Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), known for his off-the-cuff remarks to reporters, made news again yesterday after saying that he might pass a gift watch to a scrapyard because he had “no use for it.”
The pocket watch was given to him by British Minister of State for Transport Susan Kramer.
Giving clocks or watches as gifts is traditionally seen as taboo in Taiwanese and Chinese culture because the phrase “giving a clock” (送鐘) is pronounced the same as “bidding farewell” to the deceased (送終) at a funeral.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
After being asked by reporters whether he felt uncomfortable with the gift, Ko said he was not worried, because he and his wife were both doctors and were not superstitious.
He added that he lives on the fourth floor, considered unlucky by some people because the number four sounds similar to the word “death” (死).
However, the comment that drew the most media attention came as Ko laughed and said: “I can just give it to someone else or take it to a scrap metal dealer and sell it for cash.”
Taipei City Government spokesperson Lin Ho-ming (林鶴明) said that the mayor’s comment “was just a joke,” and that the gift had been stored in the city repository and would not be sold.
In his meeting with Kramer, Ko spoke in English as they discussed rail transport and urban renewal — important topics for Taipei as it prepares to host the 2017 Universiade.
The mayor presented Kramer with a miniature of Taipei 101. There was no word on what she thought of the gift.
Kramer was quoted by officials with the British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei later in the day as saying that she had learned something about giving gifts.
“I’m sorry. We learn something new each day. I had no idea a gift like this could be seen as anything other than positive: In the UK a watch is precious — because nothing is more important than time,” she was quoted as saying. “The gift came from the House of Lords — which is only accessible to members of the UK’s upper parliament. It is a very unique item.”
“It was a huge honor to meet Mayor Ko. We look forward to working with him and his team in Taipei,” she added.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS