Before setting off on a journey to find the African fair and circus show in Nangang be forewarned -- it starts at 10am and doesn't end until 3pm. Perfect for a 10-year-old, torture for someone looking for a quirky way to spend a day off.
What began as a long haul to the Taipei suburb Nangang in search of the "African Cultures on Show" advertised in a local newspaper, ended at the arrival of a fenced-off park filled with hundreds of children being led around by once-famous kids entertainer Dai Nan Siang (
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASSOCIATION OF PROMOTION FOR STUDENT OUTDOOR
Dai, who is most remembered as TV personality Dai Laoshi (
PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSOCIATION OF PROMOTION FOR STUDENT OUTDOOR
The newspaper ad read, "An exhibition featuring the cultures of 40 African countries and a circus including various animals from Africa."
The reality was a day camp geared towards kindergarten and students that offers clowns, magic and dance routines, along with a few caged farm animals -- and six tigers from Thailand.
The events organizers, the Association of Promotion for Student Outdoor Education (
The scheduled day of activities begins with a circus that includes a Mongolian acrobat routine followed by the most popular event, a tiger show. After lunch there's juggling, sing-a-longs and an Indian magic show.
Apart from the short Q-and-A section near the start of the day and a 20-minute Egyptian dance performance at the end of the show all other activities have little or no African content. To be fair, however, there is an "African Fair," pavilion with a collection of some 40 photos and artifacts from various countries in Africa.
A yearly summer event around the island, it's the first time the circus has made a stop in Taipei. Dai Laoshi, who doubles as the organization's program director said each year they choose a new theme with the purpose of introducing different cultures to young learners in Taiwan.
The entire exhibition is open to the public, but for a shorter version the weekday camp activities are condensed into a two hour circus on the weekend.
The event is disappointing for anyone expecting a full fledged circus complete with trapeze artists, but the general consensus among the swarms of young people at the show suggest it's a lot better than a day spent inside a classroom.
For your information:
What: African-themed student day-camp and fair
When: Now until Aug. 29. Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm, or Saturday and Sunday performances at 10am to 12pm, 1:30 to 3:30pm and 7:30 to 9:30pm
Where: In the field area adjacent to the Nangang Software Park, a 10 to 15 minute bus ride from Kunyang MRT Station (Blue Line) Bus: 51, 203, 281, 311, 620, 629, 645, 817.
Cost: NT$350 for the day camp, or NT$200 for the African Fair tent.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had
RSS