The body of Tsai Yao-hsing (蔡耀星), famed for learning to swim despite missing both arms, was found at the base of the Chinwen Bridge (錦文橋) in Taroko Gorge yesterday.
A preliminary investigation by Hualien police into his death suggested Tsai fell off the bridge into the river and was washed up against the base of the bridge, where he got stuck. However, police said the incident was still under investigation.
Police said they received a report yesterday that the naked body of an armless man had been found at the base of the Chinwen Bridge on the north edge of Taroko Gorge. The police later identified the body as Tsai.
Tsai, who was an Atayal Aborigine, lost his arms in a work accident when he was 16. He made a name for himself by learning to use his legs in place of his arms to not only learn to swim, but become adept at the sport. He earned the nickname the “Frog King” because of his unique swimming style.
Tsai had said that he trained by swimming in rivers, adding that he often surprised people with his agility in the water.
Tsia’s stepmother, Pan Hui-mei (潘惠妹), said yesterday that representing Taiwan in the Paralympics had been Tsai’s greatest life goal.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
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