More than 140,000 tulips in bloom at Shilin Residence untill March 3

More than 140,000 tulips in bloom at Shilin Residence untill March 3

2024-02-25

The 2024 Shilin Residence Tulip Festival has kicked off. Nearly 30 varieties and 40,000 tulips from the Netherlands and Japan were imported to Taiwan.FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in to see the six different exhibition areas.

FTV reporter
Stephany Yang
The 2024 Tulip Festival is underway, displaying 140,000 tulips from Japan and the Netherlands.

Visitors line up to snap photos with the beautiful tulips. One couple brought their dogs and a chair to pose against the tulip backdrop.

Member of the public
We treat our dogs as a treasure, so we bring them out wherever we go. We come to the Shilin Residence every year. The flowers this year are lovely.

Other visitors came from Kaohsiung to catch a glimpse of the tulips.

Member of the public
We came here from Kaohsiung. The exhibition is wonderful. We are here for a round-the-island road trip.

Member of the public
Our tour guide told us it is currently the tulip season, so we came here. The flowers are about 80% bloomed. It felt very refreshing and comfortable.

The 2024 Shilin Residence Tulip Festival is back in action with a total of six exhibition areas. One of the exhibits is themed around Tonami City in Japan, which is famous for its tulips. Aside from the flowers, organizers also installed a sozu, a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens.

Member of the public
I think this is very special. We like the whole design of bamboo.

Member of the public
Everything is wonderful. The city government put a lot of effort into planning to allow everyone to enjoy nature.

During the festival, there will also be a series of performances and activities. The festival will be on until March 3.

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士林官邸鬱金香展 6大特色展區邀民眾賞花

2024-02-25

2024士林官邸鬱金香展拉開序幕。台灣引進荷蘭、日本近30個品種、4萬株鬱金香。一起來看看6大展區。

[[民視英語新聞記者楊怡安]]
"2024士林官邸鬱金香展回歸，展示來自日本和荷蘭的14萬株鬱金香。"

民眾排隊與美麗的鬱金香合照。一對夫婦將他們的寵物狗放在椅子上與鬱金香一起合影。

[[民眾]]
“我們每一次都把狗女兒當成寶貝，所以我們每個地方都會走，士林官邸是我們每一年都會來，今年的花況真的很漂亮”

還有一些民眾特地從高雄來看鬱金香。

[[民眾]]
“我們是高雄來的，展覽很漂亮，我們來環島的"

[[民眾]]
"我們導遊跟我們介紹說，剛好是鬱金香的季節，所以我們就過來這裡。開了大概有八成了，感覺滿清爽，滿舒適的"

2024士林官邸鬱金香展回歸，共有打造6大主題展區。其中一個展覽以日本主要生產鬱金香的礪波市為主題。除了鮮花之外，主題園區還以水流為主景，使用日本花園中的噴泉。

[[民眾]]
"覺得這個很特別，我們對竹子，喜歡整個造型"

[[民眾]]
"都很棒，市政府真的很用心，讓大家享受大自然的感覺"

展覽期間還有一系列表演和活動，展期至3月3日。

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

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A sign of post-pandemic recovery is the sight of foreign visitors on the streets. However, Japan, the country that sent the highest number of visitors to Taiwan before the pandemic, has fallen to the number two spot. According to the Tourism Administration, the places where the highest number of tourists came from are Hong Kong and Macao. The reason, according to experts, is the depreciation of the Japanese yen.

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Because it is close to Thailand. It is, I have to say, not expensive.

Taiwan’s great variety of food, as well as its popular tourist destinations like Jiufen Old Street and the National Palace Museum, have caught the attention of foreigners. According to the Tourism Administration, last year, Hong Kong and Macao ranked first with over 1.19 million people visiting Taiwan from the two territories. Japan ranked second with 928,000 visitors, and South Korea came in third at 744,000 visitors. Meanwhile, more than 400,000 visitors each from Malaysia and Singapore came to Taiwan for sightseeing.

Tourists from Hong Kong
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The latest figures are quite different from those of 2019. Before the pandemic, Japanese tourists ranked the highest at 2.16 million. Last year, however, there were just 928,000 visitors from Japan. Experts say the depreciation of the yen had a lot to do with the drop.

Huang Cheng-tsung
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The depreciation of the yen has led to higher costs for Japanese when they go abroad. Also, Hong Kong is closer to Taiwan. Another thing is, many Hong Kong tourists had come to Taiwan to study in the past, so they already have a close connection with Taiwan.

