The Taiwan Lantern Festival opened at the Luodong Sports Park (羅東運動公園) yesterday, with more than 2,000 brightly colored lanterns lighting up the sky.
The Tourism Bureau and the Ilan County Government hosted a ceremony last night to celebrate the opening, attended by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), Ilan County Commissioner Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華) and other dignitaries.
The VIPs lit the main lantern, shaped like a water buffalo, and then a fireworks display began. The ceremony featured performances by local and overseas groups, including the Lanyang Dancers (蘭陽舞蹈團).
Four secondary lanterns encircled the main lantern: the “Lucky Dragon and Phoenix,” “Longevity of Tortoise and Crane,” “Galloping steeds” and “Leap in Lanyang.” The lanterns were designed by groups ranging from elementary school students to non-governmental groups. Ilan Prison inmates also made 800 lanterns.
Organizers will hand out 130,000 handheld lanterns to attendees. Among those attending yesterday’s festivities were 127 members of China’s Henan Province Travel Association.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the Tourism Bureau also invited lantern collectors to exhibit some of their pieces.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
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
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
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