Hualien offers cozy winter travel plans with hot springs season

Hualien offers cozy winter travel plans with hot springs season

2025-12-08

As the temperatures start to dip, there’s no better excuse to head east, because Hualien has just kicked off its Pacific Hot Springs Season. This year, they’re turning up the charm by linking two of the county’s century-old hot spring areas, hoping to lure both local travelers and international visitors looking for a cozy, steamy escape. From “Hero Springs” to “Beauty Springs,” and everything from markets to concerts, it’s shaping up to be a winter getaway with plenty of warmth.

With temperatures dropping, the Hualien Pacific Hot Springs Season has officially kicked off, with the goal of attracting tourists. This year, the event is connecting two century-old hot spring areas, drawing domestic and international travelers looking to relax and unwind.

Yu Ming-hsun
Hualien tourism head
There are two kinds of hot springs. In Ruisui there’s the “Hero Spring,” and in Antong, we have the “Beauty Spring.” The springs have different mineral compositions and have great benefits for everyone regardless of their gender.

Taiwan’s only carbonate spring is the “Hero Spring,” which is also rich in iron. Meanwhile, the 15 minerals in the waters of the “Beauty Spring” will leave your skin silky smooth. The festival goes beyond a soak in the springs, with also markets, concerts and super discounted travel packages. There’s even themed hotel stays thanks to a collab between the county government and local accommodation providers. Day-trippers can simply take the train to Hualien and any local transport will be taken care of by shuttle buses arranged by the government.

Yu Ming-hsun
Hualien tourism head
Besides the hot spring season, we’ll be holding a lot of events in Hualien until the end of the year, including the most festive Christmas market in all of Taiwan. We’ll also have our New Year’s Eve Countdown Party. We’re bringing together famous singers from Taiwan and abroad.

The calendar is packed with activities in Hualien this winter season, with hot springs, a Christmas market and a New Year’s Countdown Party. The county is hoping to attract crowds and boost its tourism industry, while showing everyone the beauty of Hualien.

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

#travel #taiwan #onsen #hotsprings #hualien

"泡湯+市集+演唱會"花蓮太平洋溫泉季登場! 免費接駁車輕鬆遊

2025-12-08

只要冬天一到，許多民眾都會去泡溫泉，在花蓮地區，就有知名的兩大溫泉區，〝瑞穗溫泉〞和〝安通溫泉〞，花蓮縣政府特別舉辦太平洋溫泉季，讓遊客來泡湯，還可以逛市集、聽演唱會，滿足聽覺、味覺等各種享受。

冬天到了，花蓮太平洋溫泉季也正式展開，為了吸引更多遊客駐足花蓮，今年的活動，縣府還串聯兩大百年溫泉區，果然吸引許多國內外遊客，特地來放鬆身心。

[[花蓮縣觀光處處長余明勲]]
“有兩種溫泉，一個叫做瑞穗的英雄泉，另外一個是安通的美人湯，它們代表了不同的泉質，對男生或對女生，對身體都有非常非常大的幫助。”

花蓮兩大溫泉區，其中「英雄泉」富含鐵質，是全台唯一的碳酸鹽泉，「美人湯」則是由15種以上的礦物質組成，泡完後皮膚會〝咕溜咕溜〞。除了泡湯，這次活動還結合市集、演唱會，更祭出超值套裝行程，並攜手在地知名旅宿，推出期間限定主題房，至於一日遊的旅客，可以搭火車來，再由縣府提供接駁車，讓旅客方便遊花蓮。

[[花蓮縣觀光處處長余明勲]]
“除了溫泉季之外，花蓮到年底之前，我們還有各式各樣的活動，包含我們的幸福聖誕城，是全台灣最有聖誕氛圍的耶誕城，當然還有跨年的太平洋的晚會，我們都會請到很多不同的國內或國外知名的歌星”

花蓮冬季精彩不間斷，除了溫泉季，接下來還有聖誕市集、跨年晚會等，滿滿精采活動，希望帶動人潮，帶動觀光，讓大家看到花蓮之美。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Taiwan exclusive live screening of F1 Grand Prix goes awfully wrong

A Formula One racing fan in Kaohsiung spent an eye-watering NT$670 to watch an exclusive livestream of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the theaters on Sunday, which was also the decisive race of the 2025 season. But the experience was so terrible, that they said they’d rather have watched it at home, for free. Let’s see how it all went down.

It’s starting at 9. It’s 8:56 now. What are we up to?
Watching the livestream on our phones!

The last and decisive Formula One Grand Prix race for the 2025 season is about to begin, but there’s still a long line outside the theater.

It’s out of order, so the phone it is.

When the audience was finally seated, there was nothing to see on the big screen, leaving them with no choice but to pull out their phones.

A Formula One fan in Kaohsiung spent NT$670 to watch an exclusive live screening of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In order to get a good seat, they even arrived two hours before show time, and had to wait another 90 minutes before the theater was scheduled to open, at 8:30 p.m. Things started to go south when it wasn’t open on time, and by the time they were allowed inside, the connection was faulty. They were eventually redirected to another theater, but by then many audience members had gone on to hog seats from others.

Audience
Went to see F1 livestream
It’s likely that there weren’t as many row of seats in the second place, and so many people didn’t sit where they were supposed to. Some people may have originally gotten seats toward the back, but when we changed theaters, they ended up taking the front row. I’d much rather have watched it at home.

The theaters offered some compensation in apology, in the form of free movie vouchers, as well as free meal tickets, by lottery, with a partnering restaurant. However, the movie vouchers expire on Jan. 31, a little over a month from now. Many people found the gesture insincere to say the least.

Member of audience
Commenting on ‘compensation’
It’s really insincere. There shouldn’t even be an expiry date, seeing that it’s compensation.

Member of audience
Commenting on ‘compensation’
It’s really unreasonable. It feels really perfunctory, just for them to say that they’ve compensated us.

The theaters responded by saying that a connection problem interrupted the screening, and so a part of the race was not screened, and that they offer their deepest apologies.

However, audience members aren’t satisfied with the statement, considering that the live screening went wrong in so many ways, not to mention that they had to pay a premium for the exclusive screening rights in Taiwan.

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

#movies #livestream #f1 #formulaone #racing

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High schoolers dine and dash after burning hot pot despite warnings

Four high schoolers in Chiayi recently went to a hot pot restaurant for a meal. Ignoring the instructions, they kept the heat on until the soup all burned off and started smoking, leaving a charred mess. But when the staff asked them to pay for the ruined pots, they ran off. In the end, the school brought the students back to apologize and take responsibility for their actions.

A roiling hot pot sits at a table, enticingly packed with food. After eating half, you add more soup to keep it from congealing. If you don’t, it could become like this.

It was like this, charred completely black with noodles stuck on top.

Some customers kept the heat on so long that the soup all cooked off, burning the rest into a charred mess and ruining the pot. This happened at a chain restaurant in Chiayi City. The culprits: four local high schoolers.

Restaurant manager
The first time, we asked them to shut off the fire so it wouldn’t keep smoking or whatever. The second time, we asked them to pay for the pots. But right after we spoke to them, they ran away.

The four students waited until the staff were busy to slip away. But a post about the incident was shared around until the school caught wind, and their teacher rushed them back to the restaurant to apologize and pay for the damages.

School representative
During lunch, we took the students back to the restaurant to apologize and negotiate compensation. We’ll use the morning assembly time to teach the students about dining etiquette.

Restaurant manager
If the heat is too high and there are any flammable materials nearby, it could easily catch fire.

If you keep the heat on until the pot is almost empty, there’s a risk that it will dry out and cause an incident. If the staff see, they’ll always give a reminder. But causing trouble for a restaurant like this is completely unacceptable. The school took advantage of the opportunity to educate their students about taking responsibility for their 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

#hotpot #burned #dineanddash #highschool #responsibility #compensation #restaurant #Chiayi #irresponsible

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Taiwan’s first chupa-chupa fruit grown in Pingtung goes on sale

There’s now a brand-new type of fruit to buy in Taiwan! Five years ago, the Jiuru九如 Township Farmers’ Association in Pingtung started growing the South American chupa-chupa fruit, which looks like a cross between a coconut and a pumpkin. Now the plants have finally fruited and are ready to enjoy. The outside looks like a coconut, but when cut open, it’s more like a pumpkin, with a fruit that tastes like a unique blend between persimmon and melon. But since the harvest is still limited, each one will set you back NT$500.

