Jay Chou's (
Over the past three years, even stridently pro-Taiwan performers have hot potatoed invitations from A-bian. Commenting on this issue, the Liberty Times (
Whether record labels are going to be moved by the paper's high-minded patriotism or any other political consideration is doubtful. But Jay's bosses have probably read the tea leaves and realized that he essentially can do whatever he wants, because so many business interests in China rely on Jay that even the Communist Party couldn't shut him out. And this doesn't even take into account the hundreds of millions of teenie boppers who might take to arms if their hero is barred from the country. So, chances are, Jay can wave an A-bian flag and still earn some Renminbi.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Jay also gets to wear the crown this year for being the top-selling artist in Taiwan, having moved 333,000 copies of his Ye Hui-mei (
Since Jolin's heavily publicized flash-in-the-pan fling with Jay, she's found herself tangled in several relationship webs, the latest of which is her connection to TV show host Little Pig (
A similar drama unfolded in Hong Kong last week when Leon Lai (黎明) and Shu Qi (舒琪) were reported to have separated for the n-th time -- on this occasion because Faye Wong (王菲) and Leon were rumored to have hooked up since the Mando-pop diva's breakup with Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) a few weeks ago. According to China Times Weekly (時報周刊), Shu Qi hasn't been able to win a long-term commitment from Leon because his father disapproves of her history as a celebrated soft-core porn actress and refuses to even meet her.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
For many people, Bilingual Nation 2030 begins and ends in the classroom. Since the policy was launched in 2018, the debate has centered on students, teachers and the pressure placed on schools. Yet the policy was never solely about English education. The government’s official plan also calls for bilingualization in Taiwan’s government services, laws and regulations, and living environment. The goal is to make Taiwan more inclusive and accessible to international enterprises and talent and better prepared for global economic and trade conditions. After eight years, that grand vision is due for a pulse check. RULES THAT CAN BE READ For Harper Chen (陳虹宇), an adviser
Traditionally, indigenous people in Taiwan’s mountains practice swidden cultivation, or “slash and burn” agriculture, a practice common in human history. According to a 2016 research article in the International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, among the Atayal people, this began with a search for suitable forested slopeland. The trees are burnt for fertilizer and the land cleared of stones. The stones and wood are then piled up to make fences, while both dead and standing trees are retained on the plot. The fences are used to grow climbing crops like squash and beans. The plot itself supports farming for three years.
The breakwater stretches out to sea from the sprawling Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan. Normally, it’s crowded with massive tankers ferrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to be stored in the bulbous white tanks that dot the shoreline. These are not normal times, though, and not a single shipment from Qatar has docked at the Yongan terminal since early March after the Strait of Hormuz was shuttered. The suspension has provided a realistic preview of a potential Chinese blockade, a move that would throttle an economy anchored by the world’s most advanced and power-hungry semiconductor industry. It is a stark reminder of
The last couple of weeks spectators in Taiwan and abroad have been treated to a remarkable display of infighting in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the supplementary defense budget. The party has split into two camps, one supporting an NT$800 billion special defense budget and one supporting an NT$380 billion budget with additional funding contingent on receiving letters of acceptance (LOA) from the US. Recent media reports have said that the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) is leaning toward the latter position. President William Lai (賴清德) has proposed NT$1.25 trillion for purchases of US arms and for development of domestic weapons
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