A powerful magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck southern Taiwan yesterday morning damaged at least 23 historical buildings in Tainan, with the bell tower next to Fengshen Temple (風神廟) and the Reception Archway (接官亭) collapsing, city government officials said.
The wooden pillar on the second floor of the Yanshui Octangle Building (鹽水八角樓) is suspected to have shifted and some bricks fell off the outer wall. Cracks were discovered at the Tainan Grand Matsu Temple (台南大天后宮), while the main gate shifted and some fragmented ceramic decorations fell off.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau said that the collapse of the Fengshen Temple bell tower and the Reception Archway is the most serious damage it has uncovered. However, the bureau added that both the bell tower and the drum tower had previously been rebuilt, as the bell tower was relocated due to road construction, and the drum tower is a complete replica of the original.
The Tainan Municipal Cultural Heritage Administration said that as the nearby drum tower was also damaged, it has decided to protect it by first stabilizing the area and erecting fences around it for the safety of passers-by.
Debris from the bell tower has been numbered, photographed and placed in front of the nearby Siluo Temple (西羅殿) for future reconstruction.
The bureau said that it has asked engineers to inspect damaged historical buildings in the city, including the Confucius Temple, which suffered minor damage.
In addition, major cultural and historical attractions, including the Chimei Museum (奇美博物館), Fort Provincia (赤崁樓, also known as Chikan Tower), Eternal Golden Castle (億載金城), Fort Zeelandia (安平古堡, also known as Anping Fort) and Anping Tree House (安平樹屋) remained intact, the bureau said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS