TOURISM
Taipei tops Asia list
A US magazine has named Taipei the best leisure destination in Asia for the fourth straight year. The Global Traveler survey also ranked Taiwan second in the “Best Adventure Destination, International” category, trailing India. Tourism Bureau Los Angeles office director Brad Shih (施照輝) said that the ranking reflected Taiwan’s tourism assets, which range from natural attractions to cosmopolitan charm. Travel activities promoted by the bureau include cycling, island-hopping and hiking, and have been well received by the US public, Shih said. Based on conversations with US travel agents and his own observations, Shih said he thinks that travelers would be more inclined to take individual trips or smaller groups tours in the post-COVID-19 era. Global Traveler’s Leisure Lifestyle Award list is based on a survey conducted from Dec. 14 last year to April 30 among the magazine’s subscribers and online readers.
DEFENSE
Military reshuffle touted
Army Commander General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) is to assume the post of chief of the general staff beginning on Thursday next week, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. Chen would replace Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), who is retiring, the ministry said in a statement. Vice Chief of the General Staff Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) is to take the position of army commander, and Vice Chief of the General Staff Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) is to assume the post left by Hsu, it said. Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群) is to assume the role of military strategy adviser at the Presidential Office, it said. National Defense University president Wang Hsin-lung (王信龍) is to succeed Chang, while Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) is to take the post left by Wang, it said.
EDUCATION
School start delayed
Schools are to start the new school year on Sept. 1, two days later than scheduled, to allow time for the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures, the National Federation of Teachers Unions said on Thursday after a meeting of local governments and representatives of educational groups. Proper disinfection is an important consideration during the two-day period, as some school campuses would host polling stations for referendums on Aug. 28, union deputy secretary-general Chang Chiung-fang (張瓊方) said. The extra days give the schools time to thoroughly clean their campuses and make other preparations before the students return from their two-month summer break, he said. With the break due to start on Saturday next week, students would to have a 60-day vacation, he said.
CULTURE
Munich to host Taiwan show
Architecture designed in the wake of the devastating 921 Earthquake is to be featured in an exhibition in Munich, Germany, next month. Running from July 8 to Oct. 3, the exhibition, titled “Taiwan Acts: Architecture in Social Dialogue,” would highlight Taiwan’s focus on the social roles of buildings after the destruction of many structures and the loss of 2,400 lives in the Sept. 21, 1999 earthquake, the Technical University of Munich Architecture Museum said. The displays include projects aimed at improving the urban structure of Yilan County, cultural buildings, and infrastructure and houses in other parts of Taiwan, the museum said. The exhibition, the largest of its kind to date, shows commitment to a building and planning culture that has emerged from open social dialogue, the museum said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by