EDITORIAL
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Collective Prosperity through APEC
Taiwan Review
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n Nov. 18 and 19, delegates from Taiwan will participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Manila, the Philippines. The annual gathering provides an opportunity for representatives, ministers and leaders from member economies to hold substantive discussions on the progress of efforts to advance regional economic integration, bolster human capital development and enhance cooperation. Since joining APEC as a full member in 1991, Taiwan, which participates in the economic forum under the name Chinese Taipei, has consistently demonstrated its commitment to promoting common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific. Renowned for its dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and cutting-edge information and communications technology (ICT) industry, Taiwan has spearheaded APEC initiatives to spur small-business growth and enhance regional ICT infrastructure. It has likewise taken a leading role in efforts to boost food security and innovative economic development for women, and launched projects to use big and open data to improve disaster preparedness throughout the region. The member economy also regularly contributes to programs in other areas such as disease control and human resources development. In just the past few months, Taiwan has organized and provided financial backing for several significant APEC projects. On Sept. 6, it finalized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging US$700,000 in additional funding to support human security and regional economic integration initiatives. The MOU was signed at the Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in Cebu by officials from Taiwan and the Singapore-based APEC Secretariat. The donation to the APEC Support Fund will finance projects such as those advanced at the meeting to build comprehensive and secure trade among member economies. Part of the contribution will also be used to fund research at the APEC Policy Support Unit.
On Sept. 16, Taiwan underscored its commitment to promoting gender-balanced development in the Asia-Pacific when it organized a seminar titled Empowering Women through ICT for Inclusive Growth. The one-day event, held during the Women and the Economy 2015 Fora in the Philippines, was staged as part of APEC’s Innovation for Women and Economic Development project, which has been implemented by Taiwan since 2013. During the seminar, government representatives, business leaders, ICT service providers and academics examined how women entrepreneurs in the region can use technology to start or expand businesses. Participants held discussions and shared best practices on entrepreneurship, infrastructure, public-private partnerships, and training and capacity building, and laid the foundations for enhanced collaboration between the public, private and nongovernmental sectors. Taiwan’s efforts to spur small-business growth were further highlighted on Oct. 19 and 20 when it hosted the APEC Accelerator Network (AAN) Summit and Global Challenge for Early Stage Investment in Taipei. This event brought together leading entrepreneurs, private investors and SME development officials from across the Asia-Pacific, and offered a powerful stage for startups to showcase their potential and gain funding. The AAN, launched and maintained by Taiwan, currently includes 15 APEC entities and 47 incubators and accelerators from around the globe, helping bolster networking opportunities and innovative growth. Since its accession to APEC 24 years ago, Taiwan has made significant contributions to promoting economic integration and trade liberalization across the region. The measures that it has implemented and supported in recent months underscore the depth of its involvement in APEC as well as its commitment to furthering the organization’s objectives. Through its long-term and active participation in the forum’s initiatives, Taiwan has reinforced its status as a key partner for inclusive growth and development in the Asia-Pacific.
November 5, 2015
Award-winning anime “BlueRoseAge” by Antenna Gyugyo
TA I WA N
Taipei - Part III. 臺北 Taipei is Taiwan’s largest city as well as its economic, political, and cultural center. It is a modern cosmopolitan metropolis filled with energy and many off-the-beaten-track
places to explore. Just a few minutes from the heart of the city there are plenty of trails, parks and other oases of tranquility to lift and invigorate the spirit.
Daan Park
大安森林公園 Situated in the urban center, Da’an Forest Park is covered in grasslands, trees, flowers and foliage plants. There are a Buddha Statue and a bamboo forest in the south, an open air theatre for art performances in the center, and an accessible recreational area surrounding it that attracts many visitors. Known as the “lungs of Taipei City,” the park is a green world unto itself. Besides shaded trails for pedestrians and joggers, the park is equipped with a wide range of recreational facilities, including a public square, public bicycles, open-air music stage, children playground, and kiosks, providing Taipei residents with a valuable green space and the best venue for exercise and recreations.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 中正紀念堂
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is located in the heart of Taipei City. The architecture of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is inspired by Tiantan in Beijing. The four sides of the structure are similar to those of the pyramids in Egypt. The material is white marble. The roofs are decorated with deepblue glass as part of the reflection of blue sky and bright sun. It adds a touch of grandeur. The garden is planted with red flowers. As a whole, the colors of blue, white and red express the National Flag and the spirit of freedom, equality and brotherhood. The building has become a landmark of Taipei City.
Beitou District
北投區
Text: www.eng.taiwan.net.tw
Featured in the Travel section of the The New York Times online edition, Beitou is a hot spring escape with abundant natural, cultural and historical attractions, as well as convenient rapid transit access, making it one of Taipei’s premier tourism destinations. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Taiwan Folk Arts Museum, and Plum Garden are a few of the many cultural and historic sights here. Distinctive hot spring hotels, Taiwan’s first green library building, and the hotspring themed MRT train art are among the other attractions. In 2011, Beitou was ranked as a three-star tourist attraction in the Michelin Green Guide. Fox News also gave a thumbs-up to this very special tourism district.
Taiwanese pop corn chicken
鹽酥雞
Serves 2 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients 8 oz chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes 1 cup fresh basil leaves 1 cup cornstarch 2 cups oil for deep-frying 1/4 teaspoon bottled pepper salt
Marinade 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped finely 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon rice wine 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
www.eatthelove.com
Method
△ Mix all the ingredients of Marinade in a big bowl, stir well. Add the chicken pieces and marinate for 30 minutes. △ Heat up the oil in the wok for deep-frying. Coat the chicken with the cornstarch evenly. Deep-fry the chicken until they turn golden brown, remove from the oil and set aside. △ Pour the oil out and add the basil leaves and stir a few times before adding the chicken back into the wok. △ Remove from the wok, add the pepper salt and toss well with the chicken. Serve immediately.
Bon appétit!
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon 1/4 teaspoon pepper salt
Cook’s Note Basil leaves are optional if you can’t find them. You can find the bottled pepper salt at Asian grocery stores. It looks like this. Depending on the brands, the label can also be “white pepper and salt” or “white pepper salt.”
Creating a Fantasy World
from Taiwan Review
A captivating 3D paining piece of an amusement park that used to adorn Taipei City Hall MRT station’s platform measured 8 meters by 12 meters in size and was created by Taiwanese artist Su Chia-hsien, who also goes by the pseudonym Tu Lung. Su’s 3D work was part of an art project initiated by the Taipei City Government to decorate MRT stations and provide passengers with a pleasant environment. The commissioned company approached the job with the idea that the MRT is not just a mode of transportation, but a way to explore Taipei. The company found five artists from varying fields to showcase pieces at five MRT stations featuring characteristics of the city that would pleasantly surprise passengers. The 46-year-old Su spent a month painting the amusement park at his warehouse in Kaohsiung City before moving the completed work to the MRT Taipei City Hall Station. He says that he chose his subject matter for
its merry, festive atmosphere and to illustrate what a fun city Taipei is. Making 2D work that creates a 3D optical illusion, engages viewers and pulls them into an imaginary world is a very technical artistic challenge. However, three decades of experience in various art-related disciplines helped Su master the process of painting anamorphic images. The artist says he first noticed examples of 3D chalk art in Europe and the United States via the Internet about six years ago and considered giving the art form a try. However, it was not
until American artist Kurt Wenner, who is widely recognized as the originator of 3D pavement art, came to Taiwan at the invitation of the Kaohsiung City Government to demonstrate the practice in May 2010 that Su took decisive action. “At that time, when people talked about 3D
and his creations have since been displayed in venues such as the Kaohsiung MRT Formosa Boulevard Station and Pier-2 Art Center in Kaohsiung City, as well as Taipei Cinema Park, Dajia Riverside Oark and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in northern Taiwan. His work has also been shown at commercial events and featured in locally produced films and music videos. Su has come a long way to get to where he is today, and remains dedicated to his creative and inno-
street art, they thought only foreign artists were capable of producing a good piece. That motivated me to delve into this art style in an attempt to create works that could change that general perception.” Su says. Su’s growing reputation brought further requests to produce 3D art,
vative pursuits. In the future, he hopes to achieve even higher levels of artistic excellence and gain more widespread recognition. “In the past, I had to take any assignment offered to me in order to make a living. But now, thanks to an improvement in my financial situation, I can afford to be selective and reject commercial projects that don’t involve culture and creativity,” Su says. “I aim to develop a signature style so that when people view my art, they can immediately recognize that it’s my work.”
