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
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and