Tourists can legally set off sky lanterns at Shifen Station

Tourists can legally set off sky lanterns at Shifen Station

2025-11-27

Tourists from all over the world flock to Pingxi to set off sky lanterns from the train tracks. But though quaint, the activity is illegal, and carries fines of up to NT$50,000. In a bid to provide a legal alternative, the Taiwan Railway has decided to start letting travelers set off sky lanterns from Shifen Station on weekends, starting this week. Local lantern operators say they can’t wait. Let’s hear more.

Tourist
Prefers the tracks
You get more of a feeling if you set them off from the train tracks. It just feels different.

Tourist
Considering alternatives
They could build another track that trains don’t use, so that people can release sky lanterns.

Lin Hsiang-chieh
Sky lantern operator
I can’t wait. Tourists are looking forward to it.

Sky lantern operator
Approves of the plan
I think the new plan is good, that way more people will come and take photos.

Services along the Pingxi Line have been suspended due to the recent heavy rains. Since there are no trains running, the Taiwan Railway is letting visitors set off sky lanterns down at the tracks, for a safe but picturesque experience. The sky lantern weekends will be held until the end of January next year. For now the only spot available is Shifen Train Station, but the locations may expand to Pingxi and Jingtong in the future.

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

#train #skylantern #pingxi #shifen #tourism

鐵軌區放天燈違法! 傳台鐵擬最快29日起限時.限區試辦開放

2025-11-27

許多國內外的遊客，喜歡到新北平溪放天燈，但依現行規定，在鐵軌上放天燈是違法行為，最高可罰5萬元，但為了兼顧觀光發展，台鐵即將在每個週末，在十分站，先試辦開放旅客放天燈，讓當地不少當地業者很期待。

[[遊客]]
“在鐵軌上放就是有比較有氛圍，我就覺得放的時候感覺就不一樣。”

[[遊客]]
“可以另外再蓋一條(軌道)，就是讓火車不會通行的軌道，然後讓民眾可以(放天燈)。”

[[天燈業者林湘傑]]
“樂觀其成，然後遊客也很期待。”

[[天燈業者]]
“很好啊，這樣拍照客人會比較會來啊。”

由於前一陣子受到強降雨影響，平溪線全線停駛，台鐵決定在停駛期間，「限時限區」開放鐵軌放天燈，預計最快從本週六開始，到明年一月底，每個週末先在十分車站試辦；至於平溪及菁桐站，還要再等等。

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Taiwan space company behind Australia’s milestone rocket launch

The Australian subsidiary of a Taiwanese space company on Thursday morning successfully launched a rocket to 80km, setting a new record. The launch took place at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, showcasing the rocket’s cutting-edge hybrid propulsion technology. It also demonstrated the potential of Taiwan’s space industry.

The rocket is launched high up into the sky, leaving a striking trail behind. Let’s take a look from another angle.

This rocket, the 12.2m-tall A01 was made by Taiwanese company TiSPACE’s subsidiary in Australia, AtSpace. It was launched from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia on Thursday morning, when it was around 7 a.m. in Taiwan. It successfully reached its target height of 80km above ground in four-and-a-half minutes, making it the highest-flying commercial rocket in Australia.

Voice of Liu Yung-yu
TiSPACE general manager
Our Australian launch facility team and the Australian Space Agency are all very, very pleased, because our launch this time is the first time a rocket was successfully launched so high up in Australia, and it also made a record in Australia. This shows that Taiwan’s space technology is already very, very ahead. It’s a great encouragement for the development of Taiwan’s space technology.

TiSPACE first launched its rocket in Taitung back in 2020, but it wasn’t successful. Its later applications to launch were all denied, so it began to find launch facilities abroad. In July this year, the company had a successful launch in Japan, and now they’re making another breakthrough in Australia.

Voice of Liu Yung-yu
TiSPACE general manager
Next, we’ll be launching a carrier rocket. There are now many communications satellites from Elon Musk. It’s going to be a huge market. Currently Musk’s SpaceX dominates this field, and private companies like us must quickly catch up.

The successful rocket launch demonstrates a Taiwanese company’s know-how in space technology and encourages the growth of Taiwan’s space industry.

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

#space #rockets #satellites #technews #technology #rocketscience #spacex

2025-11-27

AI summary mistakenly says school stopped enrolling students

Using generative AI is increasingly common, as it provides quick answers to all kinds of questions. But it’s important to be mindful that AI is not correct all the time. Sacred Hearts High School in Yunlin recently learned this the hard way, when an AI summary about the school said it had stopped admitting new middle-school students. The school quickly clarified this as incorrect, shocked that Google made the mistake.

Phones at Sacred Hearts High School have been ringing nonstop. The calls are nearly all from parents asking if the school has really stopped enrolling middle-school students.

At first, the school couldn’t figure out where parents had gotten this incorrect news from. The answer surprised them.

If you Google search “middle-school admissions at Sacred Hearts High School,” the AI summary says that admissions stopped in the 2025 academic year. Worried parents called the school for confirmation, only to learn that the AI summary was incorrect.

Lin Chia-hui
Sacred Hearts principle
When it first happened, we thought it was just a single case. When it happened a second time, we searched online ourselves and discovered there really was incorrect information.

The school was appalled and immediately reached out to Google for help fixing the mistake. It’s possible that Google’s AI mistook another school that was stopping admissions for Sacred Hearts, leading to the misunderstanding.

Su Hui-kai
Computer science professor
Maybe Sacred Hearts’ website had some changes that misled Google into thinking its website had been removed. Another possibility is that there were inaccurate reports in newspapers, magazines, or news platforms that Google took misinformation from.

Lin Chia-hui
Sacred Hearts principle
I believe that with Sacred Hearts’ reputation and the level of trust parents have in us, people know that we run a very reliable school.

This rumor did not have any malicious intent, but came from a technological blind spot. As generative AI becomes increasingly common, it’s important to verify any information it gives, as it can make mistakes.

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

#artificialintelligence #AI #generativeAI #AIsummary #AImistakes #misinformation #fakenews #school #highschool #middleschool #admissions

2025-11-27

Famous Hokkaido soup curry opens first Taiwan branch

In recent years, many Japanese restaurants have expanded to Taiwan, bringing different types of ramen, sushi, and curry. Now a popular soup curry restaurant from Hokkaido is opening its first Taiwan branch in Taichung, even offering an exclusive dish: cherry duck breast. Let’s see how this famous soup curry differs from conventional Japanese curry.

Hokkaido’s famous soup curry has come to Taiwan. A typical dish includes a choice of meat and a variety of vegetables, paired with a well-seasoned curry.

Pork and chicken bones are simmered to make the stock, which is seasoned with onions, garlic, and ginger. This flavorful broth is the soul of the curry.

Customer
The soup is very rich and well-seasoned. It’s perfectly fine to have on its own.

Customer
The flavor here in Taiwan is the same as in Hokkaido.

A famous soup curry restaurant from Hokkaido recently opened a branch in Taichung. It’s even offering a Taiwan-exclusive dish: tender cherry duck breast paired with delicious curry.

Chen Yan-ting
Soup curry entrepreneur
Our soup uses a double broth, combining pork and chicken bone stock with a refreshing bonito broth. The fusion of the two creates a flavor that isn’t heavy or greasy.

Chen’s family has been in the restaurant business for three generations. After studying abroad in Japan, she brought one of her favorite restaurants back to her hometown.

Chen Yan-ting
Soup curry entrepreneur
Taichung is actually my hometown. I wanted to first share this feeling and authentic flavor with my hometown, Taichung.

But with so many Japanese restaurants coming to Taiwan, from ramen and sushi to curry, can they really all succeed?

Wang Fu-kai
Taiwan Marcom Certification Association chair
As an increasing number of Japanese brands open stores in Taiwan, while the first branch usually generates a lot of buzz, they will still face certain market challenges unless they can maintain consumer demand.

Hokkaido’s famous soup curry has made its way across the sea, coming to test the Taiwan market. Those who like Japanese food won’t want to miss out on the chance to try a new type of curry.

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

#Hokkaido #curry #soupcurry #Japanesefood #Japanesecuisine #Taichung #JapantoTaiwan

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Spotlight on Taiwanese American screenwriter Marilyn Fu

Today, we take you to meet Marilyn Fu, an American screenwriter of Taiwanese descent. Fu is the screenwriter of "Rosemead," a feature film starring Lucy Liu and based on an award-winning Los Angeles Times article by Frank Shyong. The film earned her a 2025 Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. FTV reporter Stephany Yang sat down with Fu to find out more about her career as a screenwriter.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
Can you tell us a bit about Rosemead, and what was your inspiration behind this adapted film?

Marily Fu
Screenwriter
Rosemead is based on true story that happened in 2015.

Marily Fu is the screenwriter of Rosemead. A feature film starring Lucy Liu and based on the award-winning Los Angeles Times article by Frank Shyong. The film earned her a 2025 Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. She recently visited Taiwan with her mother to promote her film and attended the Golden Horse Award ceremony. She says, this trip has inspired her a lot and she hopes to write and film in Taiwan in the future.

Marily Fu
Screenwriter
The past time I came to Taiwan, I was younger. I hadn’t made any films yet. I was just at a different point in my life. I remember being like a stranger. And a strange place to me. Somehow, now, I feel very at home. I went to 711 and got some Lu Dan for breakfast and a coffee and just walked around. I just felt that it would be so great to come back here to write something in Taiwan. To shoot in Taiwan, to bring my family back here just to develop a deeper connection. I have even begun interviewing my mom because I want to understand what it was like for her growing up here and her full experience of moving to the states to understand who she is and it feels like through understanding more of that, I will understand myself.

Fu studied at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where she became the first recipient of the William Goldman Screenwriting Fellowship and later taught.

Marily Fu
Screenwriter
When I was younger and in film school. People would say to me, "you look just like Lucy Liu." And now, that we are taking this film out, I am side by side with her pretty often. And I can tell you, we don’t look anything alike. I think that speaks to the fact that someone was giving me a compliment and say you are smart, and you could be successful in this business. Lucy was the only person who was so visible in Hollywood that they could point to. I think that speaks to how much she has accomplished but also that we need more representation. We need more people that can pave this way for us. I am trying to do that with everything I write. I think you have to find a way to express your identity in your stories. And then, you also have to find a way to carve out your role within the Asian American community. Doing both of these things will help you go further.

Fu is a multiple award-winning screenwriter. She wrote The Sisterhood of Night, based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize winner Steven Millhauser. She received the Tribeca Film Institute’s Creative Promise Award.

She also wrote an espionage thriller The Copenhagen Test, starring Simu Liu and executive produced by James Wan.

Marily Fu
Screenwriter
I think as a screenwriter, you have to continuously be persistent. You have to write when the industry isn’t telling you to write and isn’t saying, "hey, we are going to pay you. We are going to make this a job." You have to write because you love it and you have to be nimble. I do really love true stories and I love adapting. I am always looking out for what that next thing can be that sort of can also illuminate where we are as a society.

Fu’s works focus on adaptations and true stories that explore American identity and tell stories about people on the fringe of society. She hopes that her stories can bring awareness to different important issues.

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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Curry onigiri and new YouBikes part of recovery in Guangfu

Even weeks after the Guangfu disaster, help keeps pouring in. A volunteer from Japan’s Iwate Prefecture is back in Taiwan, handing out curry rice balls to locals as a way to thank Taiwan for its support after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. And it’s not just food lifting spirit. A new fleet of YouBikes is rolling into town, giving residents an easier way to get around as recovery continues.

