The oldest daughter of veteran entertainer Yu Tien (
The youngest contestant in the finals of the first ever "world series" tournament for mahjong, Yu Shiao-ping (余筱萍), daughter of Taiwanese singer and actor Yu Tien, shone in the three-day contest boasting more than 400 players, all vying for the US$500,000 grand prize.
"I can't even remember when I learned how to play mahjong," Yu Shiao-ping, 29, was quoted as saying in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper).
"When I was a baby, my granny would play it while holding me," she said. "Somewhere along the way, I just picked it up."
Held in Macau, the tournament attracted players from China, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, and lasted until the wee hours yesterday.
Despite her youth and lack of experience playing the 13 tile format of the Macau tournament, Yu Shiao-ping was the only one out of six Taiwanese players to make it to the final match.
The others were eliminated earlier.
Up against three Hong Kong finalists, Yu Shiao-ping beat out one of her competitors in a tense, prolonged game, taking home US$80,000 as the third-place winner.
The entry fee for playing in the contest was US$5,000, the tournament's Web site showed.
Asked how she would spend her prize, Yu Shiao-ping said her mother had lost NT$1 million (US$30,400) playing Baccarat in Macau casinos.
"I'll use my winnings to help Mom pay off [her debts], after which I'll donate a portion to charities in Taiwan," she said.
Taiwanese players in Chinese games of chance and strategy typically win big in international contests.
Chinese "go" champion Chou Chun-hsun (周俊勳), 27, took home nearly US$270,000 in prize money after winning the world "go" title in Seoul in March.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS