Revolution of arts, creativity, and free books in Hualien’s Xincheng Township

Revolution of arts, creativity, and free books in Hualien’s Xincheng Township

2023-02-07

We head now to Xincheng Township in Hualien, where a small revolution is underway. It features a bookstore where you can only borrow books, not buy them! Visitors to Etude Bookstore can do homework, cook, drink coffee, and enjoy cultural events. It’s a community hub for the small town, where many other creative projects are also thriving. Disused buildings have turned into arts and study spaces. New businesses are giving young people a chance to make it in their hometown. Local baseball coach Hu Wen-wei is behind the projects. He says the more he does, the more possibilities he sees.

A wide range of books sits on the shelves of this bookstore in Xincheng新城. An old residential building was converted into this special store, which only lends books. No selling.

Yu Chun-ying
Etude Bookstore manager
The rules of book borrowing are: you can borrow any book you like, and you can take as many as you want.

The store is more than five years old, and thousands of people have borrowed books here. Many thank you cards adorn the store, expressing gratitude for the generosity of the store’s founder, Hu Wen-wei胡文偉. As a book collector, he founded the store as a library, for the benefit of the people of Xincheng. Many non-locals have also been moved to give books to the store, swelling its collection.

Hu Wen-wei
Bookstore owner
The first floor has children doing their homework and a place to cook them food and eat. Now the store sells coffee and some stationery and cultural items. We also have lectures on the second floor.

Hu, a native of Tainan, moved to Xincheng in 2015, becoming the coach of Xincheng Elementary baseball team. He made this library and lending store of his own books so children had a place to do their homework happily. He lives off the drinks sales. He employs young people in the store, paying them with bed and board. He hopes the store can inject a love of reading that will take root in the town.

Hu Wen-wei
Bookstore owner
Later I realized that there are more and more things I can do. So I started extracurricular classes, and then dormitories for kids.

Alongside the bookstore, Hu founded a cultural company, which worked with businesses and government to convert a former Taipower office into an exhibition space. A disused kindergarten in a local village turned into a space to study arts and crafts. He even opened a tofu pudding shop, creating jobs for young people.

Hu Wen-wei
Bookstore owner
We can be self-sufficient, and work with the government, applying for funding to create a suitable living environment, where we can live, work and play peacefully, and achieve a living wage.

Hu’s projects continue to expand. He wants to help this small town become a hive of creativity and innovation.

服務偏鄉! 棒球教練移居花蓮開書店啟動打工換宿

2023-02-07

來自台南的胡文偉，移居花蓮後，除了擔任國小棒球教練，還開起書店，這間書店只借書不賣書，只靠販售飲品支撐收入，同時啟動打工換宿、讓外地人當店長，成了在地特色景點。

櫃上擺滿了各式各樣的書籍，花蓮新城這處由老宅改造的書店，相當特別，因為這裡的書只借不賣。

[[書店換宿店長游郡瑩]]
“借書規則就是，看到喜歡的書都可以借，沒有上限。”

成立五年多，已經有上千人來借過書，店內擺了不少感謝卡，都是感謝創辦人胡文偉的義舉，因為他將自己藏書，成立這間圖書館，嘉惠花蓮新城的民眾，也吸引不少外地民眾捐贈書籍、充實書店。

[[書店老闆胡文偉]]
“1樓就是有跟小朋友在那邊寫功課，然後煮東西給他們吃的環境，到現在書店有賣咖啡，有賣一些文創商品，2樓也有在辦講座。”

來自台南的胡文偉，2015年移居花蓮新城，擔任新城國小棒球隊教練，他拿出自己的書，佈置成圖書館，陪小孩寫功課，收入來源就靠書店的飲品販售，找外地人來打工換宿，希望有更多能量注入小鎮，擦出火花。

[[書店老闆胡文偉]]
“後面發覺可以做的事情越來越多，就又做了課輔，後面又做了孩子的宿舍。”

除了書店，他還成立文創公司，與企業、政府合作，把原來的台電營業所整修成展覽空間，村內廢棄的幼兒園，也改造成工藝學習場所，還開了一家豆花店，讓返鄉青年有工作機會。

[[書店老闆胡文偉]]
“可以自食其力跟政府合作，申請經費，創造一個適合，又可以安居樂業，又可以達到生活薪資水平的一個居住環境。”

胡文偉的計畫還在繼續擴張中，他希望改變小鎮，並讓創意遍地開花。

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Turkey on Monday was struck by a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that toppled buildings and killed thousands. Taiwan immediately sent rescuers, who departed from the Taoyuan airport on Monday evening, with a second group departing the following day. Turkey had sent its own rescuers to Taiwan two decades ago following the Jiji Earthquake, and now Taiwan hopes to return the kindness during this moment of difficulty for Turkey.

After 14 hours flying over from Taiwan, a first search and rescue team finally landed in Istanbul.

After arriving at Istanbul Airport, the team transferred to a domestic flight bound for Adana in southern Turkey, and then on to Gaziantep, which is the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake.

This first group of rescuers from Taiwan departed for Turkey at 10:30 on Monday. It was accompanied by several dozen large containers filled with equipment, as well as specially trained rescue dogs.

Following the devastating earthquake, President Tsai Ing-wen issued a statement offering condolences to the families of victims. She also announced that the government would donate US$200,000 to Turkey to aid rescue efforts, and send rescue personnel from Taiwan to help.

Lin Yu-chang
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We are sending a total of 130 rescuers, which includes medical personnel. We’re also sending five rescue dogs and about 13 tons of equipment.

After it received an aid request from the Turkish government, Taiwan’s government arranged for the immediate departure of an initial group of rescuers, which included 10 firefighting personnel, 30 search and rescue personnel from Taipei, and three rescue dogs.

A second group of 90 personnel is being dispatched too, with six medical personnel and one veterinarian, as well as two rescue dogs.

Tsai Hui-ching
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We are always training with the national rescue team. So, we are always at the ready. Of course, if a disaster occurs, we go to help.

Twenty-four years ago with Taiwan was struck by the Jiji Earthquake, rescuers from around the world came to Taiwan’s aid. The first international rescuers to arrive were a team of 30 rescue personnel from Turkey, who rescued survivors from a toppled building in Changhua County’s Yuanlin City. Now, Taiwanese rescuers hope they can have similar success pulling survivors out of the rubble.

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Tsai sits with Finnish delegation as Speaker You meets Swiss representatives

President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday received a delegation from the Parliament of Finland at the Presidential Office. The guests voiced strong condemnation of China’s oppression of Taiwan, saying that only Taiwan had the right to decide its own future. Also on Tuesday, a delegation of Swiss representatives sat with Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun, sharing a similar sentiment.

The first Finnish Parliament delegation to visit Taiwan since the pandemic, was received by President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday. Tsai thanked the parliament’s Taiwan group for their support for Taiwan, voicing hope that Taiwan-Finland relations could grow stronger.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
At this moment, faced with the continuing expansion of authoritarianism, the international democratic alliance must work together more closely than ever to jointly safeguard regional prosperity, supply chain security and the values of freedom and democracy.

Mikko Karna
Finnish parliamentarian
Where there are those in the world who break, there are us who build. We must together condemn China’s aggression towards Taiwan. Taiwan has the right to decide for its own future.

And the Finnish delegation was not the only one making a pro-Taiwan statement.

After sitting with Tsai on Monday, the members of a Swiss parliamentary delegation headed to the Legislative Yuan to meet Speaker You Si-kun.

You Si-kun
Legislative speaker
Even after receiving stern warnings from the Chinese embassy, you all still decided to stick with your plan and visit Taiwan. For that, we are especially touched.

You took the opportunity to stress to the world that Taiwan is not part of China.

You Si-kun
Legislative speaker
Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other. And Taiwan is absolutely not part of China. The CCP continues to ignore this fact, sending military aircraft and vessels closer and closer, undermining the stability of the Indo-Pacific and revealing its intention to annex Taiwan.

Nicolas Walder
Swiss National Council member
As it is important to express here again our full support to the Taiwanese population that courageously, today, defend its right for freedom, its right to live in a democratic state, as you stated here.

The latest string of visits shows that the world is paying more and more attention to Taiwan.

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Ximending district experiences boom with return of Japanese and Korean tourists

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A salesperson greets customers in fluent Korean. With its eye on Taiwan’s newly open borders, this retailer introduced a special Taiwanese souvenirs section near the cashier last October.

Most Korean and Japanese tourists stay near the Ximending Commercial District in Taipei – and that’s bringing a boom to local retailers.

The most popular product is this package of jelly – almost 4,000 boxes are sold each month. Another 3,000 boxes of these pineapple cakes are sold monthly. Other top sellers are the milk tea bags, the face masks, and even the Made-in-Taiwan whiskey. The most popular items are collected here in this section, which makes as much as NT$4.5 million every month.

Chang Chun-hung
Retail PR manager
This is a 24-hour store. Actually, sometimes from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. we have a second wind, another rush hour.

But Japanese and Korean consumers are not just shopping at night. Aside from souvenirs, massages are another item on the bucket list for many. This business has extended its weekend opening hours until 2 a.m. for that exact reason.

Hanna
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They seem to go out in the morning to different tourist destinations to check them out. Then in the evening they come to Ximending. They might come to get a massage before going back to the hotel to go to bed. We’ve hired 33% more employees.

The business has taken on new staff members fast, to respond to soaring demand. As Taiwan reopens to hosting the world, the stores and professionals of Ximending are enjoying a very busy spring.

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In recent years, Taiwan’s military has been working toward improving its asymmetric warfare capabilities. To this end, the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has been collaborating with private companies to develop five different models of unarmed military-grade commercial drones, as well as several models of military-grade drones capable of launching attacks. Mass production is expected to start next year, to make 3,000 drones.

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A formation of drones was part of last year’s National Day fireworks show. It was later found that some of the drones had been made using Chinese components, raising security concerns. NCSIST says no such concerns will emerge with its drones.

Chi Li-pin
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology
The Ministry of Economic Affairs brought together several reviewers to do an on-site appraisal and we found no usage of Chinese-made components. These manufacturers making military-grade commercial drones all offered reports on their company’s capabilities. And we also conducted a background search on all of them, to exclude any suppliers from China.

Chinese spy balloons have recently become a hot topic in Taiwan, with more than three high-altitude balloons having floated near Taiwan in recent times. The Ministry of National Defense commented on whether intruding balloons would be shot down, as was the case with a Chinese drone in Kinmen last year.

Chuang Hung-wen
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If a balloon floats over, after our surveillance and reconnaissance units detect it, we would carry out an assessment to judge what level of threat it poses. If we determine it is a threat, we will deal with it according to the relevant regulations, which account for many possibilities and approaches that we can use.

Huang Kuan-chen
Ministry of National Defense
If any aircraft that enters the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait, including balloons, such as weather balloons or spy balloons, our military will launch the relevant joint reconnaissance measures to respond to the threat accordingly.

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85% of AmCham members positive on Taiwan economy

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Vincent Shih
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When we look at the companies’ confidence over the next three years – that would also be the long term – 85% remain positive. It’s still a good sign for the long term.

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Andrew Wylegala
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We have to deepen Taiwan’s economy and Taiwan’s competitiveness. Only through the positive growth and development of Taiwan’s economy will problems in the Taiwan Strait and other political issues be easily solved.

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Ms. Lai
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It wasn’t painful at all, and I didn’t need any anesthetic. I was very happy after the treatment, because I didn’t have to have my eye removed.

Three years ago, Ms. Lai noticed that straight lines were looking wiggly out of her right eye. Tests found a malignant tumor in the eyes, but after proton therapy, the tumor was successfully controlled.

Chou Hung-ta
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
We use the special decay curve of the proton, so that the proton releases almost all its energy in one go when it has reached the tumor. So the healthy tissues surrounding it suffer almost no collateral damage.

Eye tumors can metastasize when they are just 3 millimeters thick. Once, the only treatment was to remove the eye. But now, using proton therapy on the melanoma in the eye, 90% of primary tumors are controlled within two weeks. Between 30% and 40% of patients can retain their eyesight, and the traditional side-effects of radiation therapy are significantly reduced.

Huang Yi-hsiu
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
Because we are people of color, even if we have a melanoma, the likelihood of it transforming into a malignant tumor is not high. But in the last few years, they do seem to be getting more and more common in Taiwan.

Statistics show that five to 15 people in Taiwan develop eye tumors every year. Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has treated 20 such patients with proton therapy already. In all those cases, the tumor was brought under control, and more than half of the patients could retain at least 10% of their eyesight. The hospital is continuing to refine the therapy. They plan to develop gene testing and survival rate predictions for eye tumors.

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Stephany Yang
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There are currently 480,000 flowers in bloom at the Guting Riverside Park. There are also light installations which makes the park a good place for an evening stroll as well.

People pose for photos with flowers at Taipei’s Guting Riverside Park. The flower sea is located next to the basketball courts. Many visitors bike or walk along the riverside to view the beautiful flowers, which will be in bloom till about Feb. 15.

Member of public
I think this year’s is more spectacular. I actually visit it once a year. The scope of this year’s festival is wider than last year and the year before that. When you take pictures, the whole view is amazing.

Member of public
The colors of the park have different layers, so I think it’s great. For example, the lavender flowers and the yellow flowers next to it, there’s contrast. I think it’s gorgeous.

Member of public
It’s a great place for a walk. It’s also fun to ride a bike and walk around to admire the flowers.

There’s also the Shan-Tseng-Chi Flower Festival in Beitou, which showcases beautiful flowers like scarlet sage, silver ragwort, lavender, French marigold, and others. It’s a recreation of Japan’s famous Furano flower fields.

Member of the public
It’s like mini-Furano here. This is quite a bargain. You don’t have to go to Japan to see it. I think it’s quite beautiful. It’s full of colorful flowers.

The 12 flower events include The Camphor Trail Flower Carnival at Maokong from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15, the LOHAS Cherry Blossom Festival in Neihu from Feb. 3 to Feb. 28, and more. The full list in English can be found on the “2023 Flowers in Taipei” website.

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