Former Japanese naval facilities at the Fengshan Wireless Telecommunication Station in Kaohsiung County have been designated as the country’s 89th national historic site, the Council for Cultural Affairs said yesterday.
The facilities, covering an area of 9,414m², include bunkers, offices, classrooms, a radio station, a brick-built water tower, tower piers, bathrooms, huts, warehouses, two military dormitories and brick walls.
The station, founded between 1941 and 1943, was the only telecommunications base station established by the Japanese Navy during the Japanese colonial period between 1895 and 1945 and played a major role in the navy’s southern expansion policy, council data showed.
During World War II, the Japanese military set up a station on the site for detecting ships traveling in Southeast Asian waters and for gathering information.
After the war, the wireless telecommunications station was used for criminal investigations. In 1962, a naval disciplinary barracks was set up at the station, which was later converted into the Mingde Training Center for undisciplined military personnel and was closely related to the history of the White Terror era in Taiwan, which saw the purging of political dissidents during the country’s period of martial law between 1947 and 1987.
The station has been a closed military zone since the Mingde Training Center was recommissioned and is expected to be converted into a history park.
Meanwhile, a certificate of appointment of a local Aboriginal government issued during the reign of Emperor Kangxi (康熙) in the Qing Dynasty was declared a national treasure, while 10 other ancient artifacts were designated as important ancient heritage items.
The council described the certificate of appointment as being of great historic significance because it is an example of the communications that took place between the Qing government and Taiwan’s Aborigines.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS