Taipei’s annual Lunar New Year market is for the first time to be a smoke-free event when it opens on Saturday, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said on Tuesday.
Throughout the duration of the market on Dihua Street, the smoking of cigarettes would be prohibited to provide attendees a clean environment in which to shop comfortably for festive merchandise while celebrating the Lunar New Year, Lin said.
Those caught smoking within the designated zone would be fined NT$10,000, the Taipei City Government said.
Photo: Kan Meng-lin, Taipei Times
The city would increase inspections during the event to ensure the new policy is enforced, Lin told a news conference organized by the Taipei Office of Commerce to promote the event.
She also announced the expansion of free shuttle services from locations close to the market.
Free buses would run between Dihua Street and the Taipei City Mall, Taipei Station Wholesale Market District, Huayin Street Shopping District, Rongbin Market, Ningxia Night Market and Monga Night Market.
During this year’s market, MRT rides between north of Dihua Street and Beimen Station would be free, Lin said.
The office also announced that it has enlisted well-known artists to install five giant statues between Dihua Street and the street’s landmark Yongle Market.
The five sculptures are to feature elements of industries in the Dadaocheng Wharf area in Datong District (大同) where Dihua Street is located, the office said.
Additionally, the office said that it has partnered with more than 100 shops in Taipei to participate in the annual market by providing special souvenirs and exclusive discounts to Lunar New Year shoppers.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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
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
RSS