The Taipei 101 skyscraper is to set off about 16,000 fireworks over five minutes during its annual New Year’s display, organizers said yesterday.
This year’s pyrotechnics production is designed under the theme “Colorful World,” and is to feature creations from a century-old Japanese company alongside Taiwan-made fireworks, Taipei 101 chairman Chang Hsueh-shun (張學舜) told a news conference in Taipei.
Taipei 101 said it expects the number of spectators at the annual countdown party to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, with about 1 million people likely to attend.
Photo: Yang Ya-min, Taipei Times
The fireworks, which cost about NT$20 million (US$634,739), are sponsored by the Executive Yuan, the Tourism Bureau, the Taiwan Stock Exchange and Chunghwa Telecom, Chang said.
The annual display is not only a cherished tradition for many Taiwanese, but also an unmissable moment for international media after the Sydney display in Australia, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said.
It is also the first time since 2004 that the organizers are working with a Japanese company, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries, he added.
Saying that the government’s goal of welcoming 6 million tourists this year should be achieved within days, Cheng vowed to keep promoting diverse and in-depth tourism opportunities for travelers to spend more time getting to know Taiwan.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their