As 2011 draws to a close, celebrities have made this the year of the showbiz wedding.
Over the past 10 months, a slew of A-listers, including self-styled actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛, aka Big S), TV sweetheart Patty Hou (侯佩岑), star couple Christine Fan (范瑋琪) and Charles Chen (陳建州, better known as Blackie), singer Stephanie Sun (孫燕姿) and belle Kelly Lin (林熙蕾) have tied the knot.
The nuptials that received top media billing were those of pop singer Selina Jen (任家萱), who wed 39-year-old lawyer Richard Chang (張承中).
Photo: Taipei Times
Following a year of medical treatment for serious burns she sustained while filming a TV show in China in October last year, Jen, a member of girl band S.H.E, was married on her 30th birthday, on Monday.
The event, full of warm, touching moments as the teary-eyed bride received blessings from friends and relatives, attracted more than 200 members of the media.
Because of her injuries, Jen sat through most of the three-hour-long wedding reception. The Apple Daily reported that the star underwent eight hours of rehabilitation each day since suffering multiple third-degree burns and cannot stand for longer than five minutes without taking a break.
Photo: Taipei Times
Not ones to let romance go to their heads, gossip hounds spent the evening sniffing out awkward moments between celebrity guests who are erstwhile lovers or old rivals.
Attention focused on pop diva Chang Hui-mei’s (張惠妹, better known as A-mei, 阿妹) old flame Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) and rumored new love Harlem Yu (庾澄慶). Much to the dismay of members of paparazzi, Wang and Chang were seen conversing over drinks amicably.
“We are good friends,” Wang told reporters.
Things were less peaceful between Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and Patty Hou, who reportedly stole Jay Chou (周杰倫) from Tsai in 2004. In response to years-old rumors of a feud between her and Tsai, the married Hou claimed she often bumped into Tsai at the airport, and they always greet each other.
“Did I do that?” Tsai replied when asked to comment on Hou’s remark.
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, international star Coco Lee (李玟) became the subject of admiration and envy when she wed 52-year-old Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz in a lavish ceremony on Thursday last week.
In terms of sumptuousness, Lee and Rockowitz’s nuptials lead the field, with two days of celebrations that reportedly cost NT$600 million. The wedding was rated by the press as the most expensive to be held in Hong Kong.
Readers might wonder how hundreds of millions of NT dollars could be spent in just two days, but with more than 300 guests flying in from the four corners of the world to attend the ceremony and stay at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, all courtesy of the newly weds, it’s not such a surprise.
Entertainment was provided by Grammy-winning musicians Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo, while the Shaw Brothers Film Studio, which, according to the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper), is normally not allowed to be rented out for private use, was turned into a playground for the rich and powerful.
Guests who graced the event included fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Christopher Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong.
Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey and Beyonce, however, didn’t show up as previously promised.
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry consumes electricity at rates that would strain most national grids. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) alone accounted for more than 9 percent, or 2,590 megawatts (MW), of the nation’s power demand last year. The factories that produce chips for the world’s phones and servers run around the clock. They cannot tolerate blackouts. Yet Taiwan imports 97 percent of its energy, with liquefied natural gas reserves measured in days. Underground, Taiwan has options. Studies from National Taiwan University estimate recoverable geothermal resources at more than 33,000 MW. Current installed capacity stands below 10 MW. OBSTACLES Despite Taiwan’s significant geothermal potential, the
In our discussions of tourism in Taiwan we often criticize the government’s addiction to promoting food and shopping, while ignoring Taiwan’s underdeveloped trekking and adventure travel opportunities. This discussion, however, is decidedly land-focused. When was the last time a port entered into it? Last week I encountered journalist and travel writer Cameron Dueck, who had sailed to Taiwan in 2023-24, and was full of tales. Like everyone who visits, he and his partner Fiona Ching loved our island nation and had nothing but wonderful experiences on land. But he had little positive to say about the way Taiwan has organized its
The entire Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) saga has been an ugly, complicated mess. Born in China’s Hunan Province, she moved to work in Shenzhen, where she met her future Taiwanese husband. Most accounts have her arriving in Taiwan and marrying somewhere between 1993 and 1999. She built a successful career in Taiwan in the tech industry before founding her own company. She also served in high-ranking positions on various environmentally-focused tech associations. She says she was inspired by the founding of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in 2019 by Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and began volunteering for the party soon after. Ko
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) returned from her trip to meet People’s Republic of China (PRC) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) bearing “a gift” for the people of Taiwan: 10 measures the PRC proposed to “facilitate the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.” “China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan,” wrote Reuters, wrongly. The PRC’s longstanding habit with Taiwan relations is to repackage already extant or once-existing policies and declare that they are “new.” The list forwarded by Cheng reflects that practice. NEW MEASURES? Note the first item: establishing regular communication mechanisms between the Chinese Communist Party
RSS