A Taiwanese artist made history on Saturday when she was awarded the top prize in a postcard competition at a regional art museum in Japan, an achievement she attributed to the “blessings of the kami [deity].”
Lee Li-chin (李麗琴), who submitted a mixed-media artwork that combined embroidery and oil painting, was the first non-Japanese competitor to win the annual 10x15 World Contest, now in its 10th year.
She received the mayor’s award for her depiction of the Kawai Shrine in Kyoto. The award was presented by Masatomi Asano, mayor of Oyama in Tochigi Prefecture.
Photo courtesy of Lee Li-chi via CNA
Lee after the ceremony said she first got the idea to create the winning postcard during her first visit to Kyoto at the end of 2023 to view the maple leaves.
During the visit, she wandered away from the tour group and unexpectedly came across the Shimogamo Shrine, which includes the Kawai Shrine, she said.
The striking red color of the torii, a traditional Shinto gate, stood out against the surrounding green mountains, she added.
After learning that the Kawai Shrine honored a female deity, “I prayed to her to help me become beautiful,” Lee said, adding that the experience inspired the creation of her award-winning artwork.
During the award ceremony, Lee presented a gift of another of her art pieces to the Kurumaya Museum of Art, which had organized the contest. The painting depicts Ogawake House, part of the Kurumaya museum.
Prior to participating in the Japanese contest, Lee had received widespread praise for 30 postcards she had created in the same mixed-media style for a competition held by the Museum of Fiber Arts in Taichung.
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