During the early hours of Tuesday morning, Tainan celebrated the 2,571st anniversary of the birth of Confucius by holding an ancient sacrificial ritual at the city’s Confucius Temple, also known as the “first academy of Taiwan.” Many members of the public came to experience the tradition, including a group of exchange students from the Czech Republic. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event’s organizers canceled the practice of plucking the hairs around the eyes and ears of a sacrificed ox (which is believed to generate wisdom, according to folk tradition), and replaced it with a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the completion of a restoration project at the temple.
Aside from the hair plucking, the traditional ceremony was carried out as normal, with Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che acting as Master of Rites and students from Tainan Municipal Jhongyi Elementary School lined up in six rows and six columns to perform a liuyi (six-row) dance to pay respect to Confucius. The ceremony commenced at the crack of dawn at 5am and lasted for approximately one hour.
All of the participants were wearing masks to comply with pandemic prevention measures and, although the crowds were smaller than in previous years, a sizeable number of people came to observe the traditional rites. In addition to students from Tainan Municipal Jhongyi Elementary School, a group of Czech exchange students studying Taiwanese history at Tunghai University attended the ceremony wearing masks embossed with the national flags of Taiwan and the Czech Republic to experience a unique aspect of Taiwanese culture.
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報劉婉君
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
台南市各界週二清晨在「全台首學」孔廟，舉行孔子誕辰兩千五百七十一週年釋奠典禮，不少民眾到場觀禮，還有捷克交換生也來感受傳統的祭孔，而受到疫情影響，主辦單位今年取消拔智慧毛活動，改以植樹紀念孔廟古蹟修復工程完工。
台南祭孔依古禮進行，由台南市長黃偉哲擔任正獻官，忠義國小佾生演出「六佾舞」，釋奠典禮於清晨五時開始，歷時約一小時。
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報劉婉君
因應防疫，所有參與人員均戴著口罩，現場觀禮民眾雖較往年略減，但仍有不少人前往觀禮，忠義國小也帶領學生參加，其中還有多位到台灣學習台灣歷史的東海大學捷克交換生，也戴著有台灣與捷克國旗的口罩來體驗台灣文化。
(自由時報劉婉君)
Photo: Liu Wan-chun, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報劉婉君
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of the Pacific Ocean: oxygen production without the involvement of living organisms. Four kilometers below the surface where sunlight cannot reach, researchers have found metallic lumps generating what they term “dark oxygen.” This form of oxygen is produced through a process independent of photosynthesis. Unlike the traditional photosynthesis process, where organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to create energy and oxygen, the newly discovered phenomenon operates in complete darkness. The accidental finding occurred during a study of metal-rich lumps in an abyssal plain between Hawaii and Mexico. These lumps, known as
A: What were the highest-grossing films globally last year? B: “Inside Out 2” was the highest, followed by “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Dune: Part 2” and “Moana 2.” A: “Inside Out 2” was also the highest-grossing film in Taiwan. B: It grossed nearly US$1.7 billion worldwide, or NT$55 billion, becoming the best-selling animated film of all time. A: I can’t believe I missed the movie last year. A: 去年全球最賣座的電影有哪些？ B: 冠軍是《腦筋急轉彎2》，其後是《死侍與金鋼狼》、《神偷奶爸4》、《沙丘：第2部》、《海洋奇緣2》。 A: 《腦2》也是去年台灣票房冠軍耶。 B: 這部鉅片狂賣近17億美元，約550億台幣，成為全球影史最賣座動畫電影！ A: 真不敢相信我錯過了這部強片。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: In addition to “Inside Out 2” at the top, what were the other highest-grossing films domestically last year? B: “Gatao: Like Father, Like Son” was the only Taiwanese movie among the top 10 blockbusters, which included five animated films. A: I’m surprised that the Taiwanese hit “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” wasn’t on the chart. B: But it grossed over 500 million Chinese yuan in China, which is nearly NT$2.5 billion. The figure was five times higher than that of the best-selling film in Taiwan. A: Its success shows that Taiwanese movies should go international. A:
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Using a device to isolate a section of the seafloor, the researchers aimed to measure oxygen levels in the enclosed water. Normally, oxygen rates would decrease as marine organisms consume it, but the result was contrary to expectations. The unexpected outcome prompted the team to further investigate the phenomenon. Researchers found the lumps emitted an electric charge similar to that of a AA battery. This charge is believed to trigger a process that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, accounting for the increase. Traditional perspectives propose that oxygen production began around three billion years ago through photosynthesis by ancient
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