Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp’s (KRTC) anime poster icon Siao Chung (小穹) on Sunday appeared in a video speaking for the first time, with her Taiwanese accent instantly becoming a hot topic among netizens.
Siao Chung was the first member of the K.R.T. Girls — fictional KRTC employees who appear on cars, and in stations and official messages.
The Kaohsiung City Government’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems organized a 30-second public information video featuring Siao Chung to raise public awareness about traffic regulations and safety on the city’s light-rail transit system.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp
The online video was liked by more than 10,000 Facebook users before the end of the day and generated a long discussion thread, with most netizens commenting on the character’s accent.
A majority of comments were positive, with one netizen saying that it is “realistic” for Siao Chung to speak “like a Kaohsiung native,” while another said her voice is “cute” and that it “grows on people.”
However, others said her Taiwanese Mandarin accent has “damaged the perfect mental image” they built up for Siao Chung, while others recommended using Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) voice.
KRTC said it considered online responses and discussions as a positive, adding that different perspectives and opinions help it to understand its fan base.
The K.R.T. Girls are responsible for informing the public on transit rules and regulations, as well being the transit authorities’ public affairs representatives, the company said, adding that it is “natural” for Siao Chung’s voice to be “approachable” and “down-to-earth.”
K.R.T. Girls are to continue appearing in KRTC materials to help the public, the company added.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS