Council for Hakka Affairs Minister Huang Yu-chen (黃玉振) called the Hakka Exposition 2008-2009 that concluded yesterday a great success, having attracted a record-breaking 800,000 visitors and generating NT$1 billion (US$29 million) in revenue for the surrounding area.
The 51-day exposition opened in December at the Taipei County Hakka Museum in Sansia Township (三峽鎮).
Held annually for the third year, this year’s exposition featured the 12 biggest festivities in Hakka regions, old black-and-white pictures of previous Hakka generations, presentations on Hakka townships across the country, a Hakka market, live performances and games.
“Because of the richness of the content, a well-planned shuttle service, effective advertising and well-planned themes,” Huang told the audience at the closing ceremony, “we broke several records — we had the greatest number of visitors, the highest economic value and the most visitors on a single day.”
As many as 800,000 people visited the exposition, 500,000 of whom used the shuttle service. It resulted in NT$1 billion in economic activity for the surrounding areas, Huang said.
“The event was very carefully planned, I really liked the four small houses [representing the northern, central, southern and eastern parts of Taiwan] that showcased Hakka cultures in different areas,” a visitor said.
The visitor said there nevertheless was room for improvement.
“They have a lot of things, but I’ve observed that a lot of people left without finishing everything,” she said. “It may be better if they could have more interactive games or machines — kids would enjoy it more.”
“It was excellent. It allowed me to see lesser known aspects of Hakka culture, such as that of Guanyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) townships in Taoyuan County,” another visitor said.
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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
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