Another reason for the rise of tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia is government policy. Until the end of July this year, travelers from the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei can visit Taiwan without a visa. Moreover, up till the end of June 2025, foreign passport holders who travel independently can enter a lottery to obtain NT$5,000-worth of vouchers if they register within seven days before arrival. Tour groups made up of four or more people can also apply for NT$5,000- to NT$50,000-worth of vouchers. All this is so that the government can reach the goal of 12 million international tourists coming to Taiwan in 2024.

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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German immigrant and her husband run printmaking studio in Taichung

A German immigrant and her husband are running a printmaking studio in Taichung. Katharina Eckert and Tung Yu-hao met as art students in Germany. The printmakers now run a studio where they exhibit their work and offer a wealth of art classes for the local community. They’re also involved in community design projects, bringing beauty to the streets of Yunlin. FTV took a tour around their studio to learn about the creative process.

Each print hanging here has a story behind it. They are based on stories collected by Katharina Eckert and her husband during their art studies in Germany. But the works are brand-new paper intaglio prints.

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A local Darmstadt gallery owner came specially to see our work at the opening of the exhibition. Because he hadn’t heard of the paper intaglio technique and was curious about it.

The novel Taiwanese printmaking technique opened a new avenue for exchange with Germany. It was an unforgettable artistic exchange for the young couple.

The pair are both printmakers, and are involved in community design projects. These “Wukelu Bamboo Shoots” installations in Dounan Township, Yunlin, is one of their works.

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We were at my home, and I was firing it with a blowtorch. When you spray a kind of acid on it, it gradually forms this blue-green color. It’s all deliberate, all in the plan.

Eckert and Tung were peers in a postgraduate class. They moved to his hometown Taichung after graduation to set up this printmaking workshop. They want to make their prints relevant to daily life, and offer drawing classes and “Give It a Try!” pottery classes.

Eckert says that creating art is healing – but also addictive. She will keep on finding new avenues for collaboration, to gain visibility for her work, and offering experience classes for the community. Art can feel like a rarefied world, but she wants to fling open the door.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Today we take you to meet Ertugrul Bastug, a Turkish player who plays for a soccer club in Taipei called the F.C. Vikings. Bastug had played soccer in Turkey, but due to a knee injury, he took a few years off to travel around Asia. He came to Taiwan in 2020, fell in love with the country and started playing for the F.C. Vikings. The team recently won first place in Division 2 and moved up to the Premier League. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the story.

He warms up with his coach, discussing different tactics. This is Ertugrul Bastug from Turkey. He is a player for F.C. Vikings. The team recently placed first in Division 2 and moved up to the Premier League.

Ertugrul Bastug
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I started to play football when I was a kid. 7 or 8 years old in Turkey. In a very good academy in Istanbul, in a good team. Why I come to Taiwan? The first is that it is a beautiful country and beautiful people. I like the Tawiaense food and right now I have a good team – the Vikings. I am very excited to play with them. Last season, we won the championship for the Vikings. I am super happy.

Bastug grew up in Turkey, where he started soccer training at a young age. Due to a knee injury when he was 19, he took a break and traveled around the world. He moved to Taiwan in 2020 after visiting over 20 countries. He decided to stay in Taiwan and continue his dream of playing football.

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I got the injury when I was 19. My knees broke. After I stopped playing for one to two years. Then after, I traveled to Asia. Football is my dream. I want to try it again and again. Right now, my physio is good. This year I want to show my best for Vikings. I traveled more than 28 or 30 or something. Around including Asia, Central Asia, the Balkans, Europe, and the Middle East. I travelled aroud. After that, I came to Taiwan. I met Vikings and I started playing football again.

Johnni Nielsen from Denmark and his wife, Hope Tsai, founded F.C. Vikings in 2010 to make football more accessible. Over the 13 years, they have provided free football training for elementary school students up to adults. Last year, the team invited Oliver Harley to serve as the head coach. Harley is from Jamaica and has lived in Taiwan for 20 years coaching soccer. Under his leadership, the team won first place in Division 2.

Oliver Lazarus Harley
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My coaching philosophy? Football has been my life since I was a child. I don’t really separate football from life. My coaches always told me that football is life and everything that happens on the football field happens in your life. I try to let my players know that all the principles and characters that they in life should be demonstrated on the football field and vice versa. They need to be honest people, upstanding people, and help others, which is part of football as well, you work as a team.

The team’s goal is to stay in the Premier League and to one day represent Taiwan in the AFC tournament.

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It is exciting for us to move up to the Premier League after just one year in the second division. This is something we have been working for for the last 13 years. When we started 13 years ago, many of the kids that started with me at that time they are now going to play in the premier league so it is a big thing for us. The goal is for us to stay in the Premier League this season and hopefully, we can do good and keep on staying there. One day, maybe we can represent Taiwan in the AFC tournament.

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