The first Taiwan Documentary Festival held in Budapest
Images by Lukács Máté, Source: Taipei Representative Office in Hungary
Taiwan Dox, the Taiwan Documentary Festival, kicked off at the arthouse cinema Toldi Mozi in Budapest on October 29, 2015, with the opening film Grandma’s Hairpin (2000), to the warm reception of the Hungarian audience.
At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Tao Wen-lung stressed that events such as this help promote mutual understanding between different cultures, and documentaries with their true representation of a country’s various aspects give the audience a sense of the real Taiwan. Ambassador Tao thanked curator Ms. Orsolya Komlosi, who has lent her expertise in selecting the films for Taiwan Dox, and the Palantir Foundation for co-organizing with the Taipei office. Mr. Zoltan Furedi, chairman of Palantir Foundation, spoke on behalf of Ms.
Komlosi, who unfortunately could not attend due to illness. Ms. Komlosi noted that she “never thought these films would bring so many deeply human stories to [her],” and she has “learned a lot from the Taiwanese.” During her selection process, she “saw excellent original documentary work, experiments in form, beautiful and sensitive images, directness and sincerity between documenter and documentees.” After the screening of Grandma’s Hairpin, Loránt Stohr, professor at University of Theatre and Film Arts, and Gergely Salát, professor and department chair of Chinese Studies at
Pázmány Péter Catholic University talked about the background of the film and answered questions from the audience, who were interested in Taiwan’s current democracy and the people’s perception of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. The audience was treated to Taiwanese and Hungarian snacks after the Q&A session, while enjoying a photo show pro-
The Taiwan Movie Club of the Taiwan Alumni Association in Hungary will be screening three Taiwanese feature films at Toldi Mozi from November 23 to 25, 2015: Cape No. 7 (2008), Parking (2008) and Zone Pro Site: The Moveable Feast (2013). Screenings start at 17:30.
jected onto a large wall inside the cinema’s café. The photo show was ongoing during the three-day event. Other films screened during the event are Classmates (2009), The Right Thing (2010), How Deep is the Ocean (2000), Vival tonal: The Dance Age (2003), Yellow Box (2006) and Baseball Boys (2008).
Beyond wildest dreams crazy restaurants in Taipei Sometimes Bizarre does not need explanation, an image is worth a thousand words – I had the same impression when checking out these unique venues in the culinary melting pot, Taipei. by Kata Karpati
DS Music Restaurant D.S 醫院主題餐廳
7, Xinsheng N Rd, Sec 3 MRT: Minquan W Rd
www.drs.com.tw www.facebook.com
The Taipei restaurant-bar is letting visitors order “medicine” from a menu and dripping it into their glasses from a transparent ceiling-suspended vat, becoming the latest oddball themed restaurant in Taiwan’s capital.
Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
No.90, Sec. 1, Da-an Rd., Xinyi District
MRT: Zhongxiao Fuxing www.facebook.com
You can’t help it but feel like a Sanrio character yourself. You can’t help it but smile and be cheerful and kind to your fellow human beings, because you’re in Hello Kitty land.
Modern Toilet
2F, No.50-7 Xining South Road
MRT: Ximen www.moderntoilet.com.tw
All the seats are close-stool; tables are bathtub or sink with a glass on the top; walls are decorated with many shower nozzles on it. Every bowl, dish is in the shape of a bathtub or toilet. Well… can you stand it? Should you have any question, please contact us at taiwaninfo.hungary@gmail.com TAIPEI REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE, HUNGARY 1088 Budapest, Rákóczi Rd. 1-3./II. www.roc-taiwan.org