Fireworks of gold and silver symbolizing a prosperous future and a robust economy illuminated the skies near Taipei 101 last night as tens of thousands of revelers packed the streets of the city's Xinyi District to welcome the year 2008.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators were expected to gather around Taipei 101 to watch the 188-second-long fireworks and join in the New Year activities.
A total of 12,000 rounds of fireworks were expected to be launched, reaching as high as 500m, in contrast with the 9,000 rounds used in last year's fireworks display.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The message "2008 Taiwan," with a pink heart replacing the dot in the letter "i" was to be displayed on Taipei 101 following the fireworks show.
Several well-known performers, including Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and Aska Yang (楊宗緯), were scheduled to participate in the New Year concert.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
To accommodate the massive crowds that were expected to gather in and around the Xinyi District, the Taipei Rapid Transit System offered an around-the-clock service for the first time yesterday.
Asked for comment earlier yesterday, Michael Liu (劉家豪), an assistant vice president at Taipei 101, said it was still too early to conclude that Taipei 101 would not hold a similar fireworks show in future years.
Liu said that all the floors of the building were expected to be fully occupied in the coming year, which would make it difficult for the shopping center to obtain approval from all the companies on higher floors to display messages on the building.
Without the facility to display messages, it would be difficult for any patrons to sponsor the fireworks show, he said, adding that Taipei 101 could seek funding from its board of directors to make future firework shows possible.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS