Archeological finds in Taichung last year, which seem to show a mother cradling her child, have been described by media outlets as a perfect symbol of a mother’s timeless love ahead of the Mother’s Day celebrations.
Carbon dating suggested the bones excavated from what is now called the Anhe Ruins (安和遺址) last year near the intersection of Anhe Road, Taiwan Boulevard and Chaoma Road in Taichung, along with 47 other sets of fossilized bones, are 4,800 years old.
National Museum of Natural Science department of anthropology director Chu Whei-lee (屈慧麗) said carbon tests showed the findings to be the earliest traces of human activity in central Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of National Museum of Natural Science
The ruins were designated a city heritage site, with the immediate area around the ruins also designated a temporary heritage area.
The area is to be under the protection of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), with any development requiring governmental oversight or test digging to ensure no fossils or relics are in the area, Taichung Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Wang Chih-cheng (王志誠) said.
Wang added that if the city discovers an obvious “cultural layer,” an archeological term defined as any layer within an archeological dig formed by relics left by evident human activity, the city government will be sure to preserve the relics and see to their removal for professional care.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
‘BRAZEN’: The holiday did not stop China from activities that infringe on Taiwan’s maritime jurisdiction, but the CGA is ready to defend the nation, Kuan Bi-ling said Beijing is intensifying maritime pressure on Taiwan, but the nation will never yield, Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has adopted a “shadowing and monitoring” approach to avoid falling into a Chinese trap to escalate tensions and deepen the conflict, Sung said in an interview published yesterday in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). China Coast Guard formations patrolling waters east of Taiwan, as well as official Chinese vessels entering areas around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) show Beijing’s attempts to significantly step up
BOOST: By operating the same advanced systems as the US military, Taiwan would be better positioned to share and integrate intelligence with partners, an expert said The first batch of MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones has arrived in Taiwan, and is being assembled and tested by drone manufacturer General Atomics and the military ahead of flight trials as part of the air force’s acquisition to bolster its aerial surveillance capabilities, a source said yesterday. The air force allocated a budget of NT$21.7 billion (US$687 million) from 2022 to 2029 to procure four MQ-9B uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by General Atomics along with associated equipment such as ground control stations. The US has agreed to deliver the four MQ-9Bs to Taiwan in two batches this year and next
Taiwanese firms’ China investments have dwindled to less than 1 percent of their total foreign investments, putting China-based investments on track for a record low this year, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed. Taiwan’s investments abroad in the first five months of this year reached US$35.92 billion, Department of Investment Review data showed. Investments outside China totaled US$35.61 billion, up 133.94 percent year-on-year, while investments in China totaled US$310.3 million, down 32.3 percent and about 0.86 percent of the total, data showed. Major overseas projects included Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) US$30 billion capital injection into an overseas subsidiary,
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