A government initiative to help boost Taiwan’s cultural and creative sector was launched yesterday, expanding the age at which citizens and eligible foreign residents would qualify for a voucher program that was introduced last year.
Starting yesterday, Taiwanese citizens and eligible foreign nationals, aged 16 to 22, could claim the digital vouchers, valued at NT$1,200, to spend on cultural activities, Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) said at a news conference in Taipei.
When the vouchers were first introduced last year to provide an economic stimulus to the cultural and creative sectors, they were offered to eligible residents aged 18 to 21, and about 80 percent in that category claimed the “culture points,” as the vouchers are called, he said.
Photo: CNA
In light of the enthusiastic response last year, the Cabinet decided to issue the vouchers annually and to expand the age eligibility to aged from 16 to 22, he said.
This year, the government has marked NT$2 billion (US$63.61 million) for the culture vouchers, which are expected to be claimed by about 1.6 million young people, he said.
To make the system more efficient, the government has teamed up with electronic payment service providers Pxpay Plus, Pluspay and icash Pay, which would allow use of the “culture points” as a form of payment, Shih said.
At the news conference, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) encouraged young people to use the vouchers to explore Taiwan’s culture, which he said is the “soul” of the nation and helps shape national identity.
Culture Points could be used to pay for tickets or merchandise at museums, live music venues, art galleries, movie theaters and other cultural sites until Dec. 31, the culture ministry said.
The digital vouchers, which can only be downloaded on mobile phones via the culture ministry’s app, are available to Taiwanese nationals and foreign residents born between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec. 31, 2008, the ministry said.
Eligible foreign residents are those who hold an Alien Resident Certificate or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate, including those from China, Hong Kong and Macau, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, eligible young people who have yet to claim last year’s “culture points” can still do so, which are eligible until June 30, the ministry said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS