Mud volcano spews out flames and mud splatters

Mud volcano spews out flames and mud splatters

2025-06-26

A mud dome in Pingtung’s Wandan Township erupted in the early hours of Thursday, spewing both bubbly grey mud and flames. It was the first eruption this year for the mud volcano, which normally erupts about twice a year. There were a total of four eruption vents on the ground. As mud flowed into a water conservation ditch, a village chief quickly arranged for a backhoe to clear away the mud.

A mud dome erupts, spewing forth bubbling mud, hot steam and even orange-red flames.

Pingtung’s mud dome in Wandan Township erupted on June 26 at 5 a.m. in farmlands next to Huangyuan Temple. The height of the eruption reached 2 meters and many people came out to watch it.

Member of the public
Not bad. Pretty nice and rather spectacular. This is rare. I didn’t know it could spray so high.

There were a total of four vents spewing mud right by the farmlands and there was also another vent in the ditch. Fortunately the farmlands were in their fallow period and crops were not affected.

Hung Hsiu-shang
Huangyuan Temple
This side has already stopped but next it will be on the other side. There are a total of four vents.

The mud volcano in Wannei Village, Wandan Township, in Southern Taiwan erupts once or twice a year on average, each time lasting more than 10 hours. It erupted twice last year, in March and July respectively. The timing of eruptions is unpredictable and the resulting mud is quite difficult to deal with once it dries up, giving the villagers a massive headache.

Voice of Hsu chan-wei
Pingtung County Councilor
If it’s not dealt with now, it will be difficult to deal with after it dries up, so now the village chief should quickly contact excavators so that they can quickly resolve problems with the ditch.

As one of the vents this time around was in a water conservation ditch, thick mud spewed into the ditch. The village chief quickly arranged for excavators to come in and clear it out before the mud dried up.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#muddome #mudvolcano # Pingtung #nature #natureisawesome

萬丹鄉泥火山今年首度噴發泥漿流入水利溝急清理

2025-06-26

屏東縣萬丹鄉的泥火山，今天清晨5點多，再度噴發，這是今年首度噴發，地面一共有4個噴發口，由於泥漿流入一旁的，村長趕緊連絡怪手，要盡快將泥漿清除。

泥火山噴發，滾滾泥漿奔騰，伴隨熱氣煙霧瀰漫，橘紅色火焰不斷往上竄。

屏東縣萬丹鄉的泥火山，26號清晨5點多，在皇源聖殿旁邊的農田，再度噴發，高度直衝2公尺高，不少民眾特地來觀看。

[[民眾]]
“不錯啊蠻好看的蠻壯觀的，很難得不知道會噴到這麼高。”

這次在農田旁，一共有4個孔洞噴發，水溝內也有一個噴發口，還好周邊農地，正值休耕期，沒有波及農作物。

[[萬丹皇源聖殿殿主洪秀賞]]
“這邊已經停了，接下來又換這邊，一共4口。”’

萬丹鄉灣內村的泥火山，平均一年會噴發一到兩次，每次持續10多小時，2024年3月和7月，就分別噴發兩次，由於噴發的時間不固定，噴發後的泥漿乾掉後，相當難處理，讓民眾很頭痛。

[[聲音來源:屏東縣議員許展維]]
“如果沒有處理，乾掉之後就不好處理了，所以現在村長快點聯絡怪手，快點解決水溝的問題。”

由於這次其中一個噴發口在水利溝內，滾滾泥漿流入水利溝，村長趕緊聯絡怪手，要趁泥漿還沒乾之前，趕緊清除。

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During the February 28 incident in 1947, Lin Mosei, the first Taiwanese to receive a Doctor of Philosophy degree in the US, was taken away from his home by plain-clothed armed men in the middle of the night and has never been heard of since. After a wait of 78 years, his family applied to the Taiwan District Court for a death certificate. Last week they received a ruling that Lin Mosei at the age of 140 is legally presumed dead.

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Now that the dust has all settled, Lin’s descendants feel no joy and only regret. After Lin’s disappearance, his son Lin Tsung-yi, a pioneering figure in Taiwanese psychiatry, was blacklisted and lived abroad for many years. Lin’s descendents were displaced and only three members of the family’s third generation live in Taiwan, Lin Cheng-chih is one of them. As a writer, he joined a Taiwanese literary alliance in signing a statement in support of the recalls. He even joined a recall group, going out on the streets on hot days and collecting supporting signatures.

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NYU files opposition against NYCU’s trademark application

Taiwan’s National Yang-Ming University and National Chiao-Tung University merged in 2021 to form the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, abbreviated as NYCU. In the same year, the university applied to trademark "NYCU" in the US, as an attempt to, quote "gain worldwide recognition" and to "become an internationally recognized university." In 2023, New York University, or NYU filed a motion to oppose the NYCU trademark, claiming that it creates confusion. The US Patent and Trademark Office is yet to make a decision for the case. Meanwhile, let’s hear what students at NYCU have to say.

International Student
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Student
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Voice of Wu Shang-kun
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Next, the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board will review the case based on the evidence and claims submitted by both parties. The result could be to reject New York University’s objection, to limit the scope of use for “NYCU” by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, or both parties could reach a consensus on this part.

NYU’s reasoning is that "NYC" in NYCU invokes "New York City" and therefore dilutes the NYU brand by blurring the distinction between NY, which stands for New York and NYC, an informal but commonly used abbreviation. NYCU submitted a defendant’s testimony in January, in which the president, Dr. Lin Chi-hung penned a 29-point witness’s statement on the university’s history and origin of the NYCU name, which had been approved by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. He added that NYCU "[does] not offer any university classes in the United States" and therefore, "there is no realistic way [they] could imagine confusion between the two universities."

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US big-box store launches home deliveries, amid stiff competition

US big-box supermarket Costco on Thursday launched food deliveries via the platform UberEats, and the big news is that you don’t have to be a Costco member to have items delivered to you. Some experts believe Costco is trying to take a bite at the market shares of two major local retailers, PX Mart and Carrefour, originally a French brand but now under Taiwanese management.

Members of US-style warehouse clubs used to have to pay more than NT$1,300 in membership fees a year and push trolleys under the scorching sun. Now if you casually want to buy food stuffs, it’s not nearly so troublesome.

Enfys Yeh
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In the past, when people would come to US-style stores, many of them would bring the entire family along to help transport the purchases out. But now a delivery platform is working with this US-style store and has even parked a fleet of motor scooters in the parking lot.

It’s a specialized fleet that’s fully equipped. There are now 4 million Costco members, while the food delivery platform has around 3 million users, which is almost as many. Even if you are not a member, you can still buy things at a non-discounted price. Will Costco members feel it is unfair?

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That’s if they want to enjoy the convenience. Of course, if it’s a little more expensive, some people are still willing to pay. I like to buy things that I can see, that works better for me.

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The price of ordering Costco goods via Uber Eats is still higher than buying from its brick-and-mortar stores. It will take time to see if people are willing to pay for this.

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When night falls, the lychee orchards of Hsinchu City start to glow green. But it isn’t to create a romantic vista. It’s a brand-new weapon in the fight against pests.

Wang Peng-chin
Hsinchu lychee farmer
After experimenting for two or three years, we found that after using green light, we lost a lot less fruit and our harvest dramatically increased.

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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Having recently graduated from National Pingtung University with a master’s degree in visual arts, 61-year-old Yeh Ta-ming put on a solo exhibition displaying detailed, life-like miniatures. The pieces capture scenes from the everyday life of his childhood in Taiwan.

Classic newspapers are piled up at a stand, while fruits and vegetables are sold at another. There are also scooters parked by an auto-repair shop, and a traditional Taiwanese kitchen. Surprisingly lifelike, these miniature artworks capture scenes from everyday life in Taiwan.

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We would wait for the bus or buy breakfast at this newspaper stand. The old woman at the stand would often greet people and say good morning. The hardest part of this piece was making the newspapers, which are already out of print.

Yeh Ta-ming, now 61 years old, earned his master’s degree in visual arts this year. He spent a lot of time with his little brother growing up, especially because their father was a soldier often away on duty. When his brother passed away in an accident, he became nostalgic for the days spent growing up together in the military village. That nostalgia inspired these artworks, which depict scenes from the 1970s to 1990s.

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When he passed away, it made me reminisce and feel nostalgic for the time we spent as kids growing up together in the military village. We had many, many experiences exploring that village together.

After meeting his wife, who’s from Yilan’s Nan’ao Township, Yeh discovered the warmth of a big family. In addition to scenes from the military village, he also incorporated scenes from daily life in Nan’ao. Each work in this exhibition at his alma matter is exquisite and lifelike.

Visitor
It reminds me of my childhood, just in miniature. It’s unbelievable that he could make it so detailed and meticulous. Every single piece is incredibly lifelike. Look at how real it seems. It must have taken a lot of effort.

The process of making such lifelike miniature artworks is incredibly complicated and required Yeh to use magnifying glasses. The impressive works on display at his solo exhibition have received rave reviews from visitors.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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