Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp’s (KRTC) anime poster icon Siao Chung (小穹) on Sunday appeared in a video speaking for the first time, with her Taiwanese accent instantly becoming a hot topic among netizens.
Siao Chung was the first member of the K.R.T. Girls — fictional KRTC employees who appear on cars, and in stations and official messages.
The Kaohsiung City Government’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems organized a 30-second public information video featuring Siao Chung to raise public awareness about traffic regulations and safety on the city’s light-rail transit system.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp
The online video was liked by more than 10,000 Facebook users before the end of the day and generated a long discussion thread, with most netizens commenting on the character’s accent.
A majority of comments were positive, with one netizen saying that it is “realistic” for Siao Chung to speak “like a Kaohsiung native,” while another said her voice is “cute” and that it “grows on people.”
However, others said her Taiwanese Mandarin accent has “damaged the perfect mental image” they built up for Siao Chung, while others recommended using Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) voice.
KRTC said it considered online responses and discussions as a positive, adding that different perspectives and opinions help it to understand its fan base.
The K.R.T. Girls are responsible for informing the public on transit rules and regulations, as well being the transit authorities’ public affairs representatives, the company said, adding that it is “natural” for Siao Chung’s voice to be “approachable” and “down-to-earth.”
K.R.T. Girls are to continue appearing in KRTC materials to help the public, the company added.
The coast guard drove away 567 Chinese boats and seized seven illegally operating in Taiwanese waters in the first six months of this year, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. They mostly operated near Kinmen and Penghu counties, resulting in fines totaling NT$1.7 million (US$52,440), it said. Three ships — two near Kinmen County and one near Penghu County — were detained in January for illegally crossing the border, while one ship each was detained near Kinmen in February and Penghu in March respectively, it said. The ship seized near Penghu in January was the Yun Ao (雲澳), detained by the CGA’s
Military photovoltaic projects have been found to have used Chinese-made devices blacklisted by the government, including Huawei Technologies Co routers, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Thursday. An ongoing investigation has identified the illegal use of 128 current transformers, two routers and a data reader at the Hungchailin Army Base, Pinghai Navy Base and Tri-Service General Hospital’s Songshan branch, it said. The devices were manufactured in the Chinese factories of German solar energy equipment supplier SMA Solar Technology, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Delta Electronics Co, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei and Taiwanese industrial PC maker Advantech Co, the bureau said. The bureau’s
Hong Kong’s Andy Lau (劉德華) on Wednesday announced that he would perform in Taiwan for the first time since 2013, with four shows at the Taipei Arena from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3. The concerts are part of Lau’s upcoming “Today... is the Day” tour, which began in Shanghai yesterday. He is also to perform in Singapore and Malaysia as part of the tour. In a news release, Lau said it felt good to be able to rehearse his dancing and singing for the tour, even though he had to don a face mask. “Holding these concerts has been something I have
Beijing’s recent provocative actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea were partly meant as a “dress rehearsal” for the invasion of Taiwan, former US deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger said at a Heritage Foundation forum in Washington on Tuesday. Beijing’s blocking of a Philippine resupply mission on June 17 with unprecedented violence had multiple implications. “What they’re doing is trying to demonstrate that they can blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines, but by extension Taiwan,” Pottinger said. Pottinger was referring to a clash