Taiwan envoy to Finland shows off chiseled abs during metal concert

Taiwan envoy to Finland shows off chiseled abs during metal concert

2025-12-01

Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Finland rocked up a storm on stage last week, performing a heavy metal concert with his band Chthonic. Freddy Lim put on a show for metal fans, greeting the audience speaking Finnish in his death metal voice. Let’s hear him.

Freddy Lim
Taiwan representative to Finland
I greet you all on behalf of the president and people of Taiwan. I am Taiwan’s ambassador, Freddy Lim.

Lim is testing out a new approach to diplomacy through metal music, driving the crowd wild. Halfway through the concert, he even ripped off his top and showed his chiseled torso with a spectacular eight-pack. Photos of the concert have gone viral online in Taiwan and abroad. Many commenters pointed out that, at almost 50 years old he was in top shape, and voiced praise of this cool approach to international relations.

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#freddylim #metal #chthonic #finland #heavymetal

林昶佐芬蘭文"死腔"打招呼秀八塊肌開唱重金屬音樂

2025-12-01

文化總會日前在芬蘭赫爾辛基舉辦音樂節，駐芬蘭大使、同時也是閃靈樂團主唱的林昶佐，受邀登上國際舞台，他現場以"死亡金屬腔"問候，炒熱氣氛。

[[駐芬蘭大使林昶佐]]
“僅代表台灣總統跟人民，向大家問好，我是台灣大使，林昶佐”

林昶佐帶領閃靈樂團，上演重金屬外交，高潮一波接一波，唱到一半，更是來個大放送。脫下黑色背心，往地上一丟，林昶佐秀出結實八塊肌，展現久違的狂野面，49歲的肉體，外國網友驚呼「太狂了吧」、「快50歲還保持這樣，真的帥炸」，直呼是「最酷的外交行動」。

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Hotels offering full Lunar New Year banquets to-go as reservations fill up

Reservations at five-star hotels for Lunar New Year banquet dinners are already nearly all booked. Now there’s only the chance to order takeaway. Offering delicacies such as fish maw, sea cucumber, lobster, and scallops, these hotels are looking to capture a piece of the NT$10 billion New Year banquet market.

Dongpo pork in clear, glistening layers is served with freshly cooked fish maw.

Sea cucumber sizzles in oil heat up to 120 degrees and fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s then stir-fried in a secret sauce. This delectable dish of dongpo pork, fish maw, and sea cucumber is a must-order from this hotel’s Lunar New Year menu.

Liu Yi-chia
Head chef
For the sauce, we used lots of older hens and pig skin, as well as chicken feet. Lots of gelatinous things. Then flavorings like oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine. It’s not too salty or too sweet.

Hsu Wei-chen
Howard Hotel PR representative
About 10% of customers have been an order directly after eating. It’s been like that since last month. Looking ahead to 2026, we hope to grow sales by 3 to 5% depending on demand.

With steamed lobster and grouper, plus lotus seeds in taro paste for dessert, this entire banquet is ready for New Year demand. Another hotel is offering a classic array, from sakura shrimp rice cakes to a five-piece appetizer platter. Orders are already rolling in.

Shao Chih-chi
Cosmos Hotel marketing director
People start making bookings for their Lunar New Year dinner in the summer of the previous year. We’re therefore also offering New Year’s dishes for takeaway, but we prepare them fresh on the day and provide them at room temperature.

Yu Chih-shan
Renaissance Hotel associate marketer
The surf-and-turf banquet includes chicken soup with Sichuan peppercorn, spareribs, and lobster, all excellent ingredients. We expect to boost sales by 10 to 20% over the Lunar New Year period. Our New Year’s Eve slots are also fully booked.

All these hotels are already fully booked for Lunar New Year’s Eve. If you still want to enjoy a traditional feast, takeaway is the only option. To seize this multi-billion-dollar opportunity, Howard Hotel and Cosmos Hotel are offering a 10% discount on orders made until Dec. 31. The Renaissance Hotel set menu is enough to feed six to 10 people. The Taipei Garden Hotel is offering early-bird pricing for bookings made before Jan. 19, with a complimentary selection of fine wines to enhance the festivities.

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

#LunarNewYear #banquet #familygathering #holiday #NewYearbanquet #hotelrestaurant #fivestarhotel #surfandturf #restaurant #takeaway

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French table tennis champion trains in Taiwan, enjoys local food

French table tennis champion Félix Lebrun attracted lots of attention last summer for his exciting match against Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju. Recently, he came to Kaohsiung to train at the National Sports Training Center. While there, he tried plenty of Taiwanese food. He said he loved coming to train in Taiwan, and hopes to return again soon.

Wearing a blue jersey, French table tennis player Félix Lebrun focuses intently on his training match. He recently came to Taiwan for the first time for off-site training in Kaohsiung.

During the Paris Olympics, he captured the attention of Taiwanese fans, who affectionately began calling him “Glasses Guy.” He plays with a penholder grip, a rarity among European players these days. In addition to winning the gold in men’s singles and a team bronze at the 2023 European Games, he also secured the men’s team silver at the 2024 World Table Tennis Championships, along with the bronze in the men’s singles and team events at the Paris Olympics.

Félix Lebrun
French table tennis athlete
It’s really nice. Really nice halls, really nice condition. So just that the food is really nice here. We enjoy eating here in the center, in the restaurant also. So yeah, I’m happy to discover a new culture and new food. So yeah, I enjoyed it.

He shared a few photos of eating out with friends at a mall in Zuoying District, where they got shaomai, xiaolongbao, and some other classic dishes.

Félix Lebrun
French table tennis athlete
I tried some, a lot, because yesterday we went to a restaurant with some French who live there. But I cannot say the name.

Have you tried bubble milk tea?
Yeah. This we took every day since we are here.

In the men’s singles quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju narrowly lost to Lebrun 3-4. Recalling the match, he said that Lin is an outstanding player.

Félix Lebrun
French table tennis athlete
I think in the future, he’s still very young, I’m still young, so maybe we will have a lot of great battles. But yeah, we enjoy to also practice together, have matches together. Then I think it’s great for us and the spectators every time. So it’s nice.

Besides getting in lots of practice, Lebrun took advantage of this rare chance to visit Taiwan by trying Taiwanese food and creating some unforgettable memories with his teammates.

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

#tabletennis #pingpong #sports #FélixLebrun #Kaohsiung #training #Taiwanesefood #LinYunju #ParisOlympics

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Over 1,100 to compete in first World Indigenous Games

The 2025 World Indigenous Traditional Games will begin on Dec. 10, to be held over three days in Kaohsiung and Pingtung. About 1,100 participants from 10 countries including the Marshall Islands and Palau are competing in the enormous event, which will bring together indigenous peoples from around the world.

A flame symbolizing inheritance and connection is lit to indigenous song and dance, making the official start of the first-ever World Indigenous Traditional Games.

Over two weeks, the torch is to travel to 55 indigenous district offices around the country. The first World Indigenous Games are to be held from Dec. 10 to 12 in Pingtung and Kaohsiung. It’s also the first time Taiwan is hosting a traditional sporting event for indigenous peoples from around the world.

Ljaucu Zingrur
Minister of Indigenous Peoples
We’re not holding Olympics or Asian Games events. Here we’re doing tug-of-war and weightlifting, but with millet instead of barbells. And for the tug-of-war, there’s no weighting in. You just compete the traditional way, with however many people you have.

The Games are to feature 10 traditional events, including archery, music and dance, sawing, and tug-of-war. Aside from Taiwan, 28 teams are also coming from 10 countries, including the Marshall Islands and Palau, for a total of more than 1,100 competitors. It promises to be an indigenous event of unprecedented scale.

Ljaucu Zingrur
Minister of Indigenous Peoples
There are so many nations in the South Pacific. I thought, why not hold a traditional sporting event hosted in Taiwan? That would carry special significance.

Hopefully through the light of the flame and hosting of the Games, it would not only promote the continuation of indigenous cultures, but also showcase the spirit, artistry, and culture of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples to the world.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Tasty wafer rolls made using antique 80-year-old machine

Have you ever thought of eating wafer rolls made the traditional way? In a wafer roll shop in New Taipei City they are made by hand using an 80-year-old antique machine. Each time a roll is made, the heavy 200-kilogram machine has to be pushed so it rotates. Although it’s an onerous job, it has still helped the shop’s manager Lin Ping-his get over a terrible car accident. He’s teamed up with his mother to make these delicious snacks. Let’s hear more.

Open up the heavy mold and pour in the mixture. Each time Ms. Lin, aged 75, makes a wafer roll she has to work hard to rotate this 200-kg machine.

She quickly rolls up the wafer roll on an iron griddle with a temperature of 180 degrees. In less than an hour, her hands are burned red. But she cannot stop as both Ms. Lin and her son have placed their hopes on this 80-year-old antique contraption.

Lin Ping-hsi
Wafer roll shop manager
My arm was broken and my internal organs were turned inside out. There was a tube coming out of my heart and my foot was almost sawn off. I was critically ill many times.

Ms. Lin
Wafer roll shop owner
You have to get over it. He won’t get over it. He says he’s tired, but I’m even more tired.

Over 20 years ago, Lin Ping-hsi, the manager of the wafer roll shop, was in a traffic accident shortly after he was discharged from the army. He was caught underneath a lorry and nearly didn’t make it, with the hospital issuing a certificate that his condition was critical. Originally Lin Ping-hsi was proactive about rehabilitation, but after three to five years of hard work, he hadn’t made much progress, which made him feel discouraged. However, when he saw the silhouette of his mother working, he slowly got over it.

Lin Ping-hsi
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Yes, because I can’t bear it when I see my mother is so tired. My mother has been with me since I was a child. It’s her and me.

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Seeing me work until after 9 p.m., he said, okay, he would do it himself. He’s like this. If I won’t work with him, who else would?

Lin Ping-hsi could not bear to see his mother work so hard. She would do this even in 35-degree heat, sweating profusely and with burn blisters on her hands. Lin Ping-hsi sticks to the old ways as he rolls up wafer rolls one by one. Although one closed door for him, he and his mother helped each other, and in doing so forged a new way of life.

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Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. On this day, the CDC held an awareness campaign, delivering stunning results on Taiwan’s efforts to eradicate AIDS. The press event was hosted by three performers signed by TWeen, Taiwan’s first-ever drag queen management company. The CDC reported that new HIV infections this year reached a 22-year low, and is expected not to exceed 800 cases. It also hopes to remove the stigma of HIV/AIDS by promoting the message U=U, which means undetectable is untransmittable.

TWeen’s talents Chiang Wei, Hannah Monina and Bagel Rimrim strut their stuff onstage with the music.

The drag queens had previously performed at the 2024 Paris Olympics and on Broadway. This time, they’re performing for the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control’s awareness campaign on World AIDS Day. Through these fabulous queens, the CDC hopes to remove the public’s stigma against AIDS.

Philip Lo
CDC Secretary-General
We’ve invited these drag queens who are the embodiment of beauty, wisdom and art. We also hope to introduce a breath of fresh air to our centers. Increasingly, it’s no longer just about respect and acceptance, but to embrace the community.

Hannah Monina
Drag performer
For a long time, we hoped that the public could embrace diversity and minorities, embrace people with different conditions and those from all walks of life, especially those in the shadows who may face discrimination or misunderstanding by the public.

One by one, the performers remove metaphoric labels and host a quiz game on the facts and fiction of HIV/AIDS. According to the CDC, the number of HIV infections has continued to decline year after year. The CDC’s goal is to continue improving on these figures as well as to spread the message of Undetectable=Untransmittable, or U=U.

Philip Lo
CDC Secretary-General
The number of new HIV infections is expected to reach a 22-year low, or less than 900 cases. We hope that by continuing with testing, treating and tracking, the number will continue to go down. We hope to push the numbers down by 100 a year.

Taiwan’s HIV/AIDS prevention efforts continue to outperform global standards. Back in July, the CDC also launched an anonymous consultation platform for sexually transmitted diseases, which helped raise awareness and lower transmissions. The CDC hopes to push the figures down even more in coming years.

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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The north concourse of Taoyuan International Airport’s newest Terminal 3 started its trial run on Dec. 1. after construction started back in 2017. Three flights were scheduled for Day 1, with more being added gradually as stress tests. Once fully open in 2027 as scheduled, Terminal 3 is expected to accommodate up to 45 million passengers a year.

The north concourse at Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is now partially open, starting with a trial of three flights on Day 1. They’re one China Airlines flight to Sapporo, Japan; one Starlux flight to Bangkok, Thailand, and another EVA Air flight, also to Sapporo. Travelers here on opening day all seem delighted.

Traveler
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We honestly had no idea we were among the first travelers. It all feels really fresh, and really tech-inspired. It’s very well-lit and very comfortable.

Traveler
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December kicked off with a new milestone for the airport. Departures are located on the third floor, continuing from Gate D10 at Terminal 2 with Gates D11 to D18. Arrivals on the other hand are on the fourth floor. Travelers entering from here can leave the airport from Terminal 2. Once fully open, the north concourse is expected to accommodate another 5.8 million travelers a year.

Jesse Lin
Travel content creator
I was in line to get in when it opened to the public for the first time, at around 5 a.m. If you want to look at planes, I suggest going to the D18 gate at the very end of the room. There’s a very large floor-to-ceiling window over there.

Daddy I Am
Travel content creator
The waiting rooms used to be separated, but now they’re all connected.

The airport added an apron with nine temporary overnight parking spaces for planes back in July, and plans to add another seven by Lunar New Year. Once the construction of the main concourse and south concourse are completed, the total passenger volume is expected to reach 45 million a year.

Chen Shih-kai
Minister of Transportation and Communications
We hope that the trial runs will help make things smoother at the north concourse of Terminal 3.

Yang Wei-fuu
Taoyuan Int’l Airport Corp. chair
Over the trial run, we will also collect feedback from travelers as well as expert advice, so that we can be fully prepared by the time we open Terminal 3 fully in the future.

The airport official says that the new terminal is expected to accommodate a larger number of flights, and so stress tests are necessary. With the new Terminal 3, the airport hopes to improve the experience of airlines and passengers alike.

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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