A: Why didn’t you come to work earlier this week? Did you go anywhere for fun?
B: I went to Thailand with friends to celebrate the 2026 Water Festival, also known as the Songkran Festival. The three-day annual celebrations ran from April 13 to 15. Everyone was having water fights in the streets.
A: I know that “Songkran” is the traditional New Year in Southeast Asia, usually celebrated in mid-April.
Photo: Liberty Times 照片:自由時報
B: And we also attended the 2026 Siam Songkran Music Festival this time. The EDM shows by Martin Garrix — who has been crowned the World’s No. 1 DJ by “DJ Mag” — and other DJs were just amazing.
A: In some Taiwanese cities with many Southeast Asian immigrants, water fights can often be seen in mid-April. Should we join the battles too?
A: 你前幾天怎麼沒來公司上班?又去哪裡玩啦?
B: 我和朋友去曼谷參加2026泰國潑水節,該節日又叫做「宋干節」,3天的節慶自4月13日持續至15日,大家都在街上打水仗!
A: 我知道,「宋干節」是東南亞的傳統新年,通常在每年的4月中。
B: 沒有錯,我們這次還去了2026暹羅潑水音樂節,《DJ Mag》百大DJ榜首馬丁蓋瑞克斯等人的電音秀超讚。
A: 台灣有些東南亞新住民較多的城鎮,4月中也常會舉辦潑水活動,我們要不要去湊熱鬧?
By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
Taiwan Travelogue, the novel by Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi and translated into English by Lin King, won the prestigious International Booker Prize in London on May 19. It marks the first time a Taiwanese literary work has received the International Booker Prize, setting a historic milestone both for Taiwanese literature and for the award itself. Prior to this achievement, Taiwan had only once appeared on the Booker radar, when Taiwanese author Wu Ming-yi was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2018 with The Stolen Bicycle. The International Booker Prize honors works of fiction translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
A: Time magazine recently released its list of “The 100 Most Influential People of 2026.” It’s categorized into six groups: Artists, Pioneers, Titans, Icons, Leaders and Innovators. B: TSMC chairman C.C. Wei made the list this year. Which category is he in? A: Wei is actually among the Pioneers, with figures including Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro and MrBeast — the first YouTuber ever to surpass 400 million subscribers. B: Led by Wei, Taiwan’s “silicon shield” TSMC is the sixth-largest company in the world. A: As Nvidia founder Jensen Huang wrote in his introduction, “C.C. Wei is truly one of the
The animal kingdom is full of surprises that challenge our understanding of biology. From remarkable feeding mechanisms to extreme defense strategies, some creatures possess traits so unusual that they seem like pure fiction. Here are four fascinating examples that show nature’s endless creativity. The humble snail may appear simple, but its mouth tells a different story. Snails possess a ribbon-like tongue called a radula, densely covered with anywhere from 1,000 to 12,000 tiny teeth. This structure works like a cheese grater, allowing them to scrape and grind food with surprising efficiency. Far from being passive creatures, snails are actually
A: In the 2026 Time 100 list, besides TSMC chairman C.C. Wei in the Pioneers category, Blackpink’s Jennie also stands out in the Artists group. B: What about the Titans and Icons? A: The Titans include legendary fashion designer Ralph Lauren, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Intel CEO Tan Lip-bu. The Icons include actor Wagner Moura, Olympic gold figure skater Alysa Liu and singer Victoria Beckham. B: What about the Leaders and Innovators? I bet US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are on the list. A: You got it. Other Leaders include Japanese PM Sanae