President Chain Store Corp’s 7-Eleven convenience store chain opened its first store on Orchid Island (蘭嶼, also known as Lanyu) yesterday, after overcoming criticism from civic groups that the outlet would hurt the island’s indigenous culture.
The store opened its doors to business at 7am, with workers greeting customers using the Aboriginal Tao language spoken on the island, which lies about 80km off Taiwan proper’s southeastern coast.
Tao boys wearing traditional thongs danced during the opening ceremony. Open-chan, the dog-like mascot of 7-Eleven in Taiwan, was erected in front of the store — also dressed in a traditional Tao thong.
Photo: CNA
Addressing the opening ceremony, Lanyu Township (蘭嶼) Mayor Chiang To-li (江多利) said he was very thankful for the arrival of 7-Eleven, which he said would provide residents with many convenient services, such as fee and tax collection. Chiang also expressed the hope that the store would introduce an ATM soon, because there is only one such machine on the island.
The opening of the store was delayed earlier this year after it came under fire from civic groups and some locals, who said that it would bring about harmful changes to the local culture and way of life by promoting a materialistic mentality.
They urged President Chain Store Corp to reconsider its decision, but the company proceeded with its plan.
To celebrate the opening, a health station was set up inside the store to provide free blood pressure checks and liver disease screening for residents.
The online book retailer books.com.tw also donated 500 new books to teenagers on Orchid Island.
According to President Chain Store Corp, the Orchid Island store is the 52nd opened by the chain on outlying islands.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the