Duplicates of rock formations named “Leopard (金錢豹)” and “Cute Princess Rock (俏皮公主)” were installed at the renowned tourist site of Yehliu Geopark (野柳地質公園) in New Taipei City (新北市) on Wednesday in an effort to attract more visitors.
Yehliu Geopark deputy general manager Tang Chin-hui (湯錦惠) said most people know about the iconic “Queen’s Head (女王頭)” rock formation at the park, but relatively few know about the “Leopard” rock formation.
“Due to tidal fluctuations, this [“Leopard”] unique feature was visible for only 18 days in a year,” she said, adding that it could usually be viewed on the first three days and also on the 15th to 17th days of the third, fourth and fifth months of the lunar calendar.
Photo: Yu Chao-fu, Taipei Times
However, the Leopard rock formation collapsed amid pounding waves during a typhoon in 2010, she said, adding that the park management therefore decided to build a replica, along with a reproduction of the “Cute Princess” rock formation.
According to Tang, building the replicas was not a easy job, as workers had to carry computer equipment weighing more than 100kg along the seashore to the edge of the cape in order to perform laser scanning of the collapsed remnants of the Leopard rock. The data was then compiled to enable the construction of a 3D digital image, used to make polyurethane mouldings, she said.
These mouldings were then processed via a computer numerical control machine to produce a one-to-one replica of the original, which was augmented on the exterior with fiber reinforced plastic.
The replica then underwent a final treatment by craftsmen that included fine detailed finishing, paint coloring and imitation sandstone surface polishing, she said
Last year, the park also had a duplicate of the “Queen’s Head” made, Tang said, adding that it has proven to be popular with tourists, who like to have their pictures taken with it.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS