Cherry blossom viewing is an increasingly popular springtime activity. More and more cherry trees are being planted in hilly suburbs and downtown areas of New Taipei City. The city’s Tourism and Travel Department says that cherry trees start to blossom by the end of January, but people have already seen some trees blooming ahead of time in Wulai.
Apart from Wulai, which is a well-known place for cherry blossom spotting, Sanjhih, Tamsui, Pingsi, Jinshan and Shihding also provide plenty of observation points. Cherry trees in these areas come into blossom at the beginning of February. These places could be good options for outdoor walks over the Lunar New Year holidays.
The tourism bureau says that there are several varieties of cherry tree in Wulai, with each variety blossoming at diffe-rent times. The Taiwan cherry, Yoshino cherry and Yaezakura cherry come into flower one after another. The best time to view them is between February and March. Cherry blossoms are to be seen all over Wulai’s scenic area, as well as various kinds of mountain birds that flock among the flowers, so people can enjoy the cherry blossoms and go birdwatching at the same time.
photo: reuters 照片:路透
The Cherry Blossom Avenue and Tianyuan Temple are two new spots for admiring cherry blossoms in the Tamsui area. The Cherry Blossom Avenue is about three km long, with 1,200 native Taiwan cherry trees and 500 of the Yoshino variety. They blossom in February, creating a stunningly beautiful scene when they are in full bloom.
About five km from Tamsui lies the Tianyuan Temple, where 600 Yoshino cherry trees blossom in mid-to-late March. So many visitors come to see these flowers that the line of vehicles can stretch for several kilometers.
Cherry trees have been being planted along roadsides in Sanjhih since 1996. There are now 15,000 of them along almost 70 km of road, and they can be seen in full bloom in early February.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
賞櫻逐漸成為春天盛事。新北市市區、山郊栽種的櫻花樹越來越多,新北市觀光旅遊局表示,櫻花通常在一月底陸續綻放,但近日烏來地區已有民眾發現,櫻花已經「偷跑」悄悄開花。
新北市櫻花密集的地方,除了遊客熟知的烏來,這幾年來三芝、淡水、平溪、金山、石碇等地,也有密集的櫻花美景,在二月初春節連續假期間,正好提供踏青出遊賞櫻的好景點。
觀光旅遊局推薦,烏來的櫻花種類繁多,花期不同。緋寒櫻、吉野櫻、八重櫻輪流綻放,最佳賞櫻季節在二至三月;烏來風景特定區內都有櫻花,還有各種山區鳥類在花叢間鑽動,賞櫻之餘,還可以賞鳥。
櫻花大道和無極天元宮是淡水兩處新興的賞櫻地點。櫻花大道全長約三公里,共有一千兩百株台灣原生種山櫻花、五百株吉野櫻,花期約在二月,盛開時繽紛花朵美不勝收。
無極天元宮離淡水約五公里,每年三月中、下旬,六百株吉野櫻盛開時,吸引賞櫻人潮,車陣綿延數公里。
三芝從民國八十五年起陸續在道路兩旁栽種櫻花,已達一萬五千多株,總長近七十公里,二月初花開最盛。
(自由時報記者何玉華)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You