Ice sculptors, florists work behind the scenes to keep hotels beautiful

Ice sculptors, florists work behind the scenes to keep hotels beautiful

2026-04-02

The most visible hotel employees work at reception. But there’s a whole team of people working hard behind the scenes as well. Two of these hidden jobs are the florists and ice sculptors. Although they’re not public facing, these staff are essential to the decor of every event. As many hotels find it hard to hire these professionals, many are willing to hire them on as full-time employees to maintain quality.

Couples all hope for a romantic and perfect wedding. But did you know? Long before they even get to the venue, there’s a whole team of people getting ready.

Huge blocks of ice fresh from the freezer are assembled into an Eiffel Tower. Nearby, florists adjust the placement of each and every flower.

An ice sculptor focuses intently on his work, his movements precise. Lai Lung-chu has been carving ice for 30 years. He used to be a chef of Chinese cuisine, but later got a taste of fruit carving. After winning multiple gold medals, he eventually made the foray into ice sculpting.

Lai Lung-chu
Hotel ice sculptor
This special tool is specifically for carving flowers. It isn’t something you can just buy in Taiwan. It’s imported.

Using this other speciality tool is sculptor Pan Chih-hao, who only needed three minutes to make this gorgeous bouquet. After they’re finished, the sculptures need to go straight back into the freezer.

Lai Lung-chu
Hotel ice sculptor
At negative-20 degrees, it’s a very low-temperature freezer for ice sculptures. We wear heavy winter coats. In this cold, you have to step out about every half hour.

Off in this other hidden corner of the hotel is a corridor that smells sweetly of flowers.

Wu Chiung-hui
Hotel florist
This is where we work. We use only fresh flowers in this hotel. When flowers come back from meetings or banquets, we’ll keep them here. For instance, we can use the roses for their petals.

To make sure that guests only see the most beautiful flowers, there’s also this secret area.

Wu Chiung-hui
Hotel florist
I’ll take you to see the fridge. It’s around 13 to 14 degrees, like the vegetable crisper in your typical refrigerator. When we finish an arrangement, we’ll put it in here so it’ll look its best when it goes out tomorrow.

Tien Yi-hsien
Hotel HR associate
Full-time employees better understand our company culture, clients, and products. Therefore, when interacting with guests, they can more clearly understand their needs and desires. Companies certainly care about costs, and we do as well, but we believe they’re an essential investment.

You heard it straight from the management: These behind-the-scenes helpers are a hotel’s best investment.

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

#hotels #icesculpting #icesculpture #florist #flowerarranging #wedding #banquet #oddjobs

飯店隱藏員工! 冰雕師、花藝師成最強幕後推手

2026-04-02

走進飯店，常見櫃檯以及接待人員，不過其實飯店還有一群默默堅守崗位職人，冰雕師以及花藝師，他們不是站在第一線，卻撐起飯店和每一場活動的布置，而面臨缺工問題，不少產業人力吃緊，飯店業者卻願意把這些幕後推手留在體制內，成為正職員工，就是希望維持品質。

一場幸福婚禮，浪漫又完美，但你知道嗎？在新人走進會場前，其實早就有一群人，默默忙了一整天。

從冷凍庫剛拿出來的大塊冰雕，一層層組裝變成巴黎鐵塔，一旁花藝師調整花朵放置處，每一個角度，都不馬虎。

冰雕師神情專注，動作俐落，他是擁有30年冰雕經驗的賴龍柱，原本是中餐廚師，後來接觸水果雕刻，拿過多次比賽金牌後，最終走進冰雕世界。

[[飯店冰雕師賴龍柱]]
“這個特殊的工具，是專門在刻花朵使用的，所以這個工具，不是在台灣就可以買得到，這是進口的"

用這把特殊工具，另一位冰雕師潘志豪，只花三分鐘就雕出美麗花束。冰雕完成後，還得馬上送進冷凍庫保存。

[[飯店冰雕師賴龍柱]]
“零下20度，是非常低溫的一個冰雕冷凍庫，會穿防寒大衣來，這個低溫，大概半個小時一定要出去"

