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Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou speaking to international reporters in English yesterday morning in Taipei. Another video after the jump... more ›

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"You know, quite a lot of mainland tourists now, more than 2.6 million, have come to Taiwan. They have done a lot of consumption in Taiwan, and spurred a tourism boom. At the same time, moreover, they have also got a sense of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. A lot of them didn’t go out during the evening. Instead, they lock themselves up in their hotel rooms, watching the political talk shows to see our people criticizing their president. [laughter] Well, that’s democracy. That’s, you know, freedom of expression. But after a while, they began to ask why they couldn’t do the same when they go home? So, this is a very powerful question, and gradually they will make some changes, not only in our cross-strait relations, but also in their own internal system." more ›

Two videos of an underaged boy performing oral sex on another have been posted to the social networking site Facebook in Taiwan, reports Apple Daily. In the first of the clips, the two boys who appeared to be about 2- or 3-years-old, were engaged in the sexual act which was filmed by a man, who could be heard commenting in the background, "That was too fast, do it again!" In the other video, the younger boy was held on the chest by a man as he received fellatio from the older boy while another adult male filmed the act. During the course of the filming, one of the men could be heard asking the other in Taiwanese if he managed to get it all down on tape. The videos went viral shortly after they were posted to Facebook. more ›

A well-known male-only (read: gay) sauna in Taipei has embarked on a unique marketing programme to lure in patrons. The leisure venue has been marketing its new "Big Bird Night" under which new members with *members* validated by staff to be over 18cm are given a VIP card which grants them free access to the facility on designated nights. more ›

Swiss Bank UBS' latest "Prices and Earnings" study of purchasing power around the world has rated Oslo, Zurich and Geneva as the world’s most expensive cities based on a selected basket containing 122 goods and services. more ›

Yesterday, June 4, was the 22nd anniversary of the government crackdown on pro-democracy student leaders in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Here's a quick roundup of links:more ›

China's top negotiator for Taiwan, Chen Yunlin (陈云林) sure has a tough job. Not only does he have to meet rabid anti-China activists on his trip to the island each time, he also gets thrown lots of not-so-nice stuff, like eggs. more ›

Newly viral on the Chinese interwebs is this video of a blind busker with an amazing voice in Tamtsui (淡水), Taipei. Enjoy her rendition of Teresa Teng's (邓丽君) song, "I Only Care About You" (我只在乎你).
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A Taiwanese sporting goods brand had the brilliant idea that a crowd of 20 pantless Taiwanese models traipsing through Taipei subways could be a great way to market their "no pants day" campaign. Hmm, seems to have worked well so far. Video after the jump! more ›

Following a month-long battle for her life after her fateful car accident over the new year, Nora Sun (孙穗芬), the granddaughter of Dr Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of the Chinese republic, has passed away at the Shin Kong Memorial Hospital at the age of 72. Born in Shanghai, Sun moved to Taiwan at an early age, and became the youngest person on the island to become a flight attendant at the age of 17. She subsequently moved to the United States, where she married and raised three children. It was not until she turned 40 did Sun enrol in a university. Her career in the US diplomatic service began seven years later and took her to places like Guangzhou and Paris where she served as trade consul. more ›

Nora Sun (孙穗芬), the granddaughter of Dr Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of the Chinese republic, has been severely injured in a car accident in Taipei yesterday. The 72-year-old was due to attend the centennial anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Republic of China, but is now battling for her life under intensive care at the Shin Kong Memorial Hospital. The 19-year-old driver of a red car in the opposite lane which suddenly lost control and crashed into Sun's car is understood to have died on the spot. more ›

• China's communists celebrate with 'red tourism' [AFP] "Sixty years after founding the People's Republic of China, the communist regime is keeping the revolutionary fires burning while promoting its version of history through "red tourism" destinations such as that in the eastern city of Wuhu."
• Google to "Develop" 10,000 Hangzhou SMEs [JLM Pacific Epoch] "Google plans to "develop" 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province over the next three years, reports Today Morning Express quoting Google Greater China Director and General Manager of Sales Song Zhongjie. Song said Google plans to double its Zhejiang distributors and employees in 2009. The Hangzhou government aims to help 10,000 SMEs enter the e-commerce industry each year, said Song."

Shanghai-based China Eastern airlines has announced that it will increase its flights to Taipie from 3 times weekly to daily beginning next Monday. Also, whereas previously all flights had to bypass Hong Kong airspace, now flights are all going direct, ie., you can now get to Taipei in a little over an hour and for less than what you used to pay for! This is truly historic. A quick check with Elong.com indicate roundtrip flights to cost approximately RMB2100 plus tax of about RMB658. more ›

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Despite both China and Taiwan having agreed way back in 1989 that the latter would compete at the Olympics under the name "Chinese Taipei" and “Zhonghua Taipei" (中华台北) as the designated Chinese translation of that term, spokesman Yang Yi of China's Taiwan Affairs Office has suggested that "Zhongguo Taipei" (中国台北) is just as valid as an Olympic designator, sparking a protest from Taipei's Mainland Affairs Council because the name implies that Taiwan is a part of China ("Zhonghua" refers to an undefined Chinese nation). Oh yes, let the Games begin. And no prizes for guessing which term you will hear more of in August. [Source] more ›

Chairman of China Southern Airlines, Liu Shaoyong (刘绍勇) piloted the inaugural flight from Guangzhou to Taipei yesterday carrying 258 passengers. On landing at the Taoyuan International Airport, the 100 or so mainland tourists were given a warm welcome including this lion dance and an Taiwanese aboriginal dance you see in the video, but later in the day, they were also greeted by Falun Gong members at a popular tourist site. This first encounter remained civil but the group outlawed as a spiritual cult in China has promised to step up its presence at all the scenic spots that mainland tour groups will visit, so that "they can see our freedom, and we can change their thinking." more ›