The fruits hanging off this tree look like coconuts, but it has broad leaves. So if it’s not a coconut tree, then what is it?

When cut open, the flesh inside is a pale orange color, kind of like a pumpkin. But eating it raw is just fine.

Member of public
It’s sweet. A little like persimmon. It has a bit of melon flavor too.

This is the chupa-chupa fruit from Latin America. Five years ago, the Jiuru Township Farmers’ Association in Pingtung imported the plant to cultivate. This year was its very first harvest. People say the first taste is heavenly.

Farmer
It’s delicious with a unique texture. The flavor is very suited to Taiwanese tastes. So the market has promising growth prospects in Taiwan.

Kung Tai-wen
Jiuru farmers’ association chair
The harvest is still going. There are still immature fruits high on the trees, and it will keep flowering. So you can harvest the fruit year-round here in Jiuru.

Chupa-chupa is a brand-new fruit to Taiwan. The Jiuru association currently only has two farmers cultivating 10 trees each, only two of which are fruiting. But they’ve started bringing it to market to test the waters.

Kung Tai-wen
Jiuru farmers’ association chair
There isn’t a lot, so we’re taking orders. The price is NT$500 for a large one.

Member of public
It’s not bad. Tasty. But it has too many strands. It’s a bit fibrous.

The association said the tree keeps growing year-round, meaning it will keep flowering while bearing fruit, making it a high-yield crop. They’re encouraging more farmers to try growing it too. Once the supply stabilizes, the price should come down.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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ITRI holds global summit on AI-assisted healthcare

Last Friday, ITRI held the Global Summit on Transforming Healthcare Through Digital Intelligence with experts from home and abroad, to exchange views on the latest trends in AI-assisted healthcare. Several Taiwanese innovations were presented, showcasing how ITRI has harnesses Taiwan’s industrial and research capabilities.

This device is secured with a leg strap and worn against the thigh. It emits electrical signals that stimulate the local nerves, allowing patients with Parkinson’s disease to move more easily. The device also contains sensors for the patient’s muscular electrophysiology, the data of which allows doctors to give more accurate diagnoses and prescriptions.

Like contactless payment, the device beeps when held close to orthopedic implants with chips. This device can monitor tendon tension and tissue recovery after a surgery. The chips used in this smart healthcare device were also made in Taiwan.

Chuang Yao-yu
ITRI biomedical research director
Taiwan holds an advantageous position in semiconductors, the ICT industry and healthcare. We can harness our medical data to improve healthcare outcomes.

Even generalized anxiety disorder is getting an AI-powered solution.

The device is worn like a pair of headphones. It forms an electrode array that stimulates the vagus nerve to relieve anxiety and help the patient feel more relaxed. Under the doctor’s instruction, the device can be used as complementary therapy, which is especially suited to patients with drug allergies or those experiencing excessive side effects. All these innovations showcase how ITRI is harnessing Taiwan’s industrial and research capabilities to promote AI-assisted healthcare.

Stephen Hahn
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It’s already being done in the agency. There’s very clear information for developers of medical products to actually use AI in them. And as long as you follow the guidance from the FDA, I think the pathway will be relatively smooth.

The former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration was one of the many international experts speaking at the summit, contributing to lively exchanges and insights for global AI-assisted healthcare.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Voice of Witness
Heard the noise
It was just a loud bang. There were no signs that it was going to blow up.

Resident
Banqiao
It was an extremely loud noise. I never heard anything like it. It felt like a whole building was coming down. And then things flew by! There was so much glass.

Chen Chung-yueh
New Taipei Fire Department
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Chiu Feng-chang
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The floor slab on the second and third floors appear to be damaged in the preliminary inspection.

Hou Yu-ih
New Taipei Mayor
I have ordered the formation of a special task force to assist in offering compensation for those who suffered damages. Whether there was a link between the explosion and the business operations will be investigated and later explained to the public.

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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

#banqiao #newtaipei #gas #gasexplosion #taiwan

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