Taiwan Bar Studio unveils new project

2024-02-04

Taiwan Bar Studio is a multimedia platform that produces content about Taiwan. Since 2014, it has produced over 500 animated films and thousands of articles about Taiwan’s history and culture. Now entering its 10th year, the team is starting a new project, inviting scholars both local and foreign to tell the stories of Taiwan. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to the platform’s founders to find out more about their project.

Since 2014, Taiwan Bar Studio has produced over 500 films related to Taiwan. Its content explores over 100 in-depth topics including history, philosophy, law, education, economics, culture, and experimental science.

Tu Feng-en
Story Studio CEO
In 2014, we launched this website and invited a lot of young scholars to write about their own research. Including myself. Since then, we have been devoted to this public history project. This time, I think we are continuing our mission, but we want to upgrade to different level to tell not just Taiwan’s people, but the world.

A group of four Taiwanese launched Taiwan Bar Studio in 2014 to educate people about Taiwanese history. By creating informative and engaging animation, they hope to reach a broader audience.

Tu Feng-en
Story Studio CEO
We would like to produce an online platform telling a new Taiwan history. We hope we can combine Taiwan’s history with the world history and tell the world the past well thousands of years of Taiwan’s past and let the world know more about Taiwan because we can see that a lot of people right now are very interested in Taiwan. The current situation of Taiwan but they may not know that much about Taiwan’s past.

Buchi Lin
Taiwan Bar co-founder
From a team of only four people 10 years ago to now, I am very moved. I think it’s really important to combine these fragments of knowledge into a platform where it all can be edited together. Here we tell our own stories.

Entering its 10th year, Taiwan Bar Studio is launching a new project, telling new stories about Taiwan from an international perspective. The project will invite top historians from Taiwan, Germany, the U.S., the Netherlands, Japan, and other countries to share stories and produce content, which will be translated into several languages.

Buchi Lin
Taiwan Bar co-founder
By using 10 languages that are widely spoken around the world, such as English, Spanish, and Japanese, we can spread this information abroad. Our content can reach about 90% of the world’s population.

Tu Feng-en
Story Studio CEO
It will be a multimedia platform. We will have text, images, short and long videos. We also plan to make a long documentary. We hope we can play those videos on a different platform as well; not just on our platform but also on different channels. Taiwan’s history is very, very interesting because it is very complex. We have a lot of interactions with the world from the Dutch period to the Qing Dynasty period to the Japanese colonial period. We think Taiwan’s history can be in conversation with the history of other parts of the world.

The team’s members hope to continue to tell the stories of Taiwan. They plan to launch the first stage of their project in September.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

簡單動畫講述臺灣歷史臺灣吧推新企劃拓展國際

2024-02-04

臺灣吧是一個製作有關臺灣各方面的知識頻道。自2014年以來，團隊已製作超過500部動畫電影和數千篇有關臺灣歷史文化的文章。進入第十個年頭，團隊開啟新計劃，邀請海內外學者講述臺灣故事。

自2014年以來，臺灣吧製作超過500支與有關臺灣的影片。內容探討超過100 個主題，包括歷史、哲學、法律、教育、經濟、文化和實驗科學。

[[Story Studio執行長涂豐恩]]
"2014年，我們推出這個網站，邀請許多年輕學者來講述自己的研究成果，包括我自己。從那時起，我們就一直致力於這個臺灣歷史計畫。這次，我想我們會繼續我們的使命，但我們想升級到不同的層面，不僅是臺灣人，也告訴拓展到國際。"

2014 年，臺灣吧由四人製作團隊成立，透過精彩豐富的動畫來教育大家臺灣歷史。他們希望能夠吸引更廣泛的民眾觀看。

[[Story Studio執行長涂豐恩]
"我們希望製作一個線上平台，講述新臺灣歷史。我們希望能夠把臺灣的歷史和世界的歷史結合起來，向世界講述臺灣幾千年的歷史，讓世界更了解臺灣，因為現在我們看到有很多人對臺灣很感興趣，尤其是臺灣的現狀，但他們對臺灣的過去可能不太了解。"

[[臺灣吧共同創辦人林辰]]
"從十年前只是四個人的團隊，到現在，我很感動。把這些碎片的知識結合起來變成一個平台，而且可以共同編輯，我覺得這非常重要的。我們的故事是我們自己講的"

臺灣吧邁入第十年，頻道推出新計畫，以國際視角講述臺灣的新故事。該計畫將邀請來自臺灣、德國、美國、荷蘭、日本等國家的頂尖歷史學家分享故事並製作內容，也將翻譯成多種語言。

[[臺灣吧共同創辦人林辰]]
"用十種語言，譬如說英文，然後或是世界上常用的西班牙文、日文等等輸出去，我們可以把我們的資訊傳遞出去。大概可以涵蓋這世界百分之90的人口"

[[Story Studio執行長涂豐恩]]
"它將是一個多媒體平台。我們將有文字、圖像、短影音和影片。我們也計劃製作一部長篇紀錄片。我們希望我們也可以在不同的平台上播放這些影片；不僅在我們的平台上，而且在不同的頻道上。臺灣的歷史非常有趣，因為它很複雜。我們與世界有許多互動，從荷蘭時期到清朝時期再到日本殖民時期。我們認為臺灣的歷史可以與世界其他地區的歷史互相交流。"

臺灣吧團隊成員希望繼續講述臺灣的故事。他們將在九月啟動第一階段的計畫。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

The president-elect visits temples to offer prayers and promises support on development

2024-02-04

Legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu responds to criticism saying visitors kept him busy

Newly elected Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu has faced criticism for his failure to show up at the legislature on his first day in the new role. Han gave a response on Facebook over the weekend, and fellow KMT members also spoke to reporters in his defense. However, one DPP lawmaker says Han should be more transparent about his activities so as to put the public at ease. Meanwhile, the DPP says it may take legal action after a pan-blue pundit accused it of corruption in the days leading up to the speaker and deputy speaker election last week.

For two days, news reports have focused on newly elected Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu’s failure to report for duty on his first day in office. Han on the weekend responded to concerns via Facebook, saying that he’d been occupied by visitors and well-wishers over the past few days. Han said that he had found suitable aides to help out in the interim, and that his focus was now on improving the atmosphere in the legislature and fostering bipartisanship.

Huang Chien-hao
KMT lawmaker
Over these past few days, there haven’t been any legislative sessions, so lawmakers and the Speaker were not required to be present in the legislature. I believe Speaker Han had his own things to deal with, so I hope the public won’t take this as an opportunity to skew his intentions.

Lee Kun-cheng
DPP lawmaker
In the past, when Speaker Han was a mayor, he supposedly understood the hardships of the people, but slept in until noon. So, everyone was curious about whether Han would be any different as the legislative speaker. However, nobody could have imagined that after taking office as speaker, he wouldn’t make his schedule public. My suggestion for him is that he show people that he’s changed, and disclose his schedule for everyone to see.

Prior to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker election, pan-blue political commentator Huang Yang-ming alleged that the DPP had attempted to bribe some KMT lawmakers with tens of millions of NT. The DPP responded that Huang should present any evidence of his claims that he has, or potentially face legal action.

Hsieh Yi-feng
KMT lawmaker
I haven’t heard anything about money being involved in the Speaker and Deputy Speaker election. The KMT caucus looks highly upon the results of the election, and is happy with the solidarity shown among all the party’s lawmakers.

Voice of Rosalia Wu
DPP lawmaker
Everyone in the DPP caucus has been furious over the allegations. This is not something to be tolerated. Huang Yang-ming must present evidence for such claims. We support the DPP Central Committee in dealing with this seriously through prosecution.

DPP lawmakers have resolutely refuted allegations against their party, and say they would support legal action taken against Huang.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-02-04

Badminton ace Chou Tien-chen defeats Loh Kean Yew at Thailand Masters finals

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94,000 descend on Kaohsiung stadium for concert by UK pop star Ed Sheeran

U.K. pop star Ed Sheeran gave a concert at the National Kaohsiung Stadium over the weekend. In addition to the 50,000 fans inside the venue, the crowd in and around the stadium reached 94,000, setting a new record. The city government seized the opportunity and gave out discount coupons for the city’s night markets, successfully boosting the income of local businesses.

In front of excited fans, Ed Sheeran took the stage at the National Kaohsiung Stadium on Saturday night. The 32-year-old singer-songwriter had on a black T-shirt with the word Taiwan emblazoned on it.

Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chi-mai went backstage to welcome the superstar with whom he took selfies. He then visited the Response Command Center to personally oversee the operations. In order to smoothly transport the large influx of fans, trains were arriving at the MRT World Games Station every 3 minutes. Another 45 shuttle buses were dispatched to transport fans to Zuoying High-speed Railway Station and MRT Kaohsiung Station. The venue was cleared in just 90 minutes.

Liu Chien-pang
Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau
The maximum number of people at a given instance reached 94,646. It once again broke the record set by previous concerts.

The concert also set a record for ridership count of the city’s MRT.

Wang Po-yan
Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.
The combined volume of the MRT and light rail was 332,000 people, the highest this year so far.

After the concert, many fans headed to various night markets around the southern port city. This is because the city government offered coupons in the amount of NT$50 at six MRT stations to travelers with concert ticket stubs. The coupons could be used at the city’s night markets.

Chuang Chi-chang
Liouhe Night Market
The concert brought in waves of shoppers, and business improved.

Not only at Liouhe Night Market, but Cingnian Night Market also saw large crowds, and vendors were all smiles.

Liu Yi-yu
Cingnian Night Market official
After the concert ended, the crowds poured in. Many stalls collected the coupons.

Ms. Tung
Cingnian Night Market vendor
Thanks to the concert, we had many visitors, and everyone made a profit.

Chen I-liang
Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau
The city government’s night market coupons and the crowds visiting the yellow ducks art exhibit have given businesses around Kaohsiung’s night markets a boost.

Last year, night market vendors were shocked by the post-concert crowds that descended on various night markets. This year the city government seized the opportunity to channel concert-goers into local businesses, boosting the economy for the night.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-02-04

Exploring home-cooked Taiwanese food with chef Chelsea Tsai

Today we take you to meet the founder of a cooking school, Chelsea Tsai. In 2018, she created a school that teaches people how to make local Taiwanese dishes from scratch. She hopes to educate people about Taiwanese delicacies, along with the stories behind each dish. FTV reporter Stephany Yang joined Tsai in her studio to find out more.

The first dish is three-cup mushrooms. First, slice the mushrooms, ginger, garlic and chili.

Then, add black sesame oil, ginger, mushrooms, garlic, scallions, basil and chili into the pan and fry them. Last, season it with some sugar.

Chelsea Tsai
Cooking studio founder
The original version is like three-cup chicken but the three-cup mushroom is for everyone. It is also vegetarian-friendly. The three-cup dish. The key is the three-cup sauce. You need to definitely use the black sesame oil from Taiwan. So, one cup or use one tablespoon of black sesame oil. And then, one cup of soy sauce and one cup of the rice wine, and a little bit of sugar to balance the saltiness. The three-cup sauce is a special sauce in Taiwan. It is not in other Chinese dishes or not in other regions because we have a very nice produce of black sesame in Taiwan. It is common to use black sesame oil with ginger to make the dishes like sesame oil chicken and three-cup chicken. When we talk about the stir-fried dishes in Taiwan we always talk about three-cup chicken.

Next up are sesame glutinous rice balls. First, prepare some sticky rice flour and mix it with hot water. Next, it is time to flatten the dough. Cut it into small pieces, and then add a bit of sesame and butter and wrap it up. Lastly, give them a good shake and then boil it in hot water. This is a typical class with the founder of this cooking studio, Chelsea Tsai.

Chelsea Tsai
Cooking studio founder
Tangyuan we usually have it especially for winter time because it can warm up your body. To make the dough, it is very important to use the sticky rice flour. You can also mix some tapioca starch to make it chewier. Traditionally, people use cold water to mix it, mix the dough and cook part of it, and boil it to make it a cooked dough. Then, mix them together to make the dough chewier. Our version, our secret is that we use hot water to make the dough. Basically, we just mix the hot water with all the starch.

Tsai first became interested in gastronomy at a young age. She then earned a diploma in French cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Tokyo.

In 2018, she decided to open up a cooking studio to teach foreigners and locals how to cook Taiwanese dishes. Her classes don’t only teach people how to cook: she also shares the history and other interesting stories about the food. The length of each class varies from 2 to 3 hours. So far, her team has taught 15,000 food enthusiasts from over 52 countries.

Chelsea Tsai
Cooking studio founder
I have been teaching cuisine for over eight years. Since 2018, I started this business. It is a cooking school. We show people how to make Taiwanese dishes, especially international visitors. Since then, we have been hosting over 15,000 people from over 52 countries from the world. We show how to make xiaolongbao, beef noodle soup, gua bao, braised pork rice, and all the best Taiwanese dishes. We teach them not only how to cook those dishes. We also show them and share with them all the history, all the stories. I think that is what makes us unique because we are not only teaching techniques. We share the uniqueness of Taiwan.

Last December, Tsai published her first English cookbook. The cookbook features 67 recipes ranging from Taiwanese stir-fries and street food to braised dishes, breakfast food and festival food.

Chelsea Tsai
Cooking studio founder
We tried to promote Taiwanese dishes, we found out that I think the most beautiful part of Taiwanese dishes is at home. Like, when I was a child, my mom always cooked three to four dishes for our dinner. We can share. We sit down around the table. We share with family to enjoy whole fish, stir-fried, the braised pork. We want to share the beautiful moments with more people. We want to make it happen again and again. We talk about bento culture like the buffet and we also talk about street food culture -- why we have so much street food in Taiwan. It is about the temple. It is about the religion. We also talk about Taiwanese breakfast.

Tsai also collaborates with government agencies, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tourism Administration. The team has traveled to many countries around the world to promote Taiwan’s food and culture.

Chelsea Tsai
Cooking studio founder
We are trying to extend our influence to a larger audience. So now, we also work with many public sectors like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, like the Taiwan Tourism Administration. And also, we are trying to do some collaboration with the bilingual education projects to empower more people and more individuals can share food culture about Taiwan. Not just us, but everyone can do that. I think that is the goal we want to do.

Through her cooking studio and book, Tsai hopes to empower more people to share Taiwanese food culture to the world.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Taichung parking attendant gets reputation as the city’s best urban guide

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Wet and cold weather to last till Saturday, with rain nationwide on Wednesday

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Taiwan Bar Studio unveils new project