A carnival to promote the 2009 Deaflympics is scheduled for this weekend, with free performances and other events spread over Taipei City, Taipei County, Taoyuan County and Hsinchu County.
Local and foreign performance groups will give street shows, including puppetry, lion dances and children’s theater, the Taipei Deaflympics Organizing Committee told a press conference at Taipei City Hall yesterday.
The Deaflympics are scheduled for September.
Italian “extreme theater” company Kitonb, which combines elements of circus and gymnastics with light shows, will give free outdoor performances in the four cities and counties this month.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday thanked the three other local governments for assisting Taipei City Government with the Deaflympics by providing venues for competitions.
Hau said that he expected the Deaflympics — the biggest sports event hosted by the city — to boost Taipei’s international reputation.
Taoyuan County Commissioner Eric Chu (朱立倫), Hsinchu County Commissioner Chen Yung-chin (鄭永金) and Taipei County Deputy Commissioner Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) attended the press conference to show support for the Deaflympics.
Angelo Donello, Kitonb’s executive director, said the group’s performances would include acrobatic dancing and invited the public to enjoy its outdoor performances.
The carnival opens at 5pm in Hsinchu County on Saturday, at 4pm in Taoyuan County on Sunday, at 5pm in Taipei County on Friday next week and at 3:30pm in Taipei City on Saturday and Sunday next week.
Kitonb will perform on Saturday at 7pm in front of the Hsinchu County Hall plaza and from May 15 to May 17 at 7pm at Taipei’s Songshan Tobacco Factory.
For more information, call at (02) 2356-9888.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS