Controversial stinky tofu’s new Bitan shop fined on 2nd day of opening

2026-07-06

A stinky tofu restaurant from Hualien, famous for its extra-flavorful tofu, has opened a new location in New Taipei’s Bitan Scenic Area. But already, on its second day of opening, local authorities have stepped in. Not for the horrible stench, but for the shop’s failure to put up signage for its waste storage area. Even though the smell has not gotten the shop into trouble yet, as it has for other locations, locals say the odor is still not completely inescapable.

Deep-fried until golden and crispy, and paired with zesty fermented cabbage, this stinky tofu is not to be missed for many street food lovers. Not least from this famous, or rather, infamous chain store from Hualien. The new shop in Bitan sees no end in the line of customers, and also authorities.

Wu Jui-lin
FTV reporter
Yuli Qiaotou Stinky Tofu’s Bitan shop has just opened. And on its second day in business, inspectors from the Department of Environmental Protection have already showed up at its doorsteps, all because the store failed to put up signage for the waste storing area.

Passers-by took photos of the inspected site. Although the shop is notorious for its extra flavorful tofu, complaints were made not for their signature dish, but for their failure to signal the shop’s waste storage area in accordance with the law. If the shop does not remedy the situation by the due date, it will be fined up to NT$3 million, which the store can only expect to make after selling tens of thousands of portions.

Visitor
Bitan Scenic Area
I was wondering why it’s not open today. Are they normally off on this day of the week? Or did someone protest?

The visitor had wanted to stop by the well-known establishment, but too bad it’s closed today. Before the Bitan shop opened, the stinky tofu store had already made headlines for its stench. After the Taipei store in Dazhi opened, local residents had filed multiple reports. One person was so stressed out by the smell that they almost went bald from pulling out their hair. As a result, the Taipei store was fined NT$585,000. Another store in Keelung had closed down in May this year after locals repeatedly filed complaints.

- No one knows.
- I have no idea who reported them.
- Me neither.
- The complainer has nothing better to do.
- Have you been getting more customers recently?
- More or less.

Nearby shop
Bitan Scenic Area
The smell isn’t too bad. Some of it gets in here, but it’s still tolerable. But if you were to step out, because of the heat and wind, the smell is a little worse. It probably smells a little stronger when they’re fermenting the stuff, but it’s not such a big deal when they’re not open.

Although it’s true that the tofu shop’s opening drew in larger crowds and business to the area, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare for local residents. New Taipei’s Department of Environmental Protection has pledged to conduct more frequent inspections of the notorious eatery.

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

#stinkytofu #臭豆腐 #food #streetfood #newbusiness

"玉里橋頭臭豆腐"碧潭店開幕第2天火速遭環保局開單

2026-07-06

聞名全台的花蓮排隊名店「玉里橋頭臭豆腐」進軍新北碧潭，沒想到才剛開門第二天，環保局就先上門！原來是因為「廢棄物貯存區沒有依規定標示」，才被告發。雖然這次不是因為臭味問題，但附近店家說，多少有味道。

金黃酥脆的臭豆腐，搭配酸爽泡菜，讓無數饕客流口水的「人間臭味」，正式插旗新北碧潭，週末兩天都湧現排隊人潮，不過跟著到場的，還有他們。

[[民視記者吳瑞霖]]
“玉里橋頭臭豆腐碧潭店剛開幕，沒想到第二天，就被環保局上門稽查，原因就出在廢棄物存放區沒標示清楚。”

民眾看傻眼，拍下稽查畫面，開幕第二天就被檢舉，不是因為味道，而是因為「廢棄物貯存區沒有依規定標示」，直接被依法告發，如果限期沒改善，最高得面臨「300萬罰鍰」，恐怕要賣出好幾萬份臭豆腐，才補得回來。

[[遊客]]
“我本來想說今天有沒有開?不知道是不是公休日啊，還是有人抗議?”

慕名而來，卻碰上店家公休，民眾有點失望，不過玉里橋頭臭豆腐，實在臭到出名，今年初台北大直店，才遭附近住戶憤而檢舉，有住戶甚至焦慮到快把頭髮拔光，環保局因此重罰店家58.5萬元；基隆店則因屢屢遭檢舉，在5月初收攤。

-沒有人知道
-我不知道誰檢舉的
-我也不知道
-吃飽太閒
-客人有變比較多嗎
-多少啦

[[附近店家]]
“味道還好啦，就是會飄進來一點點，但是還可以忍受。但是出去外面的時候，因為有熱度跟風向，會比較稍微臭一點點。可能他們在處理的那個過程中，可能味道比較重一點，沒開就還好。”

臭豆腐名店進駐首個周末，帶來人潮和錢潮，不過臭味問題依舊困擾附近住戶，新北環保局也表示，未來會「加強稽查」，如果違規，就會嚴懲。

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Deflated Chiikawa hot air balloon amuses visitors at Taitung event

2026-07-06

Elderly man in New Taipei has hoarded rooftop pile of trash

The animated film “Castle in the Sky” is a beloved Studio Ghibli classic that many reminisce over, but New Taipei’s Xinzhuang District over the years has become home to something local residents would rather forget: a trash heap in the sky. An elderly man claims the almighty above told him to start collecting all these old goods on his roof several stories up in order to research nuclear energy, but local residents have their own concerns, like bad odors, cockroaches, mice, and, most dangerous of all, falling trash.

