Barbecuing is popular during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, but authorities are reminding the public that not all municipal or national parks allow barbecuing.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the first full moon of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, which this year is Thursday.
In Taipei, people can barbecue at five designated riverside park locations throughout the year except when typhoon warnings are in effect: Yanping (延平), Huazhong (華中), Daonan (道南), Chengmei (成美) and Bailing (百齡).
Anticipating additional demand for barbecuing space during the festival, the city has installed barbecue facilities in 10 more riverside parks: Caihong (彩虹), Guanshan (觀山), Meiti (美堤), Dajia (大佳), Yuanshan (圓山), Jingmei (景美), Fuhe (福和), Machangding (馬場町), Shuangxi (雙溪) and Huazhong (華中).
In New Taipei City, barbecuing will only be allowed at the Shulin Aboriginals Theme Tribe Park (樹林區原住民主題部落公園). Barbecuing at any other riverside park will result in fines, in accordance with the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法), city officials said.
In Kaohsiung, the prime barbecuing area for the estival has long been Chengcing Lake (澄清湖). The park will be open from 6am to 9pm on Thursday, although entrance tickets will only be sold until 6pm. There are 120 brick ovens available for public use, city officials said.
While Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) in Nantou County strictly prohibits open fires within the scenic area, with fines for violations ranging from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000, Yushan National Park allows visitors to make fires within a designated zone as long as flames are kept under control and coal is not used.
Park authorities said the policy is intended to allow campers to make tea and meals, adding that park officials will generally only intervene if campers make fires in or near parking lots or the plazas near park buildings.
The Alishan Forest Recreation Area (阿里山森林遊樂區) does not allow barbecuing and officials have said that while offenders will not be penalized for a first warning, those who continue barbecuing after being warned will be fined between NT$120,000 and NT$600,000.
Kenting National Park officials have reiterated that fires anywhere in the park, including the beaches, are strictly prohibited. Violators could be fined NT$3,000 for each offense under the National Park Act (國家公園法), they said.
In related news, the Central Weather Bureau said Typhoon Meranti is likely to affect Taiwan later this week.
The outer bands of Meranti are expected to bring rain to Taiwan from tomorrow to Thursday. However, many variables about its path remain uncertain and tomorrow will be a critical time to determine its development, the bureau said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS