A statue of Japanese hydraulic engineer Nobuhei Torii, which stands beside an irrigation waterway in Pingtung County’s Chunrih Township (春日), was unveiled at a ceremony yesterday, with his grandson, Toru Torii, in attendance.
In the 1920s, Nobuhei Torii built the Er-feng Waterway, which irrigates about 3,000 hectares of farmland, in the county’s Laiyi Township (來義).
Chi Mei Corp founder Hsu Wen-long (許文龍) commissioned five statutes in Nobuhei Torii’s memory, one of which he gave to Chunrih Mayor Ko Chih-chiang (柯自強) about six months ago.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
The township’s plan to install the 290cm-tall statue was affected by the vandalism of Japanese engineer Yoichi Hatta’s statue in Tainan, Ko said, referring to an incident in April in which the statue of Hatta, who is called the “father of the Chianan irrigation system” for his contributions to irrigation in the Chianan Plain in the south by building the Wushantou Reservoir, was decapitated.
The Er-feng Waterway had been registered as a national cultural landscape, but the designer of another waterway beside the Lili Brook in Chunrih remains unknown, said Ting Che-shih (丁澈士), dean of College of Engineering at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.
Nonetheless, Ting said he believes Nobuhei Torii was the designer of both waterways, given their similar designs and time of construction.
Military confidentiality might be the reason behind the designer’s anonymity, he added.
The township’s water source was highly prized during World War II, when a Japanese army command headquarters with about 20,000 soldiers was stationed there, he said.
At yesterday’s ceremony, nine mayors of the county’s aboriginal townships, including Chunrih, signed an agreement vowing to protect the water source.
The statue and agreement are meant to highlight the efforts of ancient people in building the waterways, Ko said, adding that an explanation placard for the statue would be installed soon.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President