President-elect Lai Ching-te hopes that orchids can be Taiwanese money-spinners

President-elect Lai Ching-te hopes that orchids can be Taiwanese money-spinners

2024-02-23

President-elect Lai Ching-te on Friday attended the opening ceremonies of the 23rd World Orchid Conference and the 20th Taiwan International Orchid Show. After seeing the show, Lai was full of praise for Taiwan’s orchids, saying he hoped they could be sold globally in the way the Netherlands sells tulips. This would give farmers more business and boost the economy.

Cutting a birthday cake with the number “20” kicks off the 20th Taiwan International Orchid Show. President-elect Lai Ching-te was in attendance and in his opening speech he emphasized he hoped Taiwan’s orchids could be just like Dutch tulips, providing income for even more people and creating an even greater economic output value.

Lai Ching-te
Vice president
I hope that Tainan’s orchids can be the same as tulips in the Netherlands, providing for even more Taiwanese people, and becoming an identification symbol of Taiwan internationally.

In addition to the Taiwan International Orchid Show in the government-run Taiwan Orchid Technology Park, the World Orchid Conference will be held in Tainan’s International Convention Center. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che voiced hope that the orchid events and the Taiwan Lantern Festival would attract visitors to the city in its 400th anniversary.

Huang Wei-che
Tainan mayor
All these events happening together can make Tainan even better and more fun.

Owing to the joint showing of these two major orchid events, this year visitor numbers are expected to exceed 200,000.

Huang Wei-che
Tainan mayor
This year, Tainan turns 400, and our orchid show during the day, and Taiwan Lantern Festival at night, along with the Yuejin Lantern Festival, all complement each other, so I believe it is a reasonable estimate to see upward of 200,000 people this year.

The Orchid show, with the theme of “Orchid Together” covers Taiwanese orchids from many angles: conservation, history, culture, academic research and daily life applications. Together with the lantern shows, Tainan is a must-visit for flower lovers.

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期許台灣蘭花行銷世界賴清德喊創造最大經濟產值

2024-02-23

第23屆世界蘭花會議，以及第20屆的台灣國際蘭展，舉行開幕典禮，副總統賴清德特別前往參加，參觀蘭展讚不絕口，也期許台灣蘭花，能像荷蘭鬱金香一樣，行銷全世界，養活更多農民，創造台灣最大經濟產值。

切開象徵20歲的生日蛋糕，第20屆的台灣國際蘭展，正式開幕。副總統賴清德也特別到場參加，致詞時強調，期許台灣蘭花，能像荷蘭鬱金香一樣，養活更多人，創造更大的經濟產值。

[[副總統賴清德]]
“我希望台南的蘭花能夠跟荷蘭的鬱金香一樣，能夠養活更多的台灣人，也讓蘭花能夠成為在國際上代表台灣的一項識別標誌”

今年除了有位在農業部農業科技園區的台灣國際蘭展，還有在大台南會展中心的世界蘭展的舉辦，市長黃偉哲強調，台南400來看蘭展，還有台灣燈會可以欣賞，強強聯手，雙喜臨門。

[[台南市長黃偉哲]]
“這個強強聯手，使得台南更好、更好玩”

而今年因為有蘭花兩大盛事聯展，參觀人次預估，能衝破20萬。

[[台南市長黃偉哲]]
“今年是台南400，而且我們白天的蘭花展，跟晚上的台灣燈會，月津港燈區都互相輝映，所以我相信今年如果上看20萬人是個合理的推估”

蘭展以「婆娑之蘭舞動世界」為主題，涵蓋臺灣蘭花保育、歷史文化、學術研究和生活應用，等多元層面。加上今年不僅是蘭花與燈花互相輝映，有興趣的民眾實在不容錯過。

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The newly-elected Legislative Yuan on Friday inaugurated its Legislative Yuan USA Caucus that promotes friendship between Taiwanese lawmakers and American members of Congress. In attendance was U.S. deputy ambassador Jeremy Cornforth, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim. The political significance doesn’t just stop with a further warming of Taiwan-U.S. ties. It’s also a sign that compared with past legislatures, there’s a new atmosphere of cross-party cooperation. The caucus is jointly headed by DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu and KMT lawmaker Ko Chih-en and a total of 73 legislators from across the political spectrum are taking part.

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I will definitely share this with my colleagues when I return, but I must report to caucus members that Ministry of Foreign Affairs banquets are splendid and meaningful affairs.

It is the first time for the caucus, which is in its 11th iteration, to have two heads: the DPP’s Wang Ting-yu and KMT’s Ko Chih-en. Reports had said that Chiang had originally planned to form the caucus with his party. However, Wang also had the same plans and was set to form the group before him on Thursday. To avoid conflict, the two parties’ caucus conveners met for negotiations and decided on the current arrangement.

Wang Ting-yu
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Actually, I invited Ko Chih-en to serve as deputy chair at the very beginning. There was definitely a negotiating process. It’s not about who is fighting for dominance. All sides, each political party, hopes to care about and work for Taiwan-U.S. relations. We must organize and integrate as one, and everyone can work together.

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In a break from the past, there’s a new atmosphere of cross-party cooperation, starting with the just-formed Legislative Yuan USA Caucus.

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Most are heading to Goa, a popular holiday destination that has become a magnet for so-called “pollution migrants” from Delhi.

For this couple, the trigger for moving two years ago was their daughter’s persistent cough.

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She got put on an inhaler and also the nebulizer. That is when I realized it is the air.

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When I moved to Goa, I did not know anybody else. Now in a span of two years, I know probably 20 people who moved here for the same reason.

Moving out of Delhi is a choice available only to a few. But the trend underscores that cleaning up India’s mega cities will be one of the country’s biggest challenges as the government sets an ambitious goal of making India a developed nation by 2047.

Anjana Pasricha, VOA News, New Delhi

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Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Raphael works to star in Chimei Museum exhibition

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It’s being called the biggest exhibition of Western art in Taiwan. From Raphael to Van Gogh, “Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London” is coming to Chimei Museum. The show only opens on May 2, but the countdown has already begun for many art lovers.

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