Author: Eryk Michael Smith
Eryk Michael Smith
Eryk Michael Smith is a journalist with over a decade of experience working for local and international outlets. He is also the co-host of The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files, and co-founder of Plum Rain Press. The Kaohsiung Times is Smith's latest project, and aims to provide more southern Taiwan-centric news in English.
One of the most unique interactive features introduced at the temple is the “Letter to My Future Self” initiative. Visitors are invited to sit in the Dacheng Hall to reflect and write down their current thoughts, wishes, or unfinished goals.
City officials said traffic safety work remains ongoing and called for public cooperation, saying the government will continue pursuing its “4-E” strategy for improvement: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Encouraging public transportation.
At the center of the relocation ideas is a broader planning question: Should Kaohsiung continue operating under its current dual-administrative-center structure following the 2010 county-city merger, or use future infrastructure projects to create a more unified administrative hub?
Southern Taiwan Technology Council founding event in Tainan City on May 2
The newly-expanded Singhai Fishing Harbor (興海漁港) in Manjhou Township (滿州鄉), will improve safety for fishing boats along Taiwan’s southeast coast and provide a more practical shelter option during typhoons, say officials.
In previous years, the splash area typically opened closer to summer vacation, but many residents are pushing for an earlier start as Kaohsiung heats up long before “summer.” As temperatures in Kaohsiung hit 31 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the city appears inclined to open the facility as soon as final safety approvals are complete.
The seminar will cover how to evaluate different school options, what public education services are available, including Mandarin learning support, and the timelines and procedures involved in school registration.
The vessel arrived at Donggang Fish Market amid firecrackers, where Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米), American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Kaohsiung Branch Chief Neil Gibson, and other officials boarded to mark the catch. The tuna measured 214 cm in length and weighed 190 kg.
Preliminary assessments are eligible for subsidies of up to NT$15,000 per case, while comprehensive, detailed evaluations can receive a maximum of NT$400,000. These assessments serve as critical documentation. The application period is open effective immediately and will close on November 1, 2026.
Chen has a backstory that would work well for a film. At 13, he left Taiwan for Vienna. His parents stayed behind as he entered a rigorous training system—the kind few young musicians today would be expected to endure. “My parents basically had no idea what I was doing,” Chen said. “In the first ten years, I only made two phone calls a year. Letters back and forth would take months,” he recalled.
