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5 Activities To Do In The Ecology Of Gaomei Wetlands In Taichung


Gaomei Wetlands is a land mixed with both sand and soil textures located on the south of the mouth of Dajia River. There are lot of activities you can do in the area of 1,500 acres of the wetlands as there are lots of species like bird, fishes, crabs and others of its ecology due to its geographical features.


Gaomei Wetlands is a popular scenic spot for bikers but there ae still lot of things you can do. Here are the 5 activities you can do in the rich wetland ecology of Gaomei:

1. Watch the beautiful sunset



The best to visit Gaomei Wetlands is in the afternoon, watching the beautiful sunset is the main thing to do while your feet are soaked in the soil and sand of the wetlands. A lot of movies and music videos taken at the wetlands with sunset on the background.

2. Photo ops with the windmills



Windmills that produce recyclable energy are abundant in the area, although the windmills are not new in Taiwan these structures worth having with you in a picture.

3. Excellent location for bird-watching



During fall and winter large group of migratory birds would come at the wetlands making it as the best spot for bird watching. Gaomei Wetlands is the top location in Taiwan for bird-watching.

4. Walk thru the wetland wooden paths



Have your loved one, friends and family walk thru the wooden paths of the wetlands with a great picturesque design and structure as this path is very much lovely adding to the beautiful sunset.

5. Soak your feet at the wetlands



Remember when you were a child playing in the wet soils in your backgrounds, with fine sands and soil take off your shoes and soak your feet then feel the relaxation of the wetlands.

How to go to Gaomei Wetlands?
Take TRA train to Qingshui Railway Station and take Jeya Bus to Gaomei until the last stop, walk 5-8minutes to the wetlands. Taxi are also abundant in the area, you may take one.
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Eye Problems Developed On High Brightness Smartphone Screen


A Taiwanese ophthalmologists from Fooyin University Hospital in Pingtung County, Taiwan have warned people that uses their smartphone on extended periods with high brightness. This is after his patient experience eye problems after using the smartphone.

The patient have developed red eyes and experienced symptoms of corneal abrasion. This is due to the use high brightness of her smartphone screen which she must when at work to stay in touch to her clients as a secretary.

The ophthalmologist have warned that the combination of blue light from the device and the ultraviolet coming from the sun may increase risk in developing eye problem like cataracts and retinopathy, pink eye and corneal abrasion.

Watching or using smartphone on a high brightness screen on a long period on a dark room will also result to severe inflammation of the cornea. The screen must be at least 30cm to 40cm away from the eye.

 The ophthalmologists have provided antibiotics, steroids eye drops and creams for recovery. Best prevention do not high brightness screen on a daylight or if in a dark area when using the smartphone.
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Exploring The World To Satisfy The Curiosity Of A Taiwanese Blind Traveler



Even though I’am blind, as long as I make my way bravely forward, I can do anything a sighted person can do” – Chen Nan-ting

Chen Nan-ting is a Taiwanese blind traveler that explored different attractions in different cities of the world, a loss of her eyesight did not discourage her to feel the world she explore.

Chen loss her eyesight when she was 9years old after she was diagnosed with Steven-Johnsons syndrome for a year. After the illness she became completely blind.

Now in her 50’s, Chen have travelled to United States, Asia, Europe and Oceana as she experience the places through walking, biking and running which she done in tandem. She also runs in marathons in Hawaii, Kinmen and Matsu Islands and have ridden a tandem bicycle in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture.

“Feel the atmosphere of places through touch, smell and hearing,” “My parents other gift to me was taking me travelling,” “Adventures make life enjoyable. A sense of sight is not necessary for travel as there are also the senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing” according to Chen despite her blindness.

Chen collects miniatures of popular tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower in Paris she also tasted and smell as she visited wineries in Europe. She also ride camels in the desert of Mongolia and according to her “See them by touch”.

(image from CNA)

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Be Mesmerized At Xiao Wulai Scenic Area In Taoyuan


Xiao Wulai Scenic area located in Fuxing Township of Taoyuan County have an area of 200 hectares of beautiful natural resources and enriched with Atayal aboriginal culture.


Xiao Wulai Scenic Area have abundant of geographical sites such as the Xiao Wulai Waterfalls, Wind Moving Rock and the manmade transparent skywalk with a panoramic view of the area.


Xiao Wulai Waterfalls is a 3tier waterfalls and has a height of 50meters, Xiao Wulai Waterfall meaning “Little Wulai Waterfall” which is best viewed at the transparent skywalk also known as Xiao Wulai Skywalk. Fengchueishih or the Wind Moving Rock is a gigantic 50 ton rock that is well balanced without falling.


The transparent glass skywalk offers unique sight but only allows 50 persons per entry and is the best way to view Fengchueishih and the waterfall in a close look. Taoyuan government spent NT$8million to boost its tourism.


Other spots near Xiao Wulai Scenic Area are Shimen Reservoir which is in the upper reaches of Xiao Wulai waterfalls, Cihu Mausoleum, delectable foods at Daxi Old Street and somewhat near on the popular theme parks Window on China and Leofoo Village Theme Park.

How to go to Xiao Wulai Scenic Area?
By public transportation, from Taoyuan Train Station, Zhongli Train Station or Daxi Train Station, ride Taoyuan Bus no. 5105 to Xiao Wulai Scenic Area
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5 Top Buys At Shopping Paradise Of Underground Taipei City Mall


Looking for some cheap price for souvenirs or for your personal use? The long Underground Taipei City Mall will suffice your needs. This is not as grand as the Taipei 101 Mall or any other malls in Taiwan but this one surely bang your bucks as items at the underground are more affordable with the same quality.





The underground mall is 800meter long and divided into different sections. Here are the top 5 buys of consumers:

1. Game Consoles
There are abundant of game consoles in the underground mall from latest versions of Playstations, X-Box, Nintendo and many more with those gaming peripherals. Even the 19thCentury’s Family Computer is still available here.

2. Collectible Anime Figures and Toys
Anime figures are highly collectible in Taiwan from those fine details to the normal one and characters from different popular anime like One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto can be seen here.

3. Musical Instruments
Another great buys are musical instruments like guitar, piano and drums are also seen in the underground mall. There are also rare finds like violin, ukulele and harps and do not forget to play some samples.

4. Souvenir Shirts, Bags and Shoes
If you are looking for souvenirs the underground mall offers you cheap and very affordable prices of shirts, pants, shorts bags and shoes in any kind. Shirt with printed “I love Taiwan” and the likes are available for only NT$100.


5. Accessories
Different kinds of body accessories and jewels from necklace, bracelets to watches. Always check the originality of the item although those class A items have lower price.



There are coffee shops and restaurants along the long city mall and also some live performances from local group that performs singing, dancing, harp playing and others. There are lot of buys that for sure you can have a lot. The Underground Taipei City Mall is almost below the Taipei Main Station.
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Sister Companies PTI and Greatek Revenue Goes Down


Sister companies Powertech Technology Inc and Greatek Electronics Inc saw their revenues down based on the month to month revenue report that both company have released. Both companies specialize in IC assembly, testing and packaging services for several customers.
 
Screenshot from PTI revenue report




PTI have released its net revenue on a consolidated basis for the first month of the year with a decrease of 2.94% from December 2018 and also a decrease of 4.05% from the same month last year.

Screenshot from Greatek Revenue report

Based on YoY Change percentage, Greatek have a -17.73% drop compare to the same month of last year. This will be Greatek’s lowest revenue in the last 12 months.

Amid the slowdown of the Taiwan’s economy due to the tension made by US-China trade war and the pressure made by China to Taiwan itself. Still both companies are performing well even the revenue for first month of 2019 fell.
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5 Things To Do At Nanliao Fishing Port and Harbor In Hsinchu


Hsinchu have been crowned again as the happiest city in all of Taiwan and one of its most popular spot have been Nanliao which is around 10-15minutes bus ride away from the city center. Although literally lack of touristy spots to uncover, Naliao offers so much to have a good afternoon or weekends getaway.





Here are the 5 things you can do at Nanliao:

1. Bike the 17km Coastal Scenic Area



With a great 17km coast line, the best to discover the place is by biking thru the bike paths, bike rentals are abundant in the area. While biking you will pass by mangrove trees and bird watching area. An afternoon bike in the coastal area would be fantastic, you may rent from single, double or e-bikes.

2.  Catch the deep red orange sunset



Since afternoon is the best time to visit Nanliao, sunset will be very romantic here as you see the deep red and orange sun sets beneath the sea. This view will be romantic for couples and sweet for family and friends.

3. Eat local foods



You can different foods to catch at Hsinchu Fishing Harbor, there are food stalls and restaurant to choose from around the harbor. There are famous Taiwan sausages, dumplings, beef noodle soup, a pizza joint and others.

4. Fly a kite like your childhood


Aside from biking, flying a kite is a famous activity in the coastal area. With the wind beside the seabed flying a kite in Nanliao will be so much fun like flying a kite when you were in your childhood. There is a annual Kite Festival in the area.

5.  Watch dragon boat racing


There groups that practice dragon boat racing and lucky enough if you catch a competition. Watching dragon boat race is fun and fantastic. How about race with the boat while biking the 17km coast line, sound good right?


How to go Nanliao in Hsinchu?
From Hsinchu TRA Train Station, walk pass thru SOGO and ride Bus #15 that go straight to Nanliao station and it will be the last stop of the bus.
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Mesmirizing Taipei Leisure At Dahu Park


Dahu park is great leisure spot that can easily be accessed by Taipei MRT. Local families, tourists and visitors gather in the park mostly every afternoon and during the weekends for a great scenic spot in the city.



Located on the base of Bailushan where mountain and lake meets. The area is very relaxing with Mt. Bailushi and Egret Lake around, the multinational park has diverse manmade and natural features. The park was established in May 1979 with 134,135 square meter in size.



There were fishing zones, pavilion and its famous Chinese bridge or the Jindai Bridge crossing the 13 hectare Egret Lake which is also popular for wedding photos. There are also swimming pool, steam and sauna rooms and other recreational activities.



How to go in Dahu Park?
From Taipei Main Station, Ride MRT Red Line to Daan Station or MRT Blue Line Zhongxiao Fuxing Station and transfer to MRT Brown Line going to Nangang Exhibition Center and drop off at Dahu Park Station. You will see the park once you go down of the station.
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Taiwan Ranks First In Asia In Terms Of Gender Equality


Taiwan ranks first in all of Asia in terms of gender equality due its higher percentage of female participation in politics according to Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). Taiwan is also placed eighth in the world in that category.

Gender equality is having equality for both men and women which are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without limitation. It means that the different behaviors, aspirations and needs of both men and women are considered and favored equally.

DGBAS came up with the criteria using the Gender Inequality Index set by United nations Development Programme as it measures the inequality between male and female achievements in three areas, (1) reproductive health, (2) empowerment, (3) labor market.

Although Taiwan is not a member of the UN, DGBAS calculated the score using the UN index, Taiwan placed eight in the world and first in Asia. High scores due to female participation in politics. Sweden ranked first followed by Denmark, Switzerland and Netherlands.

Gender equality does not identify that men and women are the same but with equal treatment with rights, responsibilities and opportunities does not depend on whether you are a male or female.
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Be Captivated On Beimen Crystal Church Of Tainan


Beimen Crystal Church was planned and made Tainan government to boost its tourism, located in Beimen Distric in Tainan which is popularly known for its salt drying and fish farming industry. 



Beimen is a rural area which is far away from the district but the crystal church itself makes it worth to visit the area.





The crystal transparent church is a open air landscape that floats on water. It is very romantic during either sunrise or at dusk and is perfect for pre-nuptial wedding photography.



Activities around Beimen Crystal Church are photo ops with art installation in a dreamy white piano, a huge stone carving, bamboo wooden red heart and others. With images surfacing social media, the area now have become a tourist attraction with several visitors in it.





Other attractions in Beimen are Nankunshen Temple one of the most visited temple in Taiwan and Jingzijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields where you can watch a beautiful sunset.




How to go to Beimen Crystal Church?
From tainan bus station, ride the Blue bus a d get off at Jiali Station then ride Blue bus No.2 to North Gate Office Station (crystal church ) 

Address:
727, Tainan City, Beimen District, 北門里200號

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Taiwan Leads The World In Wafer IC Production Capacity


Taiwan continued to lead in terms of production of IC wafer capacity with a 21.8 percent of the world. Not far behind is South Korea with 21.3 percent on a report from market research firm IC Insights.

The last time Taiwan lead the IC development and output is last 2015 and continued on 2018. The 21.8% share of wafer IC production has a total of 2.126 million wafers on the global market.

Top three wafer fabrication plants in the world are Taiwan’s Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), followed by South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix. TSMC has 67% of wafer IC production of whole Taiwan while a combined 94% of Samsung and Hynix for whole of South Korea.

Japan has its own at third place with 16.8%, followed by North America’s 12.8% and the currently largest increase of percentage in wafer production capacity sitting at 10.8% is China.
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Extra Ordinary Scenic Spot At Qigu Salt Mountain Of Tainan


Qigu Salt Mountain is the most scenic and probably the most popular attraction in Tainan. Located in Qigu District where the are is well known for its history in generating salt and the place for rich mineral substance that its total contribution in the economy of Taiwan.



There are 2 salt mountains in Qigu District, the major mound and the north mound. The major bound has more visitors which is 60,000 tons of salt left over and is about 20meter tall, the top of the salt mountain offers great view of the area.


Qigu salt mountain have been popular and is widely reported in newspapers feature sections and magazine due to its extra ordinary salt formation of mountain. 


Different mascots are placed in the very top of the salt mountain, these mascots symbolizes strength to any climber going up.

There were other activities nearby the salt mountain like bumper boats, go-karts and doo-doo trains, there is so called Salt Mart where you can buy a salty ice-cream which is only available in Qigu.



How to go to Qigu Salt Mountain?
Take a train going to Xinyin Train Station or Tainan Train Station then ride a bus bound for Jiali. From jiali, take a Xinnan bus bound to Qigu and drop off at Salt mountain bus stop.
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