Hundreds of thousands of people lined up at post offices nationwide yesterday morning to purchase the commemorative stamps issued for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration.
Each set contains four stamps featuring the president and Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and the first day cover, an envelope issued specifically for the occasion.
Taiwan Post estimated it sold 1 million sets yesterday.
At the main Taipei Post Office, 68-year-old Lin Rey-yao (林瑞曜) was busy pasting the commemorative stamps on the first day cover as he spoke with the Taipei Times. He purchased 10 sets, which he sent only to himself.
“I do this for fun,” he said, adding that he had also bought the commemorative stamps for the inauguration of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) in 1996.
Forty-year-old Mr Chen waited for two hours before he could put his hands on the sets he had ordered. He said he had purchased the stamps not only because Ma was president, but also because the Chinese characters for “Republic of China” were once again on the stamps.
Last year, the stamps issued by Taiwan Post Co only bore the name Taiwan.
Meanwhile, to welcome Japanese guests, the Office of the President ordered 90 lunch boxes made by the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA).
Ma said the TRA lunch boxes were to reflect the fact that the railway infrastructure was mostly built during the Japanese colonial era, while the High Speed Rail was inspired by Japan’s Shinkansen line.
Each TRA lunch box contained a deep-fried cutlet, fried rice, Taiwanese sauerkraut, potherb mustard, as well as an iron-made container carved with “the 120th anniversary of the TRA” in Chinese characters and an image of a TRA train. The lunch box cost NT$300 and is only available at the Taipei Main Station.
The public can also buy the same meal, packed in a wooden container with a plastic lid, at a cost of NT$100.
Lee Yu-hsia (李玉霞), the TRA’s kitchen manager at Taipei Main Station, said the lunch box was popular among Japanese tourists.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS