A bowl of grass jelly, and the childhood memories associated with it, is perfect for taking the edge off of the sweltering summer heat. Grass jelly is made by boiling dried mesona plants and adding a gelling agent such as agar to the mesona tea.
This summer, the traditional treat has been given an artistic, dreamy new look with the National Palace Museum’s (NPM) “Ink-painting Jelly,” a collaboration with the Taiwanese company BlackBall Grass Jelly. When cream is poured over the jelly, a mountain design imprinted on the top of the black jelly emerges, forming a mountain scene with misty clouds swirling around the peaks, a classic theme for traditional East Asian ink paintings.
This is a winning design of the National Treasure Merchandise Design Competition, designed by Wang Bei-en and Liu Jia-xin, then students of National Taiwan University of Arts and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, inspired by the famous black-and-white ink painting Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Yuan Dynasty artist Huang Gongwang, and Cloud, Mountain, Smog and Rain by Shi Xi of the Qing Dynasty.
Photo courtesy of Taipei National Palace Museum 照片:台北國立故宮博物院提供
Over the past several years, many souvenirs launched by the NPM have become hits, such as paper adhesive tapes inscribed with zhen zhidao le (“Thou art understood!”, the signature note by an emperor on memos submitted by officials), and LINE stickers. Since 2010, the NPM has organized a National Treasure Merchandise Design Competition, in which the participants are invited to use the museum’s open data platform to develop creative products, so that NPM’s world-class collection of Chinese cultural relics can take on a new life of their own.
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
炎炎夏日,來碗冰涼的仙草,阿嬤的古早味最是消暑。仙草茶是由曬乾的仙草熬煮而成,若再加上凝固劑(例如洋菜粉)冷卻,即成為仙草凍。
Photo courtesy of Taipei National Palace Museum 照片:台北國立故宮博物院提供
這傳統的平民小吃,今夏有了飄逸夢幻的姿態。「墨戲仙草」是由國立故宮博物院與台灣品牌「黑丸嫩仙草」聯名推出,黑色的仙草凍表面有描繪山麓的凹凸紋樣,淋上白色的奶油,便成了山間迷濛的雲霧,一幅饒富意境的水墨畫頓時浮現。
這是故宮國寶衍生商品設計競賽的獲獎作品,取材自清代石谿的《雲山煙雨》,以及元代黃公望的《富春山居》這兩幅水墨畫,由王蓓恩及劉嘉欣所設計,她們當時分別就讀於台北藝術大學及台灣科技大學。
故宮近年來所推出的文創商品屢掀熱潮,例如「朕知道了」紙膠帶、LINE貼圖等,更自二○一○年起,舉辦國寶衍生商品設計競賽,廣發英雄帖,參賽者可運用故宮Open Data資料開放平台,發想出各式國寶衍生商品,讓故宮世界級的中華文物收藏,與我們的生活更貼近。
(台北時報林俐凱)
Computex, Asia’s biggest electronics conference, kicked off Monday in Taipei, and as in years past drew industry chieftains from Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang and Qualcomm Inc.’s Cristiano Amon to Young Liu of Foxconn, which makes the bulk of the world’s iPhones and Nvidia servers. But while last year’s event was a celebration of the post-ChatGPT AI boom, executives this time are likely grappling with the uncertainty of the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trade order — disrupting a decades-old model for tech manufacturing. This year’s exhibition will of course feature the hardware required to bring artificial intelligence to life.
For many people, allergies are an all-too-familiar annoyance. The constant sneezing, itching, and watery eyes are just a few clear signs of allergies, which is a surprisingly common condition affecting millions worldwide. But what exactly triggers these reactions, and how can we cope with them? Allergies arise from a misunderstanding between our immune system and seemingly harmless substances. Under normal circumstances, the immune system acts as our body’s personal bodyguard, diligently identifying and eliminating threats like viruses and bacteria. However, in individuals with allergies, the immune system mistakenly identifies certain substances, called allergens, as invaders. This triggers a reaction, leading to
A: South Korean supergroup BTS member J-Hope, EXO member Xiumin and other various artists are set to tour Taiwan. B: Is J-Hope the first BTS member to visit as a solo singer? A: Yup, he’s going to stage two shows in Taoyuan over the weekend. B: All BTS fans, nicknamed “ARMY,” must be so happy. I wonder when the seven-member group can finally stage a comeback again. A: Well, the good news is the five members currently performing military service will all leave the army next month. So the fans’ long wait is about to end. A: 南韓天團防彈少年團BTS的J-Hope,和EXO的Xiumin等多位熱門歌手最近都要來台開唱。 B:
A: Apart from BTS’ J-Hope and EXO’s Xiumin, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan is holding six concerts in Kaohsiung. B: And versatile British musician Jacob Collier is visiting Taiwan for the first time, performing in New Taipei City tonight. A: US singer Lauv and rock band LANY will also stage individual shows in Kaohsiung next week. B: Plus, Singaporean singer JJ Lin will hold two concerts at the Taipei Dome in early June. A: Which show are you going to? A: 除了BTS的J-Hope和EXO的Xiumin,香港歌王陳奕迅正在高雄熱唱6場。 B: 而多才多藝的英國歌手雅各柯里爾首度訪台,今晚即將在新北開唱! A: 美國歌手洛夫、搖滾樂團藍尼下週也分別在高雄演出。 B: 此外新加坡歌王林俊傑則將於6月初,首次挑戰台北大巨蛋嗨唱兩場。 A: 你想去聽誰的演唱會? (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)