The English translation of the new name of Taipei County after it is upgraded in December has sparked controversy, with some residents protesting against the county government’s decision to adopt Hanyu Pinyin and romanizing it as “Xinbei City” (新北市).
Taipei County’s Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Yang Yi-te (楊義德) said the county government used “Xinbei City” as the city’s official English name because “New Taipei City” would be too similar to “Taipei City.”
‘NEW TAIPEI CITY’
PHOTO: HE YU-HUA, TAIPEI TIMES
The city’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayoral candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫), however, suggested the city be named “New Taipei City.”
“I prefer the name ‘New Taipei City’ because it is more reflective of the spirit of a new city after its upgrading and meets public expectations,” he said when approached for comments.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Taipei County, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also expressed her support for the name “New Taipei City.”
Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, said that an English translation was for foreign visitors to better understand the name of the city, a task that would be better accomplished by calling it “New Taipei City.”
“If I were a foreigner, I wouldn’t understand what Xinbei City meant,” Tsai said.
“But if it was New Taipei City — the meaning would be very clear, a new area currently under development,” she said.
NO TO ‘XINBEI’
A small group of protesters yesterday challenged the county government’s adoption of Hanyu Pinyin in front of the Taipei County Hall, shouting “we don’t want Xinbei City” in protest against the decision.
“As a resident, I protest against Chou Hsi-wei’s (周錫瑋) decision to change my hometown’s name without seeking the residents’ agreement. We do not want to use Hanyu Pinyin, which China uses,” said Chang Shu-feng (張淑芬), director of Taiwan Pinyin League.
Chang said the county government should either use “Sinbei City” — based on the Tongyong Pinyin system developed by Taiwan — or “New Taipei City” as the city’s English name.
Yang dismissed accusations that the county government chose the Hanyu Pinyin system to pander to China, saying Hanyu Pinyin has been officially adopted by the central government.
Yang said the English name of the upgraded city still requires final approval from the Taipei County Council. The final version will be determined in September.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VINCENT Y. CHAO
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS