CULTURE
AMPAS invites Taiwanese
The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the group that hands out the Oscars, has invited three Taiwanese — actress-director Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉), screenwriter Wang Hui-ling (王蕙玲) and art director Hwarng Wern-ying (黃文英) — to join. Hwarng was listed in the designers category for Silence, a film directed by Martin Scorsese that was largely filmed in Taiwan, and Three Times (最好的時光), a film that she produced and was directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢). Chang, who was invited to join the actors category, was cited for Love Education (相愛相 親) and 20 30 40. Wang was named in the writers category for Fleeing by Night (夜奔) and Ang Lee’s (李安) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍). AMPAS on Monday issued 928 invitations to artists and executives who have made distinguished contributions to motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations would become members of the academy in autumn, the organization said.
TOURISM
Alishan train back on track
The Alishan Forest Railway in Chiayi County on Wednesday resumed normal operations, more than three months after part of the line was closed due to a series of derailments. Maintenance, safety inspections and improvements were completed on Monday on the section of the rail between Chiayi and Shizihlu (十字路) stations, the Taiwan Railways Administration said. The section was closed on March 12 following four accidents between Jan. 18 and Feb. 25. The railway, which runs through a scenic area to an elevation of 2,216m on Alishan, is popular among local and foreign travelers. It was built during the Japanese colonial period to transport timber and began operating in 1912.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘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
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,