SOCIETY
Literary academic Pei dies
Pei Pu-yen (裴溥言), a renowned scholar of traditional Chinese literature died, of a brain tumor in Los Angeles on Saturday at the age of 96, writer Chi Chi (季季) announced. Pei, a native of China’s Shandong Province, was born in 1921 and studied at the National Women’s Normal College in Sichuan Province before moving to Taiwan at about the time when the Republic of China government was defeated by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. Pei, who taught in National Taiwan University’s Chinese department, achieved fame for her study and teaching of the Book of Odes (詩經 －先民的歌唱), which comprises 305 poems written in the 11th to 7th centuries BC. Pei was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February. Her husband, Mi Wen-kai (糜文開), who died in 1983, was a diplomat who served in India, the Philippines and Thailand and became famous for his translations of Indian literature, including works by Rabindranath Tagore.
SOCIETY
Teacher wins pole dancing
Lin Hsiang-chen (林詳宸) clinched the top title in the qualifier professional category at the Pacific Pole Championships on Saturday in Los Angeles. Lin was the only non-US competitor, as well as the only dancer from Asia. He was participating in the regional event for the first time, event organizers said. Lin said that he usually spends three months preparing for a competition, but this time he had only about one month. Lin teaches pole dancing at a dance studio. He said that he usually gets off work about midnight, and then rehearses until 3am or 4am. However, the end result is worth the hours, he said. He and the other teachers at the studio want to promote pole dancing in Taiwan through participating in international competitions.
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 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
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
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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