It’s scorching hot, and these workers with the Environmental Protection Department are dealing with the stifling heat as well as the stifling scents in this trash. All this junk has been piling up for years in what’s essentially a trash heap in the sky. This hoarder residence in New Taipei’s Xinzhuang District is a public health and safety disaster just waiting to happen.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may be a myth, but this trash heap hanging over Xinzhuang is an unwanted reality that, for years, residents have put up with. The combination of old complaints about its bad odors, cockroaches, and mice along with new concerns about looming typhoons potentially leading to people getting hit by trash dropping down from above was the impetus for the District Office and Environmental Protection Department to start cleaning up the mess.

Local resident
Ecstatic
For the local residents, it’s something everyone’s excited about; it’s like a weight has been lifted off your chest. Typhoon Bavi is coming, and if something ends up falling down and hitting someone, well, then the government will be liable. Seeing the government using their authority like this is something that we’re extremely excited to see.

This astonishing heap of trash is believed to be about 50 ping, which is why the authorities have estimated that they’ll need up to 14 working days to clean up the entire mess. As for the elderly hoarder, his master plan for the trash was studying nuclear energy.

Mr. Gao
Owner of trash heap
I’ve done it all for nuclear power. These people just don’t get it; it was God who told me to do this. You people have all the authority, so you clean it up. What can I do about it? There’s nothing I can do. Starting last night at 3 a.m., I went to burn incense and talk with God. I told him there’s nothing I can do. When the authorities come, there’s nothing I can do.

The cost of cleaning up this mountain of trash will be about NT$2 million, which will need to be entirely paid for by the elderly resident. If he isn’t willing to foot the bill because he doesn’t have the money, then his home may be foreclosed.

Tsai Ming-hsiang
Borough chief in Xinzhuang District
We need to plan ahead, in case a future typhoon does hit Taiwan directly, because we’ll need to extend the removal process if two weeks isn’t enough to clean it all up.

In the short term, the removal process may take around half a month, but in the long term light can finally be seen at the end of the tunnel, as this potential trash heap crisis will finally be taken away from the eyes and minds of local residents.

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

#hoarder #New Taipei #Xinzhuang #trashy

2026-07-06

Media personality Yaita Akio punched in the face by Chinese-born HK man

2026-07-06

President Lai thanks Chen Chien-jen, the new President of Academia Sinica

Monday may have been the 36th Convocation of Academicians, but for former Vice President Chen Chien-jen it’s a very special occasion, as the event is Chen’s first since he took over as President of Academia Sinica in June. During their speeches, President Lai Ching-te thanked Chen for his contributions to Taiwan and Chen expressed his gratitude to the institution’s past presidents and its many academicians.

Walking next to President Lai Ching-te is Chen Chien-jen. Both men are attending the opening ceremony of the convocation of Academia Sinica, an institution that Chen has been leading since mid-June. This is the first public appearance Chen and Lai have had together since Chen took over as president of the research institution. After stepping onto stage together, President Lai thanked Chen for his contributions to the government over the years.

Lai Ching-te
President
Dr. Chen, President of Academia Sinica, often says that he aspires to be “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth,” and that he hopes to be a candle, that by being lit can bring light to Taiwan. During a time when our country is facing massive challenges, Dr. Chen brings calm to the masses, and people admire him for being a pillar of professionalism.

Chen Chien-jen
Academia Sinica president
When I first took over as president of this institution, I felt the enormous amount of responsibility this position entails. All the success Academia Sinica has had up to this point is a result of the past presidents of this institution as well as the many years of hard work of all the members. Also important is the many years of support from President Lai, the Executive Yuan, Legislative Yuan, and all of society in general.

This convocation is Chen’s first since he took over as the institution’s president. Over 200 academicians from Taiwan and abroad returned to Taipei to attend the event. President Lai expressed his gratitude to the current and past presidents of Academia Sinica, as the long-term, close-knit relationship the institution and government has had has helped Taiwan find success in many different fields of science and technology.

Lai Ching-te
President
In the last decade, Academia Sinica has achieved incredible research results in many important fields. These accomplishments have played a close role in the government’s planning for the future. For example, Academia Sinica developed its own 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer. Things like this are part of the government’s Ten AI Initiatives Promotion Plan.

Chen Chien-jen
Academia Sinica president
For many of the challenges we’re facing, like the restructuring of geopolitics and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, Academia Sinica is serving as a national-level academic research institution that seeks to provide new methods to solve issues society is currently trying to deal with.

In the past, Chen was Vice President when Lai was Premier, and even though they have very different roles now, both leaders are once again working together.

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

#quantumcomputing #AcademiaSinica #AI #kindwords #research

2026-07-06

Man in sandals spotted jogging along median shoulder of highway

2026-07-06

Controversial stinky tofu’s new Bitan shop fined on 2nd day of opening