Tens of thousands of spectators gathered at Taipei’s annual New Year’s countdown party outside Taipei City Hall on Tuesday, where a six-minute fireworks show was set off atop the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper.
The themes of this year’s Taipei 101 fireworks display were “Team Taiwan” and “Champions,” in recognition of Taiwan’s victory at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 baseball championship in Tokyo in November.
Before the fireworks show, a light sculpture show created by Canadian-American artist Bernard Chang (張伯納)was also presented, featuring the likenesses of eight notable Taiwanese athletes who competed in the Summer Olympics in Paris and the Premier12 tournament last year.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
A New Year’s Eve countdown party was held in the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall, featuring renowned K-pop group Apink and several Golden Melody Award winners, such as Penny Tai (戴佩妮), Faith Yang (楊乃文) and YELLOW (黃宣).
Tourists and local residents gathered near the Taipei 101 skyscraper on Tuesday, hours before the fireworks show to ring in the New Year was scheduled to take place, with performances by pop singers continuing past midnight in front of Taipei City Hall.
Anne, from the Philippines, said she was visiting Taipei for the new year and planned to watch the Taipei 101 fireworks show.
A surgeon working in Hong Kong, Anne said her new year’s resolution is to work harder and fulfill her career goals.
Alfredo Arellano Jr, a Filipino factory worker, said it was his first New Year’s Eve in Taiwan, and he was excited to experience the fireworks show at Taipei 101.
His new year’s resolution is to make more money for his future and that of his family.
Suchira Rachakrom, from Thailand, was also in Taipei to celebrate the new year, saying that the fireworks show at Taipei 101 was a main attraction.
She added that she had heard the theme of the fireworks show was a celebration of Taiwan’s victory in the Premier12 championship in Tokyo on Nov. 24 and hoped to “celebrate with everyone in Taiwan.”
In addition to Taipei, New Year’s Eve events were held across Taiwan, including in New Taipei City, Taichung and Kaohsiung, with pop concerts and fireworks displays to welcome in the new year.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS