The country yesterday celebrated the annual lantern festival with a bang, setting off firecrackers measuring a world record length of 13km, officials said.
The firecrackers, dubbed the "Fire Dragon Legend", were set off at 6:03pm and lasted for about 40 minutes in Tainan County's Yenshui Township (
"This is no easy task as it will be difficult to make sure the firecrackers are not interrupted by tens of thousands of tourists," said Huang Hung-wen (黃宏文), a Tainan County Government official, before the event.
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
Approximately 1,500 people were mobilized and NT$1 million spent to break the existing Guinness World Record from 2002, when firecrackers 11km long were set off in Spain, he said.
At least 100,000 tourists flocked to Yenshui to experience the power of firecrackers and fireworks lasting into the night.
To ensure safety, tourists heading to Yenshui were advised to wear full face helmets and rain coats.
The renowned folk custom dates back more than 180 years when people set off beehive rockets in gratitude to a deity for dispelling a plague.
Also at the festival, a number of temples were illuminated by pig-shaped lanterns for the Year of Golden Pig, riddle contests were held and numerous sky lanterns were released.
The annual lantern festival is celebrated nationwide, falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marking the end of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
RSS