When explaining why he chose to use Tatung Co’s anniversary dolls to court his wife 10 years ago, 37-year-old Lee Chun-wei said that the commemorative dolls are one of his wife’s happiest childhood memories. Upon discovering that his girlfriend was so fond of the dolls, he immediately started collecting them in hopes of winning her hand in marriage. Starting with the doll from 1980, that his wife still treasures so dearly, the couple has already collected 80 dolls. They also collect imitations of the dolls, which have Common Era years painted on the doll’s chest. His wife sometimes gets jealous because he cherishes the dolls so much. Someone once offered Lee NT$100,000 for the entire collection, but he adamantly refused to sell.
Lee said his wife has liked Tatung dolls ever since she was a child, and that she still laughs out loud every time she spots one in a TV commercial and cries as soon as the commercial ends. A bunch of the dolls released in 1980 are stacked on their TV set. Always close to them, the dolls in the end became part of the family after they were wedded.
Lee said that Tatung Co started producing the dolls in 1969 to celebrate the company’s 51st anniversary. The company releases a new model of the rubber-made doll each year, and the only thing that noticeably changes is the number painted on the doll’s chest which represents how many years the company has been in operation. Everything else about the dolls stays about the same. The only time production of the dolls has ever significantly decreased was in 1982 during one of Taiwan’s worst economic recessions. For the following two years manufacturing of the dolls ceased entirely, and only resumed in 1985 for doll no. 67. Due to the minuscule production during those years, the 64 and 67 dolls are the most valuable, each doll worth between NT$30,000 and NT$40,000.
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者王秀亭
In order to expand his collection, Lee often visits places in the countryside or military dependents’ villages, where they are usually easier to find. He also frequents flea markets and antique dealers, and never passes up a chance to peruse the Tatung service stations, which every small town invariably offers. It was not until Lee finally opened up his own shop in Taitung that he started putting the dolls on display for others to see.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Taijing Wu)
三十七歲的李俊緯解釋十年前為何選擇大同公司週年慶玩偶，用來追求他太太的利器時，他表示這些紀念玩偶，是太太兒時最快樂的回憶。發現女友這麼喜歡這些玩偶時，他便開始蒐集它們，希望藉此贏得美人心並結婚。從一九八零年，太太直到現在依然珍惜的那尊玩偶開始，夫妻倆至今已蒐集了八十個玩偶。他們也蒐集胸前印著西元年份的仿冒品。太太有時會因為丈夫太珍惜玩偶而吃醋。曾有人向李俊緯出價新台幣十萬元，購買整組收藏，但他堅決不割愛。
李俊緯說，他太太從小就愛大同寶寶，每次看到電視上的大同寶寶廣告就開心地笑，廣告一結束就哭了起來。家中電視機上的一九八零年版撲滿一直陪在身邊，最後這個大同寶寶也於婚後成為家庭的一部分。
李俊緯表示，大同公司從一九六九年的五十一週年紀念起，每年出版一款軟膠大同寶寶撲滿，只有胸前號碼有明顯改變，代表公司營運的時間。玩偶的其它部分則大同小異。寶寶撲滿產量大減的那年是一九八二年，當時台灣面臨最嚴重的經濟緊縮，接下來兩年完全停產，直到一九八五年的編號六十七才又「復出」。由於這兩款產量稀少，編號六四與六七的玩偶目前叫價最貴，一個可賣到新台幣三、四萬元。
為了收集大同寶寶，李俊緯不時往鄉下或眷村等容易找到的地方跑。還踏遍跳蚤市場及古物商，也不放過仔細研究各鄉鎮一定設有的大同服務站。直到在台東市區開店，李俊緯才將寶寶們擺在店內與大家分享收藏。
（自由時報記者王秀亭專訪）
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of the Pacific Ocean: oxygen production without the involvement of living organisms. Four kilometers below the surface where sunlight cannot reach, researchers have found metallic lumps generating what they term “dark oxygen.” This form of oxygen is produced through a process independent of photosynthesis. Unlike the traditional photosynthesis process, where organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to create energy and oxygen, the newly discovered phenomenon operates in complete darkness. The accidental finding occurred during a study of metal-rich lumps in an abyssal plain between Hawaii and Mexico. These lumps, known as
A: What were the highest-grossing films globally last year? B: “Inside Out 2” was the highest, followed by “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Dune: Part 2” and “Moana 2.” A: “Inside Out 2” was also the highest-grossing film in Taiwan. B: It grossed nearly US$1.7 billion worldwide, or NT$55 billion, becoming the best-selling animated film of all time. A: I can’t believe I missed the movie last year. A: 去年全球最賣座的電影有哪些？ B: 冠軍是《腦筋急轉彎2》，其後是《死侍與金鋼狼》、《神偷奶爸4》、《沙丘：第2部》、《海洋奇緣2》。 A: 《腦2》也是去年台灣票房冠軍耶。 B: 這部鉅片狂賣近17億美元，約550億台幣，成為全球影史最賣座動畫電影！ A: 真不敢相信我錯過了這部強片。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: In addition to “Inside Out 2” at the top, what were the other highest-grossing films domestically last year? B: “Gatao: Like Father, Like Son” was the only Taiwanese movie among the top 10 blockbusters, which included five animated films. A: I’m surprised that the Taiwanese hit “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” wasn’t on the chart. B: But it grossed over 500 million Chinese yuan in China, which is nearly NT$2.5 billion. The figure was five times higher than that of the best-selling film in Taiwan. A: Its success shows that Taiwanese movies should go international. A:
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Using a device to isolate a section of the seafloor, the researchers aimed to measure oxygen levels in the enclosed water. Normally, oxygen rates would decrease as marine organisms consume it, but the result was contrary to expectations. The unexpected outcome prompted the team to further investigate the phenomenon. Researchers found the lumps emitted an electric charge similar to that of a AA battery. This charge is believed to trigger a process that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, accounting for the increase. Traditional perspectives propose that oxygen production began around three billion years ago through photosynthesis by ancient
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