Japanese heartthrob Takuya Kimura back in Taiwan after 7 years

Japanese heartthrob Takuya Kimura back in Taiwan after 7 years

2025-04-02

Japanese heartthrob actor Takuya Kimura is back in Taiwan for the first time in seven years. The iconic actor is in Taiwan as a spokesperson in a promotional event. Many fans headed out early in the morning for an opportunity to see him in person at the airport.

The celebrity was surrounded by more than 400 fans, who brought him plushies, placards as well as his favorite pineapple cakes and mooncakes. Kimura seemed to be in high spirits, stopping to greet everyone and posing for pictures with his fans.

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#TakuyuKimura #木村拓哉 #CelebrityCrush #男神

男神木村拓哉時隔7年來台! 熱情"比YA"和粉絲合照

2025-04-02

日劇男神木村拓哉，為了代言活動，時隔七年，第三度降臨寶島！粉絲把握機會，一早就來排隊，就為了親眼看到木村。

400多名粉絲，大陣仗接機，除了自製娃娃、手板，還特地先去買了木村曾大讚的鳳梨酥跟月餅，要讓偶像大飽口福。木村看起來心情超好，主動停下腳步，跟大家打招呼，親切比YA，請媒體幫他和粉絲合照。

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1,043 authors express support for recall campaigns against KMT

More than 1,000 writers and literary figures have come out in support of recalls targeting KMT lawmakers. The campaign was started by Yang Shuang-zi, who recently won a National Book Award in the US. Among the writers joining the cause are prominent figures such as Li Ang and Akio Chen. On Wednesday, they gathered at the Legislative Yuan to urge support for the recall campaign.

Forty authors of different generations and styles have come together in a rare show of unity in support for a recall campaign initiated by the US National Book Award-winning author Yang Shuang-zi.

Yang Shuang-zi
Author
In many countries, the first lesson in civil defense is to learn about your country’s culture.

Yang Shuang-zi read out the text of the petition. She was joined by translator of Polish literature Lin Wei-yun and Amis writer Cidal, who spoke up in support of the initiative.

Cidal
Author
The Indigenous people of Taiwan have since time immemorial been the rightful owners of this land. We are not part of China.

Another writer, Li Ang returned to Taiwan from France just in time for the event. She shared how Taiwan’s situation is perceived abroad.

Li Ang
Author
Some people straight-up asked me “Why doesn’t Taiwan have a voice?” Taiwan’s dangerous situation is chilling to think about. Those people cutting our budget are intentionally trying to prevent us from going abroad to talk about Taiwan’s situation.

Li spoke about the challenges that Taiwan’s literary scene faces and urged everyone to speak out. In the first round of the recall petition, 201 writers threw themselves into the campaign. Now in the second phase, 1,043 literary figures have joined. They say there is a silent majority that far outnumbers them.

Akio Chen
Author
To pick up a pen and write, is to write the contents of your heart, to write about this land. How can we not speak out? I know at least 20 people who’ve picked up their pens to write.

Yang Shuang-zi
Author
If the award I won means anything, it is that it is OK to speak out when we see injustice, or when we realize that there is something that could hamper the development of Taiwan’s literature and culture. With the voice I have, it is important to stand up.

Jewel Tsai
Author
Using freedom to destroy freedom, and using democracy to destroy democracy. The consequences of such things are frightening. This is just the beginning, a tsunami could be on the horizon.

Earlier this year, the opposition-controlled legislature enacted cuts and freezes to the national budget that writers say will deal a blow to Taiwanese literature just as it was beginning to carve out a spot for itself on the international stage. Now, the authors are aiming to remove the relevant lawmakers from office.

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

#Taiwan #TaiwanNews #Politics #MassRecall #台灣 #立法院 #大罷免 #楊双子

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MacKay Memorial Hospital’s hacker identified as 20-year-old man from China

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OCAC joins Taiwanese business community in Myanmar to deliver aid

Myanmar’s earthquake-stuck areas are desperately in need of aid from both home and abroad. However, it’s been reported that the Burmese military junta has been blocking aid to disaster-stuck areas. Still, the Taiwanese government is doing all it can to help, by joining forces with the overseas business community.

Ms. Yang
Burmese-Overseas ROC student, NTNU
Now we in Myanmar cannot save ourselves at all, so we still hope…

Tearing up before she could finish her sentence, this is Ms. Yang, a student enrolled in a preparatory program for overseas ROC students at National Taiwan Normal University. Being so far away, she was anxious but helpless about her home country’s misfortune.

Mr. Hsu
Burmese-Overseas ROC student, NTNU
We can’t go home to our family to deal with the consequences of this disaster together. I don’t want aid to be blocked.

Mr. Hsu is also a Burmese student enrolled in the program. His thoughts never left his country, and how it’s now being reported that the Burmese military junta is blocking desperately needed aid for earthquake victims.

In Mandalay, the second-largest city of Myanmar, schools and residential buildings alike have been reduced to rubble. Meanwhile, the bodies of deceased victims were left to rot under temperatures as high as 40°C, posing public sanitation risks. The Overseas Community Affairs Council is working with the local Taiwanese business community to deliver aid to disaster-struck areas.

Hsu Chia-ching
OCAC minister
When helping, it’s not that you’ll be able to help just because you want to help. Because if our channels are exposed, we’ll get blocked. Everyone here knows why, I don’t even need to say it. There’s only one adversarial force that will shut out Taiwan.

Wang Ming-hsiang
Taiwanese businessman in Myanmar
Around 30% of the buildings over in Madalay have collapsed, and around 80% of buildings in Sagaing have collapsed. We know there are more than 2,000 deaths so far, but what about the ones we don’t know yet? How many more have yet to be found in there? That we still don’t know.

The OCAC is joining hands with the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce to deliver much needed aid to disaster areas in Myanmar, as well as provide relief to Burmese-Overseas ROC students in Taiwan. Once again, the government is taking action to show how “Taiwan can help!”

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

#MyanmarEarthquake #緬甸地震 #Myanmar #緬甸 #Thailand #泰國 #earthquake #地震

2025-04-02

Taiwanese restaurants open around TSMC’s Arizona factory

After TSMC opened a factory in the US State of Arizona, the surrounding area has become more and more Taiwanese. Many Taiwanese restaurants have opened, catering to the increasing number of expats who miss the taste of home. One stir-fry restaurant makes customers feel like they’ve returned to Taiwan as soon as they step inside.

A savory, grilled fish is brought to a table already filled with a collection of Taiwanese dishes and cans of Apple Sidra. This is an authentic Taiwanese stir-fry restaurant, but it’s located in Phoenix, Arizona.

The owner, Chang Wen-chuan, grew up in Miaoli. He originally opened a restaurant in New Mexico, but came to Arizona after TSMC opened a factory there, turning the surrounding area into a little Taiwan.

Chang Wen-chuan
Restaurant owner
70% of our customers are TSMC employees, and the other 30% are local. What’s crazy is that one customer came five times in four days. He came for lunch, and then another group of friends invited him back for dinner.

To make sure the dishes are authentic, the restaurant owner asks his family in Taiwan to ship ingredients for pickled cabbage, mutton stew, and soup dumplings. Not only is the food authentic, but the owner even added karaoke, making customers feel like they’re really back in Taiwan.

Everyone at this table is employed by TSMC suppliers. They gather here on weekend nights to unwind together. As construction on TSMC’s factory continues to progress, business here keeps growing.

Factory employee
Of course I’m happy! After all, there are cultural differences when it comes to food, and I’m still used to Taiwanese flavors.

Chang Wen-chuan
Restaurant owner
This is a happy place. I try to make friends with them so they can feel like home. Outside the door it’s America, but in here, you’ll feel like you’re back in Taiwan. There are several people working together to turn this square into a little Taiwan.

With the success of his stir-fry restaurant, Chang has the confidence to open a second restaurant, specializing in Taiwanese-style steak. The smell of Taiwanese food may soon fill this desert city.

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

2025-04-02

Scripture readouts, lottery winners and complaints at Tainan’s 1999 hotline

The operators at Tainan’s citizen hotline have their work cut out for them, not only responding to citizens’ complaints but also dealing with strange calls. The hotline receives 20,000 calls every month that mostly have to do with noise complaints and animal-rescue issues. But every now and then there is a surprise. From dinner invitations by lottery winners to routine recitations of sacred scriptures, every day is different at the 1999 hotline.

The phone rings off the hook at Tainan’s 1999 citizen hotline from early in the morning. But among the reports and queries, there are plenty of weird calls too.

This caller, known as Mr. Scripture, is a frequent caller who phones in to recite scriptures and read the newspaper out loud.

Hsieh Shu-ling
Tainan 1999 Citizen Hotline
He recites scriptures to us, and when he reaches the end, he hangs up. Sometimes he recites the scriptures to us in the morning and in the afternoon he reads news articles to us.

Some other callers have become close friends with the employees here.

Hsieh Shu-ling
Tainan 1999 Citizen Hotline
One time, a person called in to tell us they’d won the lottery and wanted to treat us to a meal. Others have called to sing us Christmas carols. Or when it’s Mother’s Day, they wish us a happy Mother’s Day. There’s all sorts.

