Nantou school choirs brave typhoon and win awards at Singapore festival

Nantou school choirs brave typhoon and win awards at Singapore festival

2024-08-01

Two school choirs in Nantou won awards at the eighth Singapore International Choral Festival. One ensemble took gold in the Folklore category, while the other bagged a silver in the Equal Voices category for singers aged 12 and below. But getting to Singapore was no easy feat, as the singer’s departure coincided with the arrival of Typhoon Gaemi.

Before setting off to represent Taiwan, the children put on a show at Taoyuan International Airport.

This is the Min-ho Junior High School Juann Choir, which hails from Shuili Township in Nantou. The ensemble traveled to Singapore to compete in the eighth Singapore International Choral Festival. Competition was stiff, with some 170 ensembles from six countries taking part. The Taiwanese choir won gold in the Folklore category.

Sung Ching-ju
Choir singer
When we got the gold award, I was really happy and touched. We have all worked so hard!

Chin Li-an
Choir singer
In the final week, everyone was constantly improving, and our singing got better and better.

They weren’t the only Taiwanese choir that shone bright.

Sinapalan Bunun Children’s Choir from Nantou’s Xinyi Township set off for Singapore amid Typhoon Gaemi’s strong winds and heavy rains. Despite landslides along the road to the airport, they made it to the competition, where they won a silver award in the Equal Voices category for singers aged 12 and below.

Wu Hsiao-ling
Sinapalan Elementery School principal
We are extremely thankful, because the typhoon was raging when we were coming down from the village.

The two choirs were able to participate thanks to the support of various organizations. Although the typhoon posed obstacles, their angelic voices still managed to ring out into the world.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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揮別凱米陰霾! 南投布農族兩學校奪國際合唱賽金銀牌

2024-08-01

上週凱米颱風來襲，南投是重災區，信義鄉與水里鄉，兩個國中小合唱團，仍克服各種困難，勇闖新加坡，參加國際合唱節競賽，原民的天籟美聲，也順利包辦金牌和銀牌。

踏出國門前，代表國家和家鄉去比賽，孩子們在桃園機場，以快閃方式演出。

來自南投水里鄉，民和國中濁岸合唱團，勇闖新加坡，參加2024新加坡第八屆國際合唱節競賽。參賽的有6個國家，高達170組，競爭相當激烈，而台灣隊，在鄉土民謠組，把金牌給摘下來。

[[南投縣民和國中合唱團員松凊茹]]
“拿到金獎的時候我覺得很開心很感動，因為大家一起努力那麼久。”

[[南投縣民和國中合唱團員金黎安]]
“在最後的一個禮拜，大家越來越完整，而且歌聲我覺得越來越好。”

順利奪牌的，還有他們。

信義鄉的希娜巴嵐國小合唱團，出發那一天，凱米颱風伴隨的強風豪雨，造成沿路土石坍方，但師生還是克服萬難，到了新加坡，在12歲以下組，摘下銀牌。

[[南投縣希娜巴嵐國小校長伍曉玲]]
“當然也要非常的感恩，因為我們從部落下來的時候正值颱風。”

兩個學校能順利出賽，有許多機關團體，熱情相助，雖然遇上颱風，連出國的路都很艱辛，但布農族的天籟美聲，已悠揚傳達予世界共賞。

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Turning to Hualien County. Following damage from Typhoon Gaemi, the government is fast-tracking its safety upgrade project for the Suhua Highway. The project will reinforce high-risk parts of the road, to reduce damage from natural disasters. On Wednesday, the project got the green light from another tribal village that will be affected.

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We’ve always wanted to get this approved. The April 3 earthquake and recent rains have left us with no way in or out. Everyone has been thinking about this issue since the earthquake.

The final vote was 193 in favor, 1 against. And with that, approval was secured from all seven villages in the region. It was a big relief for the government’s Suhua Improvement Engineering Office.

The April 3 earthquake and Typhoon Gaemi ravaged large sections of the Suhua Highway. Many sections with heavy damage had not been reinforced during the government’s Suhua Highway Improvement Project. With the highway in tatters, the government is pushing to fast-track safety upgrades. Its plan is called the Suhua Highway of Provincial Highway No. 9 Mountainous Section Improvement Project.
Construction will target 29.9 kilometers of road over three sections: Dong’ao to Nan’ao in Yilan, Heping to Hezhong in Hualien, and Heren to Chongde in Hualien. On Wednesday, Indigenous tribes approved construction between Heping and Hezhong, a section that spans 5.5 kilometers. An overpass will be built to reduce rockslide risks.

Lee Tsung-jen
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We hope to complete all three sections and reopen traffic by the end of 2032. Once we complete construction, the journey between Su’ao and Hualien along the improved Suhua Highway will be shortened by 20 to 30 minutes.

Member of public
We hope to have a safe road as soon as possible. A road that lets us go north. For residents of Hualien and Northern Taiwan, such a road would speed up travel. It would also stimulate Hualien’s economy.

Highway officials thanked Hualien tribes for supporting the upgrade plan. They also pledged to incorporate local feedback, such as suggestions about slope reinforcement. If all goes well, the project’s design and tender process will be completed in two years, with construction to start the following August and completion set for 2032.

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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Spotlight on 2024 World Latte Art Champion Xie Yi-chen, Taiwan’s world-class barista

Today we take you to meet the 2024 World Latte Art Champion, Taiwanese Xie Yi-chen. Xie competed against baristas from 36 other countries and clinched the title with three designs inspired by Taiwan. The designs of a dragon, whale and moose were created by moving a pitcher of steamed milk right above the surface of espressos. Our very own FTV reporter Stephany Yang caught up with Xie for a coffee.

Xie carefully draws out patterns of a dragon, whale and moose. These are his winning works at the 2024 World Latte Art Championship in Copenhagen.

Xie says his inspiration was Taiwan and the designs were inspired by real and imaginary animals in the sea, land and sky. Through the dragon design, he hopes to let people know more about Taiwanese culture.

Xie Yi-chen
2024 World Latte Art Champion
I wanted to make something special and representative from the three elements: land, sea, and air. I chose what I liked best in each element. Especially for the sky part, I chose the God that symbolizes Taiwan, which is the dragon.

To prepare for the competition, Xie practiced latte art on 10,000 cups of espresso in total, 110 days cups per day. He spent NT$160,000 just on milk and coffee beans.

Xie Yi-chen
2024 World Latte Art Champion
The most difficult part was the bean. We couldn’t get their beans and we couldn’t buy milk because the competition was in Copenhagen, Denmark. The organizers only announced the beans 10 days before the competition so we couldn’t buy them.

Xie developed thick calluses throughout training and competing but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream. Xie says the whale pattern was the most challenging to produce.

Xie Yi-chen
2024 World Latte Art Champion
The most difficult design was the whale, which has a total of 7 leaves. The small leaves are very difficult. It greatly depends on strength and rhythm. I will hold my breath when creating my latte art design.

Xie began creating latte art at 17 years old and has competed in over 60 tournaments.

Xie Yi-chen
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I have been practicing latte art for 10 years since I was 17 years old. I have competed in many competitions, and many people ask if I do it to earn a lot of money. Competitions are not about making money. Competitions usually involve losing money. I pursue it for a sense of accomplishment. If you like something, spend a lot of time working on it and then showcase it. I have competed in at least 60 competitions, and it is impossible to win every game. You must go through a lot of failures, and you will learn from these failures, and the feedback will give you knowledge. Knowledge can give you strength.

Xie hopes to continue to represent Taiwan in competitions and build up his clientele in his coffee shop, where the lattes feature his unique designs.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Queen of Badminton Tai Tzu-ying crashes out of Paris Olympics

Badminton star Tai Tzu-ying’s last Olympic campaign ended in tears on Wednesday, after she lost to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the group stage. After her defeat, Tai posted a heartfelt message of thanks to her fans. President Lai Ching-te also took to social media. He thanked the Queen of Badminton for her hard work and said Taiwan stood with her in Paris.

Outside the stadium, fans rush to hug Tai Tzu-ying as she fights back tears. Paris was Tai’s last Olympic campaign, and it came to an early end.

Later on, Tai shared a photo of her embracing her opponent, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, right after their match. In a 550-character post, she said she hadn’t wanted to cry on the court, or to let anyone know about her injuries. Over the past month, Tai was injured in both legs, to the point of needing crutches to move. At one point, she doubted her ability to compete, and she remained unable to run normally even after landing in France. Tai said she worked hard on rehabilitation and was surprised to win her first game at the games. But regarding her loss to Intanon, Tai said there were no excuses. She said she had hope but was ultimately unable to pull through. Tai’s fans are distraught.

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We weren’t expecting Intanon to come and hug her. Heroes support heroes.

Tai shared that India’s PV Sindhu had also hugged her after the match, holding her face and consoling her, saying Tai had played very well. Intanon left a comment on Tai’s post, saying Tai would, quote, be her mirror, as always. The Thai shuttler thanked Tai for her fighting spirit, and said she hoped to keep seeing her around the world. President Lai Ching-te also posted to social media. He thanked Tai for her hard work, writing that the cheers in the stadium represented Taiwan standing with her in Paris.

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We were very moved by Tai Tzu-ying’s match. We knew about her injuries, and some of the moves she made to catch the shuttle must have been really painful. We want to thank Tai Tzu-ying for representing our country all these years.

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Despite Tai crashing out of the Olympics, her father remains proud as ever, and messaged her after the match to cheer her up. Tai plans to continue playing for the rest of the year before retiring. Her father says the most important thing for her is to get plenty of rest, adding that her family will support her no matter what she decides to do.

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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Boxer Lin Yu-ting prepares for first Paris match amid online storm over gender

Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting is preparing for her first match at the Paris Olympics. But ahead of her Friday bout, she’s been dragged into a controversy regarding her gender. Online critics have questioned her eligibility, citing her failure to pass a biochemical test last year. Taiwan’s Sports Administration defended Lin, saying that critics are unaware of the details of her situation.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling shared an article from The Guardian, writing, “What will it take to end this insanity? A female boxer left with life-altering injuries? A female boxer killed?” The article was about Olympic boxers Imane Khelif from Algeria and Lin Yu-ting from Taiwan.

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Each slice of beef is rolled up like a rose and grilled under a hot flame until medium rare. Paired with onions, a special pomelo sauce and garnished with sesame seeds, Tainan’s “warm beef” is prepared to perfection.

This restaurant’s signature dish is sesame beef. To make it, first they fry ginger slices in sesame oil, then add spices, then the beef. After that comes rice wine to add even more flavor, and the dish is ready.

Customer
Normally, sesame oil feels very greasy. But it pairs so well with their fresh beef that the whole dish is upgraded.

The butcher has excellent knife skills, thinly slicing premium cuts of Taiwan’s top-grade beef into slices just 1 millimeter thick that will melt in your mouth.

To satisfy all customers, every day at 10:30 in the morning, the beef is sent directly from the butcher in Tainan to Taipei. It’s 3 or 4 in the afternoon by the time the meat arrives, so the restaurant can only serve dinner.

Cheng Hsin-nan
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The process is very challenging. Sometimes customers have already arrived, but the meat still isn’t here for over an hour. I remember once when the meat finally arrived, all the customers clapped and cheered, “The meat’s here!”

To make sure people in Taipei can enjoy authentic Tainan flavor, they are also very particular about the soup. It stews for eight hours, using bones and onions to make a clear broth. Then they add beef, apples and carrots. One spoonful makes the fresh beef medium rare, and a second makes it medium, sparking joy with every bite.

Cheng Hsin-nan
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My brother had the chance to try Tainan’s famous “warm beef,” and he loved it so much that he started an apprenticeship in Tainan. Every day he rode the high speed rail from Taipei to Tainan to learn about it.

When the mood strikes Cheng Hsin-nan, he takes up his violin and plays for his customers. With this relaxed and hospitable atmosphere, he hopes that every diner will enjoy their meal to the fullest.

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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