The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) today officially opened, launching the 34th edition of Taiwan's largest international book event of the year.
The exhibition opened at 10am at the Taipei World Trade Center and runs through Sunday, featuring 509 stands from 29 countries and more than 60 international authors, co-organizer the Taipei Book Fair Foundation said in a statement yesterday.
This is the second consecutive year since the COVID-19 pandemic that TiBE has featured more than 500 stands. In 2019, the last edition before the pandemic, the exhibition brought together 735 publishers from 52 countries with 1,859 stands.
Photo: Ling Mei-hsueh, Taipei Times
This year’s TiBE is themed "CreaTHAIvity," with Thailand serving as the guest of honor for the third time and the first since 2014.
At least 18 Thai writers are expected to attend, including Veeraporn Nitiprapha, the first Thai writer to receive the Southeast Asian Writers Award twice, and former Thai lawmaker Pita Limjaroenrat, the foundation said.
Nitiprapha's second novel, Memories of the Memories of the Black Rose Cat (佛曆西沉與黑玫瑰貓的記憶的記憶), which won her the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2018, and Limjaroenrat's The Almost Prime Minister (未竟之路：被體制封殺的泰國準總理皮塔，點燃一個世代的民主之戰), recounting his high-stakes journey during the 2023 general election and his ultimately unsuccessful bid to become prime minister, were published in Chinese in Taiwan late last month. An English version of Nitiprapha's novel is also available.
Other international authors include Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto, South Korean novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan and US novelist Anthony Marra.
During its six-day run, the exhibition is to open at 10am daily and close at 6pm from Tuesday to Thursday, 10pm on Friday and Saturday, and 6pm on Sunday.
Admission is free for students in Taiwan under the age of 18, as well as for people with physical disabilities and one accompanying person.
Residents south of Taoyuan, including Taoyuan itself, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Taitung counties, can also enter free with same-day high-speed rail or train tickets.
Single-day tickets are priced at NT$180.
Students in Taiwan aged 18 or older can purchase discounted tickets for NT$100 with a valid student identification card. The same price applies to people aged 65 or older and to the general public after 6pm during the final three days of the exhibition.
Ticket booths close one hour before the exhibition ends each day.
The US House of Representatives yesterday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which stipulates that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican US Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude China from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities. Taipei Regular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Extra service: Friday next week. Regular service resumes: Saturday next week. New Taipei City Extra service: Sunday. Adjusted collection time: Monday next week — garbage collection is to begin in the morning and end at 6pm. No service: Tuesday to Thursday next week. Regular service resumes: Friday next week. Note: Garbage can be dropped off at 70
A KFC branch in Kaohsiung may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,907 and US$6.37 million), after a customer yesterday found an entire AAA battery inside an egg tart, the Kaohsiung Department of Health said today. The customer was about to microwave a box of egg tarts they had bought at the fast-food restaurant’s Nanzih (楠梓) branch when they checked the bottom and saw a dark shadow inside one of them, they said in a Threads post. The customer filmed themself taking the egg tart apart to reveal an entire AAA battery inside, which apparently showed signs of damage. Surveillance footage showed
GROUP EFFORT: The number of inbound travelers rose 11 to 12 percent last month, with a significant increase in tourists from Europe and North America, an official said The government aims to attract 9.4 million visitors this year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, citing last year’s success in diversifying tourist markets. Taiwan last year drew about 8.57 million international arrivals, 72.3 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. By contrast, the nation had about 18.94 million outbound tourists last year, surpassing the pre-COVID-19 level of 17.1 million. The estimated tourism revenue deficit was about NT$700.9 billion (US$22.22 billion). Taoyuan International Airport Corp expects more than 160,000 passengers to pass through the nation’s largest airport daily during the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Saturday. As of Jan. 30, the nation’s average hotel occupancy rate
RSS