A sense of transformation has been in the air in Greater Kaohsiung ever since the World Games were held there in 2009. Residents have stopped focusing on issues such as labor movements, industrial migration, or the relocation of Chinese Petroleum Corp. Instead, they are talking about going to concerts at the Kaohsiung Arena, attending lawn concerts of the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival, visiting the Kaohsiung Design Exhibition at the Pier-2 Art Center, and getting early-bird tickets for the Kaohsiung Film Festival. The vibrant cultural and arts scene is giving the younger generation cause to believe that the city is getting ever closer to its goal of being the city of happiness.
According to Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director-General Shih Che, a survey showed that people in the 20 to 29 age bracket are under the greatest pressure from work, compared to those from all other age groups. These people — mostly recent graduates or newbie parents — have high hopes for their future, but are also discovering that this is the toughest time in terms of developing their careers. People in this age group, however, tend to know what they are about, and are often outspoken critics of the government. If these people are satisfied with what the city government is doing, then it shows that they are happy with the food, fashion, housing, transport, entertainment, and leisure facilities in the city.
The survey serves as confirmation that the city government’s efforts are paying off, and is very encouraging to local performing arts groups such as the Kaohsiung City Ballet, Spring Wind Art Theater, Taiwan Drama Performance, Sun Hope Taiwanese Opera Troupe, Counterpoint Chamber Music, Fan Mei Dance Company, Firefly Theatre, and others, all of which have been seeing much larger audiences and higher box office takings in recent years.
Photo: Yang Ching-ching, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者楊菁菁
International-level exhibitions on view at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts have included works by Andy Warhol, Pixar Animation, the Bauhaus movement, Amedeo Modigliani, and Alfons Mucha. These exhibitions have achieved the most successful attendance records in the museum’s history. The Pier-2 Art Center draws a huge crowd, especially during winter and summer vacations, but also on other holidays. Greater Kaohsiung’s burgeoning development not only attracts visitors from abroad, it also provides a model for other cities and counties in Taiwan to follow.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY LIN YA-TI)
高雄從二○○九世界運動會開始嗅到蛻變氣息！民眾話題不再鎖定勞工運動、產業外移或是中油遷廠等，而是討論著高雄巨蛋聽演唱會、春天藝術節草地音樂會、駁二特區設計展、高雄電影節早鳥票等。豐富多元的藝文展演，讓新世代深刻感受到高雄朝著幸福城市生活目標邁進。
文化局長史哲表示，一份問卷調查顯示，二十至二十九歲年齡層是人生面臨工作壓力最大的階段，多半是社會新鮮人或新手爸媽，對人生期許很高，但也是最打拚艱苦的期間。這個年齡層相對主張自我，會對施政有諸多批評。因此這群人對於市府團隊滿意度高，顯示高雄城市生活品質獲得肯定，食、衣、住、行、娛樂、休閒各方面需求獲得滿足。
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者張忠義
這項問卷調查肯定市府團隊努力，也鼓舞高雄藝文展演團體信心，高雄城市芭蕾舞團、南風劇團、台灣戲劇表演家、尚和歌仔戲、對位室內樂團、汎美舞蹈團、螢火蟲劇團等表演藝術團體，也感受到這幾年來觀眾群增加及市場票房熱潮。
美術館幾檔國際特展：安迪‧沃荷、皮克斯動畫、包浩斯、亞美迪歐‧莫迪里亞尼、阿爾豐斯‧慕夏也創下開館來新高，駁二特區寒暑假及假日強強滾的人潮。高雄迅速發展的經驗不僅吸引國內外旅客到訪，更成為外縣市取經的範本。
（自由時報記者楊菁菁）
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者張忠義
The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture. The word yuan means “first,” and xiao means “night,” referring to “the first full moon night of the lunar year.” In 2026, the Lantern Festival falls on March 3 in the Gregorian calendar. Also known as the Shangyuan Festival or Festival of Lights, the Lantern Festival marks the festive conclusion of the two-week Lunar New Year period. It symbolizes hopes for brightness, peace and reunion in the year ahead. On this day, people traditionally enjoy lantern displays, riddle-guessing
A: Happy Lunar New Year. I wish you joy and health in the Year of the Horse. B: Thanks, you too. Actually, the Harvard Study of Adult Development claims that they’ve finally discovered the secret to living a happy life after 85 years of research. A: What is it? Money? Fame? Career? B: Nope, the key is good relationships. Professor Robert Waldinger, the principal investigator, portrays one’s relationships as “social fitness,” and has worked with the New York Times to launch the “7-day Happiness Challenge.” A: I wanna be socially fit. How can I participate in this challenge? A:
Steam curls from a shallow iron pot as thin ribbons of beef turn from ruby to blush. Warishita — a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin — goes in, and the room fills with a salty-sweet aroma. Tofu slips in beside mushrooms and greens, chopsticks hover and voices soften. More than a hot pot, “sukiyaki” is a table-side ritual that invites everyone to cook and enjoy at the same pace. The name is believed to be associated with the iron “suki,” a kind of spade once used by farmers for cooking and later replaced by shallow pots. As cultural taboos
1. 他沒有看過那部電影，我也沒有看過。 ˇ He hasn’t seen the movie. I haven’t seen it, either. χ He hasn’t seen the movie. I haven’t seen it, too. 註：too 表示「也」，在肯定句中與 also 同義且更口語。too 一般放在句尾，或作為插入語放在句中；also 通常靠近動詞，不放在句尾。例如： He likes chocolate; I also like it. He likes chocolate; I like it, too. 表示「也不」，不可以在否定語的後面用 too，應用 either 或用 nor 表示否定。但口語裡有時為了強調也把 also 放在否定語的前面。例如： He doesn’t like Gone With the Wind; I don’t like it, either. He doesn’t like Gone With the Wind; I also don’t like it. He doesn’t know her phone number; nor do I. 2. 他不難過，我也不難過。 ˇ He was not upset. Neither/Nor was I. χ He was not upset. So was I. 註：承接前句述詞的動作，因而構成新的句子時，新句子的詞序是動詞在前，主詞在後。但應注意：肯定時用副詞 so，否定時用 neither 或 nor。例如：
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