Kaohsiung was listed as one of “52 places to love” in the New York Times on Wednesday last week, the only Taiwanese destination on the list.
The US newspaper compiled this year’s list from submissions from more than 2,000 readers across the globe and Kaohsiung was suggested by China-born Andrew Liu, who lives in Germany.
“This city has a laid-back, almost island, vibe versus the hustle and bustle of Taipei,” Liu said in his comments, recalling the year he spent in Kaohsiung as a Fulbright English teaching assistant from 2017 to 2018.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
He highlighted the good food, including at night markets, and the easy access to nature.
“There are mountains and beaches right in the middle of the city limits,” he said.
He also praised Taiwan’s inclusiveness.
“My boyfriend came to Taiwan with me and we weren’t really sure how to navigate queerness in Asia... I think that, generally, Taiwanese culture is super accommodating and welcoming,” Liu wrote.
In response to the city’s inclusion on the list, Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau Director Chou Ling-wen (周玲妏) said that she was proud of the city’s hospitality and inclusiveness, and praised its world-class charm.
Kaohsiung is gender-friendly and has a lot to offer different groups of people, Chou said, while it also boasts magnificent landscapes, as well as an abundance of natural and cultural resources.
The New York Times publishes an annual list of the top 52 places to visit each year, but due to limits on travel and a lack of new attractions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the newspaper asked its readers to submit their favorite places.
It received more than 2,000 responses, including many that it said would have been unlikely to previously have made the list as they were too humble, too dangerous or too personal.
The only other destinations in East and Southeast Asia that made the list were Hokkaido, Japan; Con Dao, Vietnam; and Tagaytay, Philippines.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
RSS