Replicas of Liang Island (亮島) fossils, two ancient human skeletons excavated from Taiwan’s outlying Matsu archipelago in Lienchiang County, went on display in Taipei yesterday.
“The Liang Islander and Prehistoric Culture of Matsu Islands” exhibition at the National Museum of History features replicas of the skeletons, as well as tools made from animal bones, pottery and stoneware discovered at the same site as the skeletons.
The museum said it hopes the exhibition, which is to run until Jan. 25, will help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of the Matsu islands.
In late 2011, an archeological team from Academia Sinica discovered a skeleton at a historic site on Liang Island, one of several islets that comprise the Matsu archipelago off the coast of China’s Fujian Province.
The skeleton was dated at 8,200 years old and was named “Liang Islander No. 1.”
In July 2012, another skeleton, dubbed “Liang Islander No. 2,” was discovered at the same site and is believed to be 7,590 to 7,530 years old.
The two skeletons are the oldest human fossils discovered in an area that stretches from Hangzhou Bay in the East China Sea to the Vietnamese coast.
According to DNA biochemistry analysis, the Liang Islanders were related to Austronesian people, who were dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including Taiwan and the Philippines.
The discovery of the skeletons is said to be one of the most significant archeological finds in Taiwan in recent years and sheds new light on pre-Austronesian culture and the dispersal of people in the region.
Public access to Liang Island was prohibited until 2011, when a ceremony was held there to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) army’s arrival on the island.
Then-Lienchiang County commissioner Yang Sui-sheng (楊綏生) at the time noticed what looked like seashell mounds along the roadside and informed Academia Sinica, which sent the team that uncovered the human remains and artifacts.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS