia, but under the new administration’s “New Southward Policy,” Taiwan would strengthen its exchanges and cooperation with the Asia Pacific through culture, Chen said.

He quoted President Tsai Ing-wen as saying that culture was a crucial force shaping progress. Culture is the expression of personal freedom and is the source of creative economic success, he added. m   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/05
By: Elaine Hou

Taiwanese dancers perform at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Culture Day.
Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) An annual weekend cultural fair kicked off Saturday in Taipei, offering visitors a taste of the diverse cultures of the Asia-Pacific region, as part of Taiwan’s efforts to promote cultural and artistic exchanges with countries in the region.

Now in its fifth year, the two-day Asia-Pacific Culture Day showcases music, dance, cuisine and handicraft art from 21 countries, including Taiwan, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the organizer of the event. It is being held in the lobby of Taipei Main Station.

“Such cultural exchanges will not only enrich our own culture, but will also increase mutual understanding (among different countries),” Foreign Minister David Lee (李大維) said at the opening ceremony Saturday, which began with a performance by Taiwanese dancers to showcase the country’s diverse culture.

Echoing the government’s “new southbound policy,” Lee noted that six cities and one county from Taiwan are participating in this year’s event for the first time, in the hope of promoting closer links with those countries participating.    [FULL  STORY]

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

More than 12,000 runners participate in the annual Taroko Gorge Marathon in Hualien County on Saturday, Nov. 5. The race, which stretches along the Central Cross-Island Highway, begins from Sioulin Township and passes through Taroko National Park, Changchun Temple, the Tunnel of Nine Turns and Tiansiang before connecting to Dayuling.    [SOURCE]

The China Post
Date: November 5, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A National Tsing Hua University student brought his hunger strike to the main gates of

the Education Ministry on Friday, protesting a decision to merge the school with the National Hsinchu University of Education.

Hsu Guang-cheng, former president of the Tsing Hua Students’ Association, began fasting on Monday, a day before the merger officially came into effect on Nov. 1.

As of press time, he had been fasting for over 90 hours, consuming only water to avoid becoming seriously ill.

Sitting in a wheelchair and appearing visibly exhausted, Hsu said his university’s president, Hocheng Hong, had acted in a “dictator-like” manner by arbitrarily changing a proposal on the merger without approval or discussion at a school affairs meeting.

The Education Ministry requested Tsing Hua to provide more details to the merger proposal on Sept. 29, Hsu said, yet Hocheng made the changes on his own, responding to the ministry on Oct. 5 with the newest proposal without getting the okay from the school affairs meeting.    [FULL  STORY]

After China opened up, the arts and sports became diplomatic tools for the country, but the Taiwanese government hasn’t been doing the same. This has been the case for the last forty or fifty years.’

The News Lens
Date: 2016/11/04
By: Olivia Yang

“He play6s with the white-hot energy, steel-fingered, power and athletic virtuosity…has impetuosity and undeniably impressive technique.” – The Boston Globe.

“He mesmerized the audience as his fingers traveled the ivories with at times mind-boggling precision and swiftness and a level of emotion which delivered each note, each chord, to the heart of each member of the audience.” – The Times.

These are just two examples of the praise world-renowned Taiwanese pianist Rueibin Chen (陳瑞斌) has received during his career as a concert pianist.

As late Russian pianist Lazar Berman’s only disciple of Asian descent, Chen has toured all over the world, performing in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Sydney Opera House and the Hong Kong Cultural Center to name a few.

He was invited to be the opening soloist in the 2010 World Expo in China, and in 2014 was invited to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the biggest outdoor venue in the U.S. In the same year, Chen was also the only piano soloist invited to perform during the Beijing International Film Festival ceremonies.    [FULL  STORY]

After much delay, the highly-anticipated airport MRT line could finally be set to launch in the first half of 2017.

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/04
By: Wendy Lee , Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Company released a new statement on Friday clearing up

some ticket price rumors.

Lately there have been rumors circulating on social media saying that the ticket price for the MRT line linking the airport with Taipei City will be set at NT$50 per trip from the airport to Taipei Main Station, much cheaper than that of both bus and high speed rail, which stand at NT$125 and NT$160, respectively.

Addressing the false rumors of the alleged low fare, the airport MRT company said Friday that the rumored ticket price does not match the high cost of operation they incurred, and that such falsehood has posed a problem for the company, prompting them to make an official statement in order to clear up the misunderstanding.

After much delay, the highly-anticipated airport MRT line could finally be set to launch in the first half of 2017, as Minister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) Ho Chen Tan announced Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/04
By: Feng Shao-fu and Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will take part in a road race in the

offshore Matsu Islands on Saturday to experience running through the islands’ historic sites, including its renowned military tunnels.

The 2nd Annual Matsu International Marathon will include a competitive full marathon (42 kilometers), half marathon (21 km) and 10-km run, but Ma will only run casually for 3-5 km.

The races will take runners to the islands’ historic sites, such as Tunnel 88, an abandoned military tunnel that is now a wine cellar, and Beihai Tunnel, which was used by the Republic of China army as an underground wharf for supply boats in the 1960s.

Runners will also pass by Iron Fort, where Taiwan’s amphibious reconnaissance team (frogmen) used to be stationed, and The Queen of Heaven Temple, which is devoted to the worship of Mazu, Goddess of the Sea.    [FULL  STORY]