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
If you’ve recently spotted adults parading around with cuddly toys dangling from their designer handbags, your eyes haven’t been deceiving you. The playful trend of adorning bags with cute charms has become popular among people of various ages. Plushies like Labubu and anime and manga characters such as Chiikawa have become must-have accessories that make personal statements. The practice of attaching charms to personal items has been common across cultures throughout history. In ancient civilizations, charms were often used as symbols of protection, good luck, or identity. Fast-forward to more modern times, and style icons like Jane Birkin, a
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Kevin leaned over the bubbling pot. “Hey. . . are you okay? You’ve barely touched your food.” Zoey blinked. Her face was red — not from blushing, but from the “mala” spice and the heat of the room. Her blond hair clumped to her face like strands of fine spaghetti. Her carefully applied makeup now streaked. “This isn’t what I expected,” she said softly, forcing a smile. All around them, Kevin’s friends were laughing, shouting, and tossing ingredients into the broth. The air smelled of chili oil and garlic.
Picture this: contestants are walking gracefully across a stage, competing for the highly desired title of “most beautiful.” However, these participants aren’t fashion models—they’re camels. Welcome to the extraordinary world of the Pushkar Fair, where beauty contests take on an entirely different meaning. The Pushkar Fair is held annually in the small desert town of Pushkar, India, usually in November. It began as a livestock trading event where farmers and herders gathered to buy and sell camels, horses and cattle. Over time, it has grown into a major cultural carnival that attracts thousands of tourists from around the world.
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang If plushie charms are cute little nods to people’s interests, ita bags are full-on declarations. The term “ita” comes from the Japanese word itai, which means “painful” and reflects the overwhelming visual intensity of these bags. An ita bag is essentially a handbag, backpack, or tote meticulously decorated with an extensive collection of merchandise dedicated to a specific character or idol. These bags usually feature a clear plastic window to display carefully arranged pins, badges, keychains, or fan art. Both the interior and exterior may be covered in fandom memorabilia, creating an aesthetic so intense that it’s almost “painful”
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