Ogasawara Tamami packs rice into molds to make curry onigiri. He’s come to Guangfu from Iwate to repay Taiwan for the help lent in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. His rice balls drew long lines.

Ogasawara Tamami
In Taiwan for charity
After the Tohoku Earthquake, the Tzu Chi Foundation from Hualien lent us a lot of help. I will never forget it. So now, I’m here in Hualien to help.

He’s visited Taiwan every year since 2012, going around the island and cooking curry and rice for charity. This time around, he switched to onigiri to make it easier for everybody. Coincidentally, the rice he used was produced the very day of the Guangfu disaster.

Ogasawara Tamami
In Taiwan for charity
What a coincidence. When I saw that, I got goose bumps.

Ms. Wang
Guangfu resident
Japan has shown gratitude for Taiwan’s help for such a long time since the Tohoku earthquake. It’s really touching. We’re so thankful for them coming here. It’s really heartwarming.

And Japanese cuisine isn’t the only thing coming to Guangfu. YouBike has expanded its network of public bikes in the township, setting up 10 docking stations with 150 bikes. Lots of people came to try out the bikes before launch.

Mr. Lin
Guangfu resident
It’s great! The bikes are new! Even better than Taipei’s! I’ll ride them every day.

Su Sheng-hsiung
YouBike
We set up nine stations over a period of 20 days. As was mentioned just now, the 10th station will be located at the Guangfu Sugar Factory.

YouBike is offering free rides for the first 30 minutes of a rental, and rates of NT$12 per half hour in the first four hours. They hope the bike sharing system will help with transportation in the area as Guangfu recovers from the disaster.

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

#bike #onigiri #guangfu #hualien #curry

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Fire safety in high-rise buildings under the spotlight

The tragic Wang Fuk Court apartment complex fire in Hong Kong once again brought fire safety in high-rise buildings under the spotlight. Here in Taiwan, some may still remember the Eastern Science Park fire back in 2001, which lasted almost four days. An expert says that because of the inherent difficulty in putting out a fire so high up, it’s important to take everyday precautions.

Thick billows of white smoke kept seeping out of this building in Hsinchu when it was engulfed in flames in May 2024. Two firefighters lost their lives. Further back in 2001, there was also a huge fire in the Eastern Science Park in New Taipei’s Xizhi.

The blaze lasted almost four days, or 43 hours to be exact, making for the longest-ever fire in Taiwan. Overseas, the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, UK lasted two days and killed 72. Like the recent Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong, all of these cases involved high-rise buildings, which makes extinguishing efforts that much more difficult.

Voice of Lin Chin-hung
Fire safety expert
It’s more physically straining for firefighters. There are also fewer vehicles suitable for putting out high-rise fires. It’s crucial that fire safety equipment in the buildings functions properly.

Height is a major obstacle in firefighting, requiring ladder trucks that may still fall short. Taiwan currently has three of its largest ladder trucks, stationed in Taipei, New Taipei and Kaohsiung, respectively. They could reach up to 72m in height, or around 23 stories tall. Any higher, firefighters must enter the building in person. This brings to mind the Taipei 101. What if the tallest building in the country were to catch fire?

The Taipei 101 has a fire shelter room every nine floors. With two-layered airtight doors, they offer extra time for survival. At the same time, each floor has exhaust fans that could be triggered in a fire, to draw out smoke. Additionally, air pumps would also be activated in escape routes to increase air pressure. But what if the fire were to start on the exterior, as it did at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex?

Voice of Lin Chin-hung
Fire safety expert
It’s not enough to block out the smoke in the corridors. You may also have to try block out the smoke entering from the windows. That will then depend on the routine precautions you’ve taken. If you haven’t taken any precaution, there’s not much you can do.

The fire safety expert says it all boils down to being well-prepared for the worst, in order to prevent a high-rise fire.

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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