飯店還有另一個隱藏空間，沿路走過來，就能聞到淡淡花香。

[[飯店花藝師吳瓊惠]]
“這邊就是我們的工作的地方，我們飯店所有的花都是要用鮮花，那我們像會議啊，婚宴的花回來啊，我們就會把它留下來，像玫瑰花頭，我們就可以把它拿來當花瓣"
為了讓客人看到最美的花，還藏了一個秘密基地。

[[飯店花藝師吳瓊惠]]
“那我帶你們去看一下我們的冰箱，13到14度左右，就是像我們一般冰箱裡面，蔬果室的溫度，做完之後，我們會先放冰箱裡面，明天出去的時候，它是最漂亮的"

[[飯店人資部協理田伊仙]]
“專職同仁他更了解，我們整個公司的文化，以及我們的客群，還有我們的產品，所以在跟客人的應對上面，他們可以更加清楚，知道客人的需求以及喜好，企業對於成本的考量，當然是非常重視的，當然我們會覺得，對於他們來講，是我們的一個很重大的投資"

這些幕後幫手，也被飯店視為最好的投資。

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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Two police officers squat by the sidewalk. They were notified of this discarded plastic bag full of unfired bullets.

In total, the bag contains 114 shotgun bullets.

Wang Yu-chun
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We’re now on Fujin Street, where the plastic bag containing bullets was discarded—right here. A passer-by noticed the bag and found that it contained a large number of bullets. Frightened, they called the police.

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I find it incredible. How can this possibly be? Because the whole Minsheng Community is very well managed.

The bullets came from the home of a man surnamed Liu, who had hired a private waste management company. His live-in domestic worker assumed that the bag of bullets was to be discarded too, so it was handed over to the waste collector, a man surnamed Lee, who was shocked to find that it was filled with unfired bullets. Not knowing what to do, Lee left it on the roadside. The police eventually tracked down Liu, who claimed that the bullets belonged to his late grandfather, who had a permit to possess a shotgun. Liu also claimed that his grandfather’s shotgun was turned in to authorities, but that he was unaware that there was still a bag of bullets at home.

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We’ve finalized interviews about the case in violation of the Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives Control Act, and filed it with local prosecutors.

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It’s almost 31 years since legendary singer Teresa Teng had an asthma attack and passed away in a hotel room in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recently, the hotel butler that served her that day finally spilled it all on Chinese social media. Speaking to a RedNote influencer, the butler, Billy recalled that Teng had an asthma attack in the shower at the hotel room. She had just gotten back after exercising, and didn’t have medications within reach. Her partner Paul Quilery was also away. There was also a traffic jam on the way to the hospital, so she unfortunately missed the life-saving golden window.

Teresa Teng’s beautiful singing voice reverberates, almost 31 years on. Details of that fateful day when she passed away remain shrouded in mystery. That’s until recently, when Billy, the hotel butler that served her in Chiang Mai, gave an interview with a Chinese influencer on RedNote.

- I called the manager, and the manager told us to send her to the hospital.
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- But had she used it at any point that day?
- No.
- But what happened could’ve been avoided had she used it, right?
- I understand.

The legendary singer passed away on May 8, 1995 from an asthma attack in a hotel in Chiang Mai. The butler recalls that on the day she died, he had entered her room and asked her what else she wanted for breakfast. In the afternoon, Teng had returned to her room to shower after exercising. That was when she had an asthma attack. She didn’t have an inhaler within reach, and her partner Paul Quilery was also away.

- We rushed her to the hospital, but there was a traffic jam, so we missed the golden window. She could not be resuscitated at the hospital, and soon afterwards, well…
- It was really rushed. By then, she had spasms and numbness in the limbs.
- Yes, spasms and numbness. The doctor also said she hadn’t seen the doctor in a long time.

After Teng died, Billy was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the hotel. However, being unable to save the singer prompted him to learn emergency first aid skills. That way, he would be able to help should he ever run into a similar incident again.

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Asthma patients could get an asthma attack anytime and anywhere, and so patients are advised to carry medications that expand the trachea at all times. Patients are especially prone to attacks when they inhale polluted air, after strenuous exercise, or when they inhale cold air.

Although Teresa Teng passed away all too soon, her music and images remain in the heart of fans worldwide.

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A taxi appears to sink in the lake outside the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, headlights still on. The shocking sight startled passersby, who called the police to report a vehicle had plunged into the water.

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