Unruly drunk man harasses pipa player mid-performance

2026-11-05

An unruly drunk man ruined a street performance that a pipa player was putting on in Taipei’s bustling Xinyi District. The player was getting to the end of her show when a man reeking of alcohol approached her and demanded she play a song of his choosing. She accepted his request, but shortly after was interrupted by the man who whistled at her and got too close to her. The last straw was when he reached out and touched her music stand. Let’s hear from the pipa player Ruen Ying.

Ruen Ying
Picked-on Pipa player
I was dead scared at the time. There was quite a large crowd in a circle, but he stepped really close to me, and stretched out his arms to get a touch. He ended up touching my music stand. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get away since I was carrying my pipa. I stopped the show and told him that I wouldn’t continue until he went and stood behind the line. That way, everyone watching was focused on him. I think it was a good way to handle it.

Ruen Ying has been playing the pipa for 18 years now. At the insistence of her friends, she signed up to the exams to become a licensed street performer. For the past five years, she has been filling the capital with her music, racking up more than 30,000 followers on social media. She says the uncomfortable encounter with the drunken man was the first negative experience she’s had, adding that she’ll be more alert in the future.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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#pipa #琵琶 #streetperformer #taipei #music

騷擾! 遭男子吹口哨.多次逼近琵琶街頭藝人出面控訴

2026-11-05

一名表演琵琶的街頭藝人潤潁，週三晚上在信義區香堤大道表演，結束後準備收拾東西時，突然有一名渾身酒氣的黑衣男子闖進表演區域，先是對她大吼說要點歌，原本潤潁還是為他表演，想不到表演過程，男子卻開始吹口哨，多次逼近，甚至還動手想碰譜架，讓表演者覺得相當不尊重人，現身吐露委屈。

[[街頭藝人潤潁]]
“當下我是覺得滿恐怖的，雖然就是我前面有很多觀眾，但是他離我真的很近，就是他直接伸手就可以碰到我，而且他其實有伸手碰到我的譜架，所以我就有點擔心，因為我抱著我的琴，也沒辦法馬上逃跑。可以先停止演出，然後先跟他說，你要離開線外，我們再開始繼續演出，就是讓觀眾都聚焦在他身上，我覺得這個方法還不錯。”

街頭藝人潤潁學琵琶18年，在朋友建議下，考了街頭藝人證照，一路也表演了5年多，在社群也有3萬粉絲，這回頭一次碰到無理客人，雖然有驚無險，但未來也會提高警覺，避免再被騷擾。

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Furikake fury breaks out as parents slam puny lunch seasoning portions

A battle over rice seasoning has put fresh criticism on Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s free school lunch program. The controversy centers on a tiny packet of furikake seasoning at an elementary school, where teachers were reportedly asked to hand out just 2g per student. The arrangement has sparked questions over whether the meals are enough for children and whether the policy is placing extra responsibilities on teachers. Chiang has promised to ease their workload, while his mayoral challenger Puma Shen is questioning the lack of supporting measures behind the program.

Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s program to offer free school lunches in Taipei has been shrouded in controversy since it launched two months ago. The latest scandal was in Yong’an Elementary School in Zhongshan District.

A resealable plastic bag packed with furikake seasoning carries a note with instructions for teachers: “2g per person please help portion.” A parent shared the picture on social media saying “No wonder nobody wants to be a teacher now, you worry about the kids being hungry and you have extra duties.”

Chiang Wan-an
Taipei mayor
I have asked the Education Department to tell schools that the food should be portioned in a way that lightens the burden on teachers.

Puma Shen
Taipei Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
His free school lunch program lacks supporting measures. It can’t be that the city launches a school lunch policy that requires getting help from the parents. The government’s duty is to listen to what the people are saying. Instead, every time that someone raises questions their response is to say, “No, we’re doing a great job.”

One tallied up the school lunch scandals, counting 2g of furikake, three bigger-than-normal blueberries and four longans. Another one compared Taipei with Tainan, where each student gets a full packet with a whopping 13g of furikake seasoning.

The school has come out to explain the situation. Since furikake is a seasoning, it is not counted as part of the meal and is therefore provided separately to also account for students with allergies. As for the instructions regarding the portions, the school says it previously received complaints that some students were getting more seasoning than others. Now, if they want more, they can just ask the teacher.

Tung Yu-wen
Yong’an Elementary School nutritionist
Our school has been providing furikake seasoning this way for years. The serving of 2g is just the recommended amount. There are no rules to enforce how the seasoning is portioned, and there are no limits on how much they can use. Students who want more can get more from the seasoning area.

Chang Hui-ping
Nutritionist
Furikake seasoning is mixed in with rice to add some flavor. It’s not a dish in itself. It doesn’t really affect the nutritional value of the meals, but it does contain salt, so children are advised to eat it in moderation.

Taipei’s Education Department has asked the school to revise its procedures to not add extra burden onto teachers. Meanwhile nutritionists continue to work for the health of students.

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

#schoollunch #furikake #yummy #seasoning #rice

2026-11-05

Fire breaks out in Industrial Park leaving a man severely burned

The sky flooded with bright orange flames on Wednesday evening in Changhua. A huge explosion at a four-story chemical plant in Changbin Industrial Park left a 60-year-old employee trapped on the rooftop. He had climbed to the highest point of the building waiting to be rescued. Firefighters arrived and used a ladder truck to bring the man to safety. Unfortunately, 30% of his body was covered in second-degree burns; he is currently under critical observation at the hospital.

A massive fire broke out on a four-story chemical plant in Changbin Industrial Park. The sky filled with columns of smoke and orange flames.

Loud explosions could be heard from inside the factory. One male worker was even trapped on the rooftop of the burning building with the fire just below him. Firefighters continued to spray water to stop the fire from reaching the man. They used a ladder to brave the flames and two firefighters risked their lives to reach out and grab the worker’s hand, bringing him onto the ladder and to safety.

Chiang Chin-sung
Deputy of First Battalion in Changhua Fire Department
Where he was stuck on the 4th floor, the truck deployed a ladder to rescue and bring him to safety.

The fire broke out around 6pm and spread rapidly due to the large quantities of flammable liquids inside the building. The 60-year-old employee was rescued around 8pm and suffered severe burns on his back. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Chiu Chun-chieh
Chief of Emergency Care, Changhua Christian Hospital
Around 30% of his body was covered in second-degree burns and was admitted to the burn unit, he is in critical condition.

The man survived more than 2 hours in the fire which is a miracle. The following 72 hours will be very tense for this worker as he battles it out under critical observation. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

#fire #chemicalplant #changhua #chemicalexplosion #industrialplant

2026-11-05

Unruly drunk man harasses pipa player mid-performance