Amid reports that China would locate a “Taiwan pavilion” at next year’s World Expo in Shanghai within the section for Chinese pavilions, the Taipei City Government yesterday said it was not part of the planning for that pavilion, while two Taipei pavilions would not be located within the Chinese section.
The city government, which has been invited to set up two exhibits showcasing its citywide wireless network and garbage-recycling scheme at the World Expo 2010, said that it had not participated in planning the Taiwan pavilion and that the city’s two exhibits would be located in the Urban Practices Area.
City government spokesman Yang Hsiao-tung (羊曉東) said a Taiwan pavilion had been proposed by Taiwanese businessmen in China to promote culture and other aspects of Taiwan.
The content of the display and location remain uncertain, he said, but Taipei’s pavilions will be placed alongside exhibits of other cities from around the world.
Shanghai City Government Deputy Secretary-General Hong Hao (洪浩) on Saturday declined to confirm whether organizers would put the Taiwan pavilion in the Asia Area, saying the location of the Taiwan pavilion had not been determined.
The city’s proposal to turn Taipei into a wireless city and promote recycling drew the attention of the World Expo 2010 committee during President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term as Taipei mayor.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) visited Shanghai in June for the signing of an agreement for the expo between representatives of the two cities.
In addition to the two Taipei pavilions and the Taiwan pavilion, the Taiwan-based Aurora Group will set up a corporate pavilion with the theme “Chinese Jade Culture.”
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book