Soon-to-retire therapy dog Oba charms ex-President Tsai Ing-wen

Soon-to-retire therapy dog Oba charms ex-President Tsai Ing-wen

2025-03-05

Former President Tsai Ing-wen is known for her love of animals, having raised at least five dogs and two cats in recent years. And her pet family could potentially grow again soon. Tsai recently spent some time with Oba, a therapy dog at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, who is set to retire after six years of service. His calm demeanor and sparkling eyes melted the hearts of reporters and the ex-president herself.

Beef jerky in hand, former President Tsai Ing-wen gets to know Oba, a therapy dog soon to retire at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. It’s no secret that Tsai loves dogs.

Taking a walk is Tsai’s fifth adopted dog, called Fengli, meaning, “Pineapple.”

She also has a former rescue dog, Lele, who has joined her on hiking outings and at all sorts of events.

Tsai has adopted five dogs and two cats. Currently, her pet family includes Lele and Fengli, as well as her two kitties Think Think and Ah Tsai. She also previously owned three former guide dogs, Bella, Maru and Bunny, who have since passed away. With so much love for her furry friends, could Tsai also adopt Oba the therapy dog?

So polite! Oba shakes hands with humans and is very calm when getting groomed. As the first therapy dog stationed at a palliative care unit in Taiwan, he’s set to retire after six years of service. And who knows, after Tsai’s visit he may be set to spend his golden years with presidential-level treatment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

探視北榮治療犬歐巴前總統蔡英文"自帶牛肉乾慰勞"

2025-03-05

前總統蔡英文愛寵物，收養了5狗2貓，現在又多了新話題，台北榮總的輔助治療犬歐巴，今年即將退休，蔡前總統特地拿牛肉乾去慰勞，人狗合影曝光，讓民眾好是疼愛又憐惜，北榮允諾，要像照顧家人一樣照顧歐巴的下半輩子，但也有人呼籲蔡英文前總統，要不要收養黑色又討喜的歐巴！

前總統蔡英文帶著牛肉乾，來探望即將退休的台北榮總輔助治療犬歐巴，不過蔡英文愛狗已經不是新聞。

這隻大狗狗是蔡英文認養的第5隻犬鳳梨妹。

還有另一隻退役搜救犬樂樂，常陪著蔡英文爬山健走，出席大小活動。

眾所皆知蔡英文總共收養5隻狗狗2隻貓咪，蔡英文現有犬貓，包括樂樂、鳳梨，還有兩隻貓咪蔡想想，以及蔡阿才，而過去幾年她在惠光導盲犬學校收養的3隻愛狗，Bella、Maru和Bunny，陸續過世，因此愛狗的蔡英文也被民眾喊話，要不要收養歐巴？

乖乖和人握手，洗澡時也很乖，歐巴是全台首隻駐點醫院安寧病房的輔助治療犬，在北榮走過6年即將退休，前總統蔡英文的探視，也讓大家期待歐巴下半輩子更加幸福美滿。

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People bustle around night market stalls, making for a lively scene.

Lee Kuan-kuan
FTV reporter
It looks like drone footage of a typical Taiwanese street scene. But it’s actually an entirely handmade, 1:64 scale model.

If you look closely, even the food on the tables is realistic. Every ingredient of the pan-seared steak is essential. Not a single one is missing. At the stall next door, to make the surface of the pan-fried buns look crispy, the artist has to use different colors.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
It’s a little difficult to make it so small while also being extremely realistic. I believe that when making something like a steak, you need to have a steak as well as the egg. All the accoutrements of a food stall.

Ko Ta-tung used to work as an advertiser for over 20 years. In 2008, he started posting his artwork online of miniature versions of Taiwanese night markets. He’s loved visiting night markets since he was a kid, and dreamed of creating his own quintessentially Taiwanese art.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
For this mirror, I thought for two months about how to make it reflective. I tried out so many things. It had to be small and curved, as well as reflective.

It’s not enough to just draw a sketch, print out a 3D model and paint it. In order for a piece to be this realistic and possess a soul of its own, you have to try all kinds of paints and materials, in addition to having a delicate hand.

Wearing a magnifier, he paints on every detail on one by one. This food cart is now complete. To make an entire night market, the next step is for Ko to try making a “boss” of this little fiefdom.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
I’ll first photograph a few examples. Yeah, like the apron and some hand gestures. Then I can make the feel I want of the people and stall owners.

From visualizing the scene to the finished product, Ko does everything himself to make his imagination concrete. His small workshop is packed with his artwork. One day, he hopes to hold an exhibition to show more people his miniature versions of Taiwanese life.

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Master calligrapher Shih Chun-mao shares experience exhibiting in Paris

Today we catch up with veteran calligrapher Shih Chun-mao, who has been practicing calligraphy for over 40 years. After exhibiting in Paris at the end of last year, he recently returned to Taiwan to showcase his works to those who could not make it to France. FTV reporter Stephany Yang sat down with Shih, who shared insights from his overseas trip.

On one side of the script, Shih wrote the Chinese character Hua or flowers in cursive letters. On the other side, he wrote another Hua in black ink. He added color, transforming the assembled characters into a painting.

Shih Chun-mao
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This is the character for flower in cursive script. And here, the flower written in black ink is upside down. This is upright and this is upside down. They are intertwined like this, so I call it a leopard. One color is the color of cinnabar. The other is black ink. I wanted the two characters to look like they are connected. Lastly, I used light blue dots to embellish the whole picture.

Shih has been practicing calligraphy for over 40 years, and teaches classes in his studio and the Presidential Office. After displaying his works Impressions in Paris last November and December, he recently held an exhibition in Taipei that paid tribute to the tradition of calligraphy art while seeking innovation and breakthroughs. Shih is renowned for combining calligraphy and painting, showcasing the infinite possibilities and contemporary value of the art. He says visiting Paris gave him a lot of new inspiration for his future works.

Shih Chun-mao
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There are about 30 to 40 pieces on display in this exhibition, including 40 small pieces. French artists tend to express more using abstract art. My works all break away from tradition and create more abstract or semi-abstract works. After I went to France, I felt that in France I was not just going to exhibitions, but absorbing the new concepts of artistic pursuits by French artists. The path I want to take in the future is different now. I want to use the concept of abstract paintings I saw in France. I took a lot of photos of France.

At 83 years old, Shih is still very passionate about calligraphy and hopes to continue pushing boundaries in this ancient art form.

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Pingtung postie stays calm with dedicated tai chi practice

A Pingtung postal worker has attracted attention with his tai chi prowess. The Pingtung postman has been practicing the traditional Chinese martial art since fifth grade. Now he teaches it during his free time. Shen Hsin-hung has even won a gold medal at the Citizens Sports Games, Taiwan’s prestigious amateur athletics contest. We met up with Shen to learn how this gentle martial art fits into his life.

Postal worker Shen Hsin-hung sets off on his scooter, in a green uniform, with a wad of mail to deliver.

Shen Hsin-hung
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I used to work as a substitute teacher in schools. It wasn’t very stable. So, up came this exam for the post office, and I’ve been doing this ever since, 13 years.

He winds his way through the streets of Gaoshu Township in Pingtung, deftly stuffing each letter into its recipient’s mailbox. But it’s a tiring job. How do you imagine he manages the exhaustion? He has a special practice.

Shen Hsin-hung
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I relieve some of the exhaustion through tai chi. It’s an exercise that’s about preserving and nurturing energy. So I actually feel great and very energetic after I’ve been practicing.

He changes into a tai chi uniform. He’s been practicing the martial art since the fifth grade. After he entered the post office in 2011, he eventually began teaching tai chi in Fulun Temple in his hometown, Changzhi Township, and promoting the practice.

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This is a photo from a press conference held by US President Donald Trump in 2017. Or, is it? German artist Thomas Demand recreated the scene from paper before he captured it on camera.

Sung Yu-mei
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He went to recreate the scene of the press conference held by Donald Trump before he took office in 2017. At this press conference, he placed a lot of folders to prove that he had handed over the management of his company, that there would be no business interests involved when he then took office in the future. But the interesting thing is that when reporters wanted to go up and read these documents, he didn’t allow them to do so. Although these papers were a type of evidence, however, they may also be just props and there may be nothing in them.

Another work by Demand was created using 270,000 paper leaves to create a forest.

Sung Yu-mei
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The paper models are destroyed after Demand gets the shot he wants. The object thus fades but the image remains. The exhibition will be held at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum until May 11.

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