From January to March, the 1999 hotline received more than 48,000 calls. Of course, most of them are complaints or reports of problems in the city, so operators have brought in trinkets to balance out the negative energy.

Operator
1999 Hotline
When I see these things, I feel better. They are so cute, I like them a lot.

The 1999 is very popular, since it can also provide information on events, travel and government programs. It’s also a window for reporting issues directly and keep track on progress.

Meng Chih-cheng
Tainan
We hope citizens can find other channels to fulfill their psychological needs and not keep the line busy for too long, so as to not impact others who require its services.

While many callers have become regulars, the city government urges the public to not hog the line, so that people with urgent needs can get help quickly.

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

#Taiwan #Tainan #TaiwanNews #Interesting #Funny #台灣 #台南 #迷因 #好笑 #有趣

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Monkeys invade Nantou temple, raid offering table for fruit

Shoutian Temple in Nantou’s Mingjian Township has been visited by some uninvited guests. In full view of the worshipers, troops of monkeys have been charging into the temple, hiding behind the rafters while eyeing the offerings. Some even jump onto the offering table to steal bananas and oranges. Not wanting to harm the creatures, the temple staff don’t use any forceful means to scare them away. They just urge worshipers to be careful with their offerings so as to avoid being stolen by a plucky primate.

In broad daylight, this unscrupulous monkey swaggers into Nantou’s Shoutian Temple. Ignoring the people around him, he deftly grabs an offering from the table.

Even though the staff yell at him to stop, the monkey is unafraid. He takes his spoils and jumps up into the rafters to feast. He even knows to peel the orange, leaving a pile of trash in his wake. The temple staff have to climb up to clean it for him.

Temple staffer
Visitors will often come and ask where their fruit went. How did it just disappear, they’ll ask. Sometimes we don’t really know what to say.

Just like in Journey to the West, when Sun Wukong steals immortal peaches from the Queen Mother of the West, these monkeys are wreaking havoc in Mingjian Township’s Shoutian Temple, seeking to steal the birthday peaches offered to Xuantian Shangdi. Not even the packaged offerings are safe.

Temple staffer
They’ll tear it open to get what they want and then run away. So it might not really be possible to salvage, but we’ll help the worshipers mind it.

Worshiper
It’s interesting. But if they attack people, it wouldn’t be good.

Worshiper
We’ve already taken over too much of their habitat, so they’ll start engaging in this kind of behavior.

The temple reminded visitors to be careful to avoid conflict with the animals. It’s best to package fruit offerings in boxes to keep them from becoming a primate feast.

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

2025-04-02

Andreea Medar’s works preserve memories of a Romanian village

Today, we take you to see the works of Romanian artist Andreea Medar. In her new exhibition in Taipei, she displays her embroidery works made with different materials. The works are inspired by the village she grew up in. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!

Andreea Medar utilized hand embroidery techniques and materials such as fluorescent pigments, polycarbonate, aluminum, glass beads, epoxy and more to create these works. Her works reference Racoți Village in Romania where she grew up. She stitched plants and people.

Sisy Wang
Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts curator
Andreea Medar has a PhD in painting, but she uses her painting skills in the media she creates with now. She uses a lot of embroidery and plastic sheets. Later, she expanded to aluminum sheets. Embroidery and plastic sheets are closely related to her family’s memories because her works explore the family’s home and her hometown over several generations. Her hometown is in a village called Racoți in southern Romania. Over the past 150 years, this village has gone from prosperity to decline and has experienced a period of social change, which affected the people living in it. Why is embroidery important? Because at that time, when war broke out, the men in the village were conscripted to the battlefield, and the women had to support the family. They would make embroidery to support the family.

Medar’s art spans various mediums, including embroidery, sculptures, video, and media installations. Her works explore themes like family history, rural communities, and societal changes. Medar’s first solo exhibition in Taipei delves into her family and Romanian history, as well as women’s rights. It is accompanied by a timeline of her family’s history and Romania’s history from WWI to WWII. There are also precious photos and documents from her home. She hopes to preserve her village’s precious memories through her works.

Sisy Wang
Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts curator
She projected giant plants and also sewed portraits of her grandmother or relatives. Why plants? Because there are many plants near her village, and the plants are slowly disappearing. She told me something that moved me very much. She said that she was the last caretaker of this garden. She wants to continue this mindset through artistic creation. The artist also brought precious historical materials from their family, including old photos and documents related to her family and the government.

Her exhibition titled "Since the Wood of Your Window Has Been Blooming" is organized by the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts and Mind Set Art Center. It is now on view until May 18 at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts in Taipei.

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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