Monocle, an international magazine covering culture and design, listed Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) among the world’s top urban leaders in its July-August issue.
Hu “thinks big,” the magazine said, under the headline “Ten Urban Leaders — Mayors Rethinking the Way Cities Expand, Move, Compete and Breathe.”
PLACE OF CULTURE
Hu’s large-scale infrastructure and economic developments have been applauded, Monocle said, but his key strength is in turning a city known for crime and prostitution into a place, where, as Hu says, “culture permeates all levels of society.”
Hu has brought Zaha Hadid, Chinese director Zhang Yimou (張藝謀) and cellist Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) to Taichung.
He has also set out plans for a futuristic opera house designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the report said.
CRIME
It said Hu’s most prominent success was seeing the crime rate drop 60 percent since 2001, the year he was elected mayor for his first term.
Hu said on Tuesday he was surprised and flattered to be cited by international magazine as one of the world’s 10 urban leaders.
“I’m glad that the Taichung City Government’s efforts to go global has caught the eyes of the world,” Hu said.
WORK NOT DONE
He said that despite the improvements in Taichung’s social order, such work is never done.
The mayors of the other nine cities listed in the magazine were those of Nagoya, Japan; Holon, Israel; Houston, Texas; Stockholm, Sweden; Oost, the Netherlands; Madrid, Spain; Phoenix, Arizona; Barranquilla, Colombia; and Perth, Australia.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS