A limited series of 8,888 iPass cards in the shape of a mahjong tile went on sale yesterday at official distributors in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The Lunar New Year is on Saturday next week.
The company selected the qing fa (青發) mahjong tile, with the fa on the card made to glow, the Kaohsiung-based iPass said.
Photo: Wang Jung-hsiang, Taipei Times
In Mandarin, the number eight, ba (八), has a similar sound to fa and is used for “be prosperous,” while the colloquial term for the qing fa piece is fa cai (“get rich,” 發財).
Along with the number of cards in the series being “lucky,” the limited edition is meant to wish the iPass user a bright and prosperous new year, the company said.
When the card is swiped or used for a purchase, the fa on the card glows, it said, adding that the card costs NT$390.
The mahjong-themed card and its packaging make an excellent — and auspicious — gift during the holiday, the company said.
Another series of iPass cards presents the popular Sumikko Gurashi characters, with a card for each of the four characters, it said.
One of the character-themed cards can be purchased for NT$150 at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Hi-life convenience stores; the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Rail system’s Formosa Boulevard Station and Xinzuoying Station; and iPass Taipei and Taichung branches.
The cards are also sold on PChome, the nation’s No. 1 online shopping platform.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party