A pygmy hippopotamus at Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo recently gave birth to a male calf and following a highly successful naming competition, with voting from visitors and netizens, the infant hippo has been christened “Yuanbao.” In a joint celebration of Double Ten National Day and a “coming out party” for Yuanbao, the zoo granted free admission to members of the public on Thursday, also distributing 600 pygmy hippopotamus-themed “shouxian” cookies and exclusive gifts to visitors on the day.
According to Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau acting director Chiu Chun-long, after more than 700 days of waiting and the strenuous efforts of zoo keepers, Yuanbao was finally born in June. Chiu says it is the first time that the zoo has unveiled an animal to the public on National Day, and holding a “shouxian” ceremony is also a first.
“Shouxian” is an ancient custom which involves holding a special ceremony to pray for the health and safety of a child when it reaches exactly four months old. The zoo came up with a novel twist on the traditional “shouxian” cookies, preparing Yuanbao’s favorite snack of carrots and forage grass in the shape of a carved Halloween pumpkin to represent the outer pastry of a cookie. Staff prayed for Yuanbao’s good health and invited the zoo’s director Chuang Hsuan-chih to share his knowledge and experience of caring for the zoo’s animals. There was also a question-and-answer session for young visitors, who received exclusive gifts for answering questions correctly.
Photo courtesy of Shoushan Zoo
照片：壽山動物園提供
In addition, the company Taiwan Go designed a special augmented reality activity for the occasion, which children were given to test out for the first time. First drawing Yuanbao on paper, children added colors and wrote a message, and then, using the app on a tablet computer, produced a 3D animation to bring the hippo to life and create their own “personalized” Yuanbao.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
高雄市壽山動物園新生兒侏儒河馬寶寶，經過激烈的網路及現場票選命名活動後，正式取名為「圓寶」，為歡慶雙十節及動物園侏儒河馬寶寶「圓寶」首度亮相，雙十國慶當日開放免費入園同樂，還送出六百份侏儒河馬收涎餅乾及獨家精美小禮品。
Photo courtesy of Shoushan Zoo
照片：壽山動物園提供
高雄市政府觀光局代理局長邱俊龍說，壽山動物園經過七百多個日子期待及努力，終於在今年六月迎來侏儒河馬寶寶「圓寶」誕生，首度在國慶日公開亮相，還為「圓寶」辦收涎。
收涎為古早習俗，在囝仔滿四個月時為祈求平安健康長大所進行的儀式，壽山動物園創全台先例，首次仿照舉辦製作「獨家收涎餅」，以「圓寶」最愛吃的紅蘿蔔及牧草當食材，搭配萬聖節造型的南瓜當餅皮製作而成，一起為侏儒河馬寶寶祈福，同時邀請動物園主任莊絢智解說侏儒河馬知識及照養心得，現場問答活動答對的小朋友，可以獲得精美獎品！
此外，Taiwan Go特別為動物園設計一款專屬AR塗鴉，活動當日搶先開放給小朋友體驗，在著色紙塗上心目中侏儒河馬「圓寶」的顏色，並寫上祝福的話。透過平板將以3D立體呈現。新穎的AR技術使畫筆下的侏儒河馬栩栩如生的出現在眼前，讓小朋友能擁有屬於自己的「圓寶」。
Photo courtesy of Shoushan Zoo
照片：壽山動物園提供
(自由時報記者張忠義)
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is touring Taiwan tomorrow. What about pop diva Lady Gaga? B: Unfortunately, Singapore has once again exclusively secured Gaga’s concerts in Asia, just like Taylor Swift’s exclusive Asian shows last year. A: The Singaporean government reportedly paid up to US$2.2 million to secure Swift’s shows. B: And the shows did boost its economy and tourism. A: But I’m angry about this approach, so I’m not going to Gaga’s shows this time. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰明天即將來台，流行天后女神卡卡呢？ B: 真可惜，新加坡再度取得卡卡亞洲巡演的獨家主辦權，就像去年泰勒絲的亞洲獨家演出一樣。 A: 據報導新加坡政府付出高達220萬美元，取得泰勒絲的亞洲獨家主辦權。 B: 而她的秀也的確提振了該國的經濟和旅遊業。 A: 但我對此還是很不爽，所以不去新加坡看卡卡了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses and pop diva Lady Gaga are finally touring Asia again. B: Are they also coming to Taiwan? A: The band will stage a show at the Taoyuan Sunlight Arena on Saturday. B: Wow, so this will be the band’s third visit. I really love its 1992 power ballad “November Rain.” The nine-minute hit was the Billboard chart’s longest song at one point. A: Let’s go celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰、女神卡卡終於再度展開亞洲巡演了。 B: 他們也會來台巡演嗎？ A: 槍與玫瑰本週六即將在桃園陽光劇場開唱唷。 B: 哇這將是該團第三次來台演出，我超愛他們1992年強力情歌《November Rain》，全長近9分鐘還曾是告示牌排行榜最長神曲。 A: 那我們一起去慶祝該團出道40週年吧！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Emma had reviewed 41 resumes that morning. While the ATS screened out 288 unqualified, she screened for AI slop. She could spot it a mile away. She muttered AI buzzwords like curses under her breath. “Team player.” “Results-driven.” “Stakeholder alignment.” “Leveraging core competencies.” Each resume reeked of AI modeling: a cemetery of cliches, tombstones of personality. AI wasn’t just changing hiring. It was draining the humanity from it. Then she found it: a plain PDF cover letter. No template. No design flourishes. The first line read: “I once tried to automate my
Every May 1, Hawaii comes alive with Lei Day, a festival celebrating the rich culture and spirit of the islands. Initiated in 1927 by the poet Don Blanding, Lei Day began as a tribute to the Hawaiian custom of making and wearing leis. The idea was quickly adopted and officially recognized as a holiday in 1929, and leis have since become a symbol of local pride and cultural preservation. In Hawaiian culture, leis are more than decorative garlands made from flowers, shells or feathers. For Hawaiians, giving a lei is as natural as saying “aloha.” It shows love and
RSS