The film set of the popular Taiwanese movie Monga (艋舺) will be dismantled tomorrow after being preserved for almost one year as an exhibition to help boost tourism in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華).
Parts of the set — the house of the protagonist, barber shop and the old street — in Wanhua’s Bopiliao (剝皮寮) old city area were preserved after the shooting for the film was completed last year and became a popular tourist attraction for fans of the movie.
Chang Ting (張婷), a division chief of Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs, said the film set had attracted more than 370,000 tourists since February, and it helped boost the tourism in the district to about 600,000 tourists this year.
“The film set really helped boost local tourism and the economy, but the sets were not meant to be preserved forever. Besides, there will be new TV and film crews starting shooting in the area soon, and hopefully they will bring different styles to Bopiliao,” she said.
The department will keep the set for the protagonist’s house on exhibition until the end of next year, and it will organize a series of arts activities to maintain the old town area’s popularity, Chang said.
Following the blockbuster, more than 12 local and foreign crews have filmed in Wanhua since last year, turning the old neighborhood into a popular attraction in Taipei and creating at least NT$1.2 billion (US$39 million) worth of business opportunities in the area, according to the department.
Monga, which tells the story of a group of gangsters in Wanhua in the 1980s, was one of the 16 films the Taipei Film Commission subsidized last year with the aim of enhancing the city’s profile.
Many of the film locations for Monga, including Huasi Street Night Market, Longshan Temple, Buddhist Supply Street and Herb Alley, all became popular destinations for tourists.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man