Staff writer, with CNA
CULTURE
Taiwan band comes second
A marching band consisting of high-school students from Taipei won second place at the World Association of Marching Show Bands 2023 World Championships in West Virginia, US on Saturday and picked up numerous accolades. The sole team from Taiwan was comprised of 70 band members, with 44 of the students from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School and the remainder from other high schools in Taipei. The team advanced to the final on Saturday after succeeding in the preliminary round on Friday, along with other nine teams. In the final, the team scored 95.861 points, putting them in second place, one point behind the winning Canadian team, the band’s parent support group said. The Taiwanese team also received a “Gold with Honors” award the group said, adding that the band also won the “Street Parade” and “Best Auxiliary” categories.
POLITICS
French delegation in Taiwan
A parliamentary group led by French Senator Andre Gattolin arrived in Taiwan for a five-day visit yesterday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The visit by Gattolin, vice-chairman of the French Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and the Armed Forces, is expected to enhance bilateral ties between the two countries, the ministry said. Gattolin also chairs the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international cross-party coalition of over 100 parliamentarians from the world’s democratic legislatures which is focused on creating a coordinated response to China on global security, human rights and trade issues. The delegation is the third group of French lawmakers to visit Taiwan this year.
BUSINESS
Klook adds night market
A digital pass for Taipei’s Ningxia Night Market has been rolled out by Klook, a Hong Kong-based travel booking platform, in collaboration with the night market. The pass allows customers to choose four to eight dishes from 25 stalls at Ningxia Night Market, one of the most popular night markets in Taiwan, and receive a discount of up to 47 percent, the platform’s website said. Anyone with a digital pass needs to show it to the vendor and can pre-order food to minimize the time spent waiting, the company said. The pass can be purchased via Klook’s app and has to be activated within 30 days of being bought, the Web site said. Klook is also looking to expand this collaboration model to other business locations in Taiwan, the platform noted.
ARTS
Art festival in Miaoli
Thirty art installations by various artists are being displayed at the ongoing Miaoli Coastal Land Art Festival, with an on-site sand sculpture also featured, Miaoli County’s Culture and Tourism Bureau said. The on-site sand sculpture Listening to the Sea was created by renowned Japanese sand artist Yoshiko Matsugi, who was invited to create the signature piece for this year’s festival, the bureau said. The land art festival was first held in 2021 by the bureau along with the Tongsiao Power Plant run by Taiwan Power Co to promote tourism in the northern county’s Tongsiao (通宵) and Yuanli (苑裡) townships, which have rich marine resources, it said. The festival is being held from July 8 to Aug. 27. Bureau head Lin Yen-fu (林彥甫) said he hopes displaying works by different artists can generate a broader dialogue on the creation of arts and crafts, and help boost tourism in the county’s coastal areas.
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