Is that fine-looking instrument in the window counterfeit? In Taiwan, one would be well-advised to investigate carefully before purchasing an expensive violin.
"A performer is not always qualified to discern the false from the genuine. They can also be cheated. It is important for the government to set up a mechanism such as those in Europe and America to deal with cases of instrument fraud," said DDP lawmaker Duan Yi-kang (段宜康).
Duan made the suggestion because, he said, such a huge amount of money is involved in the sale and trade of instruments.
"In America, there are experts who can confirm the authenticity -- or otherwise -- of a violin. Taiwan's government should learn from this," said Warren Wang (王聖哲), a professional violin and bow maker. Wang said US courts rely on the world's three biggest violin merchants, Charles Bears of the UK, Vatelot of France and Francaise of the US to certify the authenticity of violins.
"How can a defendant be judged in court without an expert capable of attesting to a violin's authenticity?" asked famed Taiwan violinist Chien Min-yen (
According to Chien, Francaise told him this year that the instrument is a fake and is worth only US$14,000. With the certificate of Herry Dussy, an American merchant, Chien believed that the violin sold to him by a student, Chen Shin-yuan (
Chien is currently suing Chen. Cheung Shih-chang (張世昌), a member of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra and another unfortunate, was also bamboozled. And according to Cheung, his counterfeit violin was also from Chen Shin-yuan. Cheung alleges that Chen proposed a transaction which involved the exchange of Chen's Guarneri for Cheung's Gagliano.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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