A thread on the Dcard online forum that pokes fun at the subject of flirting with girls has gone viral, with contributors posting quotes from famous men or figures from history altered to be pick-up lines.
One post features a picture of Isaac Newton with the words: “Gravity has pulled us together.”
Another has a picture Charles Darwin with the words: “Nature selected me, and I selected you.”
Chimei Museum in Tainan has tried to get in on the fad with posts on Facebook, with one post showing a picture of Eros, the Greek god of sexual desire and attraction, with the quote: “Only your arrow can pierce my heart.”
Another museum post features the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, and the quote: “Your two eyes are the brightest pearls in the ocean.”
The posts have been a fun way to get visitors interested in the figures represented by six sections of statues that ring the outside of the museum, Chimei said on Sunday.
Normally the statues serve only as backdrops for visitors to take photographs or “check in” on Facebook.
A woman surnamed Lin (林) on Sunday said that she brought her daughter to the museum after seeing the posts, which she said had made the statues “approachable” to her.
The Tainan City Bus company has also gotten in on the action by posting photographs of its Orange Line and double-decker buses to its Facebook page with the quotes: “Yujing mangoes are sweet, but your smile is even sweeter” for the Orange Line, and “Sorry our upper deck is so hot, it’s because the fire in my heart is burning” for the double-deckers.
The posts have received positive feedback from the public, the company said.
The National Museum of Taiwan History decided to take an opposite approach. It posted a video on its Web site about how to say “No!” to unwanted attention.
The museum has added text to its exhibits that plays on the theme of their video.
For example, an exhibit for Taoist goddess of the sea Matsu’s servant, Qianliyan (千里眼) — who is known for the ability to see kilometers away — now includes the line: “At first I was in love with you, but I later realized that this was an error of judgement.”
The exhibit for Japanese anthropologist Ino Kanori — famed for his studies of Taiwan’s Aborigines — now has the line: “I belong to the land, I do not belong to you.”
The exhibits have won praise from the public. One visitor said she went to the museum after seeing a post about the phrases.
Politicians are also trying to utilize the craze.
Republican Party Chairwoman Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), who is running for Hsinchu mayor in the Nov. 24 elections, posted a series of “I love you, Hsinchu” posts.
One shows a picture of a doctor with the words: “I can treat your critical illnesses, but I am unable to cure my hopeless sense of [love] for you” — referring to her having successfully petitioned the government to build a critical-care medical facility in the city when she served in the Legislative Yuan.
Asked about the craze, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Pasuya Yao (姚文智) on Saturday said: “Give me the time it takes to drink a coffee. If you get to know me, you will love me!”
When reporters asked his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival, Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), the same question on Sunday, he said: “For the mayorship, I could wait for 20 years; for you, I could wait for a lifetime,” referring to his unsuccessful efforts to win the party’s nomination in previous elections.
Additional reporting by Tsai Ya-hua and Chung Hung-liang
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