Hot pot shop fire sends 5 to hospital in Ximen

Hot pot shop fire sends 5 to hospital in Ximen

2026-01-19

A fire broke out at a popular hot pot restaurant in Taipei on Monday morning, sending five people to the hospital. The blaze is thought to have started in the basement storage area of the decades-old Yaxiang Stone Hot Pot main shop in Ximending, at around 10 in the morning. Thick smoke quickly spread upward, filling the building and causing five people to suffer breathing-related conditions that required medical attention. The fire also caused a power outage that affected more than 400 households in the neighborhood. Let’s hear more.

5th Floor resident
Affected by fire
I heard people calling out for help really loudly. Inside my home, I couldn’t take it. My eyes could barely open. Some people had already come downstairs. They were coughing for about half an hour, and their eyes were all red.

Nearby shopkeeper
Saw the fire
The smoke was really thick. Even in the back alley, it smelt really strongly of dioxins. I even feel dizzy now. There was a blackout. I kept the shop open but I couldn’t pull the shutters down.

Nobody inside the restaurant suffered injuries, but the residents staying in the floors above the eatery did, due to inhaling the fumes of the blaze. Among the five people taken to the hospital were three South Korean tourists. Other residents who were unharmed by the blaze say they are afraid of returning home for now. Some of them packed up their belongings, bags and pets to move somewhere else for some time. The hot pot restaurant itself has suspended operations temporarily, until the shop is fixed back up. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but police and fire department officials believe it may have started due to an electrical short circuit.

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#fire #ximen #hotpot #fondue #taipei

西門町"雅香火鍋"地下室起火竄煙 5人嗆傷.400多戶停電

2026-01-19

台北市西門町知名的老牌店家「雅香火鍋」，發生火警！週一上午接近十點，地下室倉庫突然起火，濃煙迅速向上竄，造成5人嗆傷送醫，而這一燒，還造成附近四百多戶停電。

[[5樓住戶]]
“我是聽到有人喊救命，而且喊很大聲，在家裡面就已經沒有辦法，眼睛有點睜不開，有的人已經下來咳了大概半小時吧，眼睛都是紅的。”

[[附近店家]]
“煙非常大，後面巷子都有戴奧辛的味道非常的重，我現在頭還很暈。就沒電啊，我是繼續營業啦，鐵門也關不下來啊。”

餐廳人沒事，但樓上民眾不是被嗆傷，就是呼吸困難，一共5人送醫，其中3人是韓國籍旅客。而其他沒送醫的住戶，也暫時不敢住了，家當、行李、寵物通通帶出來，只能暫住他處，至於樓下火鍋店也暫時無法營業。起火原因，還要調查，警消初步懷疑，可能是電線短路、引發火災。

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‘Secret password’ needed to eat at stinky tofu spot in Keelung’s mountains

There’s a stinky tofu restaurant in the mountains of Keelung run by just one person. He’s come up with many creative ways to serve the classic, but his specialty is making sure it’s extra stinky, joking that it’s a lethal weapon. When customers come in, they might not see the owner. They have to shout his name and say they want to eat stinky tofu for him to appear.

Blocks of stinky tofu are fried until golden brown and crispy, then drizzled with sauce. Or you can get it steamed and silky like tofu pudding. This Keelung restaurant is legendary in the world of stinky tofu.

Up in the mountains of Keelung, the road up to this makeshift restaurant is surrounded by trees and greenery. Handmade signs cover the outside. After calling a few times, the owner comes out.

Hu Yuan-hsing
Restaurant owner
When you arrive, you need to give the secret password. Call for A-hsing阿興. It’s rustic and homey. When you come here, call for A-hsing, and I’ll know you’re my customer. If you just call for the boss, sorry, it could be the neighbor across the way or next door.

Hu Yuan-hsing has been selling stinky tofu for 30 years, all without any help. He’s busy running the kitchen by himself, so when you arrive, remember to shout out: “A-hsing! I want stinky tofu.”

Customer
My husband suggested I come check it out. It’s strange to get stinky tofu in the mountains. I found it weird when I got here.

Customer
I saw it online and came out of curiosity. Everyone said the owner is a strange guy, and so is the tofu. That it’s really stinky. I drove for 40 minutes to get here.

The owner jokingly calls his tofu a “lethal weapon.” He’s come up with all kinds of ways to serve it, from steamed, to boiled, braised, and fried. You can also choose how stinky you want it, from medium to very stinky, up to extra stinky.

Customer
It’s a new experience. I haven’t had it before. I’m still getting used to it. It’s definitely stinky enough. If this were in the city, you’d definitely get complaints since it’s so smelly.

Many customers discovered this place online, where people are recommending it as an especially smelly, but also interesting experience.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Kaohsiung restaurants offer generous noodles, lunchbox for surprising prices

One breakfast restaurant in Kaohsiung is lovingly called the end-of-the-month savior by residents, who are grateful for its low prices. A bowl of pan-fried noodles packed with ingredients is only NT$50. Another place in Niaosong District offers a chicken drumstick lunchbox for just NT$65. At both restaurants, you can eat your fill for barely anything at all.

Steaming hot pan-fried noodles are served! There’s the usual noodles and pork slivers, but also all kinds of hot pot add-ons, an egg, and leafy greens. It’s particularly satisfying on a cold winter’s day. But the price isn’t what you might think. For this huge and filling bowl of noodles, you only need to pay NT$50!

Customer
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It’s not bad, and so cheap. The price is what’s special. This would be NT$80 other places, but here it’s only NT$50.

Customer
Finds prices cheap
It’s hard to find anything for NT$50 these days. And they use nice ingredients. It’s good. A rarity.

Customer
Finds prices cheap
Most of all, it also tastes good. They don’t just throw anything in there for NT$50. There’s plenty, and it’s affordable.

This breakfast restaurant in Kaohsiung’s Sanmin District has been in business for 30 years. It’s always packed, on weekdays as well as weekends. People call it the end-of-the-month savior. Other things on the menu are just as affordable. The bowl of noodles used to be NT$40, but they had to raise the price three years ago.

Restaurant owner
Kept prices affordable
I just run it with my mom and dad. It’s just us. We don’t really have any other expenses. As long as we can get by, it’s fine.

Over in Niaosong District, this buffet restaurant has been open for 18 years. The big red banner out front advertises their chicken drumstick lunchbox for just NT$65. But how much food can you really get for NT$65?

You can see these pieces of sizzling chicken really are huge, with crispy skin that makes your mouth water. Customers can choose three sides to go with it, all on top of a bed of rice. It’s more than enough to fill you up.

Restaurant owner
Kept prices affordable
It was NT$50 for many years, but we had to raise prices.

Customer
Finds prices cheap
It’s delicious. It’s very cheap, very reasonable.

Mouthwatering noodles and chicken for eye-wateringly cheap prices. But you definitely saw that right. Especially at a time when prices are rising everywhere, places like this are a godsend for students and anyone who needs a little help with their pocketbook.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Chinese influencer gets residency revoked after controversial takes

Another Chinese influencer has had her residency in Taiwan revoked, after stirring controversy in the country. This time around, it’s Guan Guan, a native of Guangdong who was previously married to a Taiwanese man. Guan Guan recently posted videos declaring that Chinese flags would eventually cover Taiwan, and last year even went to Machangding to pay tribute to CCP spies. She is the latest in a string of Chinese marriage migrants to lose residency over controversial statements regarding cross-strait relations, following Ya-ya, Xiao Wei, Enqi, and Qian Li. Interior Minister Liu Shih-fang says the decision was made through joint review meetings in accordance with the Cross-Strait Act. The case has reignited debate over national security, free speech, and cross-strait influence.

Guan Guan
Chinese influencer
In two days I will be forced to leave. I strongly protest against die-hard Taiwan independence separatist Liu Shih-fang for stripping me of my legal residency right in Taiwan.

Chinese influencer Guan Guan is from Guangdong, China, and was previously married to a Taiwanese man. She’s posted many controversial videos on TikTok, from claiming that Chinese flags will one day cover Taiwan, to wishing for the unification of Taiwan with China for the “prosperity of the motherland.” To escape the heat, she at one point deleted some of her videos and changed her username to “Little chili.” She also went to pay tribute to communist spies Wu Shi and Zhu Feng. Recently, she’s had her residency rights revoked by the National Immigration Agency.

