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.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or