The receptionists at the Double Ten National Day celebration are to wear outfits inspired by Taiwan goldenrain trees to symbolize the diversity and inclusiveness of the nation, the General Association of Chinese Culture said yesterday.
Plant Soul Design sought to recreate the multiple colors — green leaves, golden flowers and reddish-orange fruit — of the trees, which are endemic to Taiwan, to showcase the nation’s cultural diversity, designer Chasel Lu (呂秉泰) said.
Streets and alleys nationwide are colorfully decorated by the trees, which blossom between July and October and bear fruit from August to December, as Taiwan celebrates the holiday next week, Lu said.
Photo: CNA
Female receptionists are to wear reddish-orange dresses with sleeves resembling the fruit of the tree, while their male counterparts are to wear suits with the texture and color of the tree’s bark subtly showing through, he said.
The shoes, sponsored by Shui-mu International, are designed for comfort, and to help the receptionists maintain good posture and show confidence, Shui-mu general manager Michelle Kuo (郭欣怡) said.
The association, as a partner of the National Day Preparatory Committee, aims to give Taiwanese designers opportunities to shine with the outfits’ design, association secretary-general Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶) said.
By including cultural elements in the clothes, Lee said he hopes the world can learn more about Taiwan as the celebration is becoming more internationalized, with this year’s event to feature performances by Japan’s Emerald Knights marching band from Tokyo University of Agriculture Second High School, and the Bruin Marching Band of the University of California, Los Angeles.
In related news, Overseas Compatriots Affairs Council Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) yesterday said that an estimated 4,000 Taiwanese living abroad would return to participate in the Double Ten National Day celebration.
The council has launched a scheme to provide travel subsidies for overseas Taiwanese to join the celebration, Hsu said.
The council approved 118 tour packages organized by 43 domestic travel agencies to encourage overseas Taiwanese to return and learn about developments in the country and explore business opportunities with domestic companies, she said.
To be eligible for the subsidy, overseas Taiwanese must join the approved package tours and participate in one of the national day celebration activities announced by the committee, such as the main ceremony or the official party that night, she said.
The council has allocated a budget of NT$5.52 million (US$171,232) for the subsidy and would draw on contingent funds if the budget runs out, which had never happened before, Hsu said.
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
RSS