Guan Guan
Chinese influencer
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland are all Chinese territory. How am I belittling national sovereignty?

Pa Chiung
Taiwanese influencer
What’s wrong with people like her getting deported? It doesn’t matter what country you are in, if you say that you hope your host country will get annexed, in a democracy, they will just deport you. Meanwhile, why I am wanted by the Chinese Communist Party in your country, the People’s Republic of China?

Guan Guan left Taiwan voluntarily, but not without one last taunt saying that a reunion would come on the day of China’s unification with Taiwan. Sources say the NIA revoked her residency because her statements went beyond the bounds of freedom of speech, rallied support for armed aggression against Taiwan, and belittled Taiwan’s national sovereignty.

Liu Shih-fang
Minister of the Interior
All cases and related issues are handled through joint review meetings in accordance with the Cross-Strait Act.

In recent days, another Chinese marriage migrant has sparked criticism online after making a post complaining about traditional characters in her child’s homework, which she found cumbersome to write. She said she hoped cross-strait unification would come soon so that simplified characters could take over.

Liu Shih-fang
Minister of the interior
There is no upcoming unification. We in the ROC use traditional characters.

Chen Pei-yu
Lawmaker (DPP)
We engage in academic exchanges with China. But did you know that when reading classical texts, students from Chinese universities ask us about how traditional characters are written, and how they can be interpreted. So please respect the choices of the people of Taiwan.

Last year, several Chinese influencers married to Taiwanese nationals were deported from Taiwan. Among them, Enqi returned to China, where she has continued hosting livestreams about Taiwan and cross-strait issues, which earned her a warning from security officers.

- Turn it off.
- Turn it off, I’m telling you.
- It’s a difficult road.

Enqi was visibly shaking after the exchange. It turns out that back in China, she might be missing the freedoms she once had in Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Three kids are recorded playing with balloons in the living room. The girl on the right has her face up against a unicorn balloon. She clutches the balloon tightly in her hands, runs a lap and suddenly collapses onto the floor. Her younger siblings didn’t find this strange at all. About a minute later, the father comes out from the restroom. He also didn’t notice any abnormality.

Mr. Wu
Father
She was lying on her side and curled up, but there was a pool of urine spilling out from her. So I asked her, “Why did you pee on the floor?” She didn’t respond. So I went back to put on my pants.

About another minute or so, the father began to realize that something was wrong. So he got dressed and removed the foil balloon from the girl’s face. He was frightened by what he saw then.

Mr. Wu
Father
I pulled the balloon off her, and noticed there was suction between the balloon and her face, so I removed it forcefully. That’s when I noticed that her lips had completely darkened. So I yelled at her, and she awakened, and started to cry loudly. I was so shocked. I almost thought she died.

Mr. Wu recounted this scary incident. His eldest daughter, a 6-year-old girl, was playing with this exact foil balloon in the shape of a unicorn head. There was a hole in the balloon, so the girl thought she’d inflate it with her mouth, only to risk losing her life. The doctor said that would certainly be the case if she were to inhale a greater amount of helium gas from the balloon.

Mr. Wu
Father
She held it up against her face to blow it up. But kids don’t know how to blow up a balloon properly. So she blew into it, and then stopped to inhale so she could blow more air. But she ended up inhaling the helium gas that was inside. After a few inhales and a few steps on her feet, she suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Yen Tzung-hai
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital medical toxicologist
Helium gas itself isn’t toxic, but inhaling helium gas lowers the oxygen level in the body. If the helium reaches a certain concentration, it would lower the oxygen level in the body to the extent that the patient starts showing symptoms of hypoxemia.

Helium foil balloons in all sorts of adorable styles are children’s favorite. They’re also a must-have in birthday parties. A balloon vendor cautions that kids could deliberately inhale the helium gas for its voice-altering effect.

Balloon vendor
Describing effect of inhaling helium
After you inhale, you voice will change because of the gas, it’s amusing.

Meanwhile, doctors also remind parents to be cautious when their kids are playing with balloons, as they could be hazardous no matter what it’s filled up with.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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TPP chair briefly takes out classified defense documents

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Huang Kuo-chang
Lawmaker (TPP)
When I was leaving, I took with me the materials prepared by the Ministry of National Defense with a stack of documents I had prepared myself. I only realized that I was taking the stack of materials from the defense ministry when I reached the stairs. So I went back to the committee and handed the papers back.

Wang Ting-yu
Foreign and National Defense Committee
Just shortly after Huang stepped out, officers from the Ministry of National Defense reported that the meeting had to be suspended, as classified documents had been taken out of the meeting room. It was right there and then that we asked the officer to leave the room and retrieve the documents.

Whenever the Foreign and National Defense Committee convenes a classified meeting, all participants are required to sign confidentiality agreements. In addition, any communication devices such as mobile phones are collected and stored centrally during the duration of the meeting. Military police hold a security sweep in advance, and attendees must pass through screening detectors. All classified reports bear a unique watermark and serial number corresponding to each participant, and the documents are placed on their assigned seats. At the end of the meeting, every participant is required to hand the classified materials back, making missing documents very clear.

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Taiwan’s trade negotiations team touches down Monday morning

After months of talks since US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal tariffs,” Taiwan has secured the two most-favored outcomes it has sought. The first one is a “reciprocal tariff” rate of 15% without stacking. That’s down from 32% at the start. The second is granting Taiwan semiconductors and related products the most favorable treatment under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, if the act were to be invoked. The team, led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun and chief negotiator Yang Jen-ni, touched down at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6 a.m. Monday morning, and were warmly welcomed by Premier Cho Jung-tai. The president also commended the team’s efforts at a ceremony recognizing outstanding career officials later in the morning, with Cheng also in attendance.

Taiwan’s trade team, led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun and chief negotiator Yang Jen-ni, touched down at Taoyuan International Airport around 6 a.m. Monday morning. They were warmly greeted by several lawmakers.

Many more awaited their arrival, including representatives of industry associations, holding placards commending the president’s and vice premier’s leadership. Premier Cho Jung-tai offered the team bouquets of nanoprinted orchids bearing the flags of Taiwan and the US.

Cho Jung-tai
Premier
The whole negotiation process was really, really tough. We have in fact gained substantive and meaningful results throughout the process. Of course, it’s going to be a tough road ahead. At 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, we will hold a formal press conference at the Executive Yuan to formally explain our results, with the vice premier and chief trade negotiator.

Cheng Li-chiun
Vice Premier
I only knew that the premier was coming on the flight, because apparently he asked our colleagues to keep it a secret. So I was so nervous on the flight that I couldn’t sleep. In fact, the president and premier are always on standby in Taiwan despite the time-zone difference. They’re always just a phone call away for me to seek advice and gain approval. The entire government, everyone, had worked so hard together to be here today. Our negotiations with the US on supply chain partnership prove one thing. That is, through the efforts of the Taiwanese, Taiwan’s technologies and industries have become a key force in the world.

The vice premier gave credits to all government officials for the trade deal, as well as emphasized Taiwan’s global leadership in advanced technologies. The chief trade negotiator, Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni, couldn’t help but shed a tear. Immediately after returning to Taiwan, the vice premier headed to the Presidential Office to attend a ceremony hosted by the president, to recognize outstanding career officials for the year 2025. President Lai Ching-te also commended the trade team in his remarks.

Lai Ching-te
President
I would like to thank Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun for leading the negotiations team for successfully gaining Taiwan trade terms on par with major US allies. This also allows Taiwan to gain the best possibly competitive footing amid changing world order. Seeing the results of the trade talks, I, as president, will certainly propel Taiwan forward along the path of progress.

The president is confident in his leadership amid unstable global order. Meanwhile, the Executive Yuan will also hold a press conference on Tuesday morning, for the negotiations team to fully and directly present the terms of the trade deal to the country.

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

#tariffs #taiwan #us #trade #international

2026-01-19