Tying the Knot: Taiwan's World Class Wedding Industry
Despite an overall decline in marriage figures, there's no doubt that the wedding industry is still big business. In the United States, the average wedding cost around US$26,000 in 2011, and estimates for Taiwan for the same period are almost identical. In fact, when it comes to tying the knot, Taipei has a claim to being the world's wedding capital in terms of both value and comprehensiveness.
The Dress
Symbols and Celebrations: Lunar New Year in Taiwan
Ask a Taiwanese friend or colleague what they do during Lunar New Year, and there is a good chance they will respond with a shrug and say "nothing much." Generally, the holiday is a time when the younger generations flock back to the nest for family get-togethers. Physical exertion is usually not high on the list of activities. Instead, reclining on the sofa in front of the TV, eating until bursting point and enjoying a few hands of mahjong are preferred.
To prepare for the festivities, families will purchase spring couplets, a pair of metrical lines of verse usually printed on red paper and placed on the doors of homes. The characters on these slips of paper express happiness and hope for the upcoming year. The most important items on the shopping list are the food items –– usually enough to feed a small army. Boiled dumplings are popular as they resemble gold ingots and, thus, represent prosperity. Similarly, niangao –– a glutinous New Year cake –– is associated with progress. Food also influences the important rituals that take place during New Year. Dishes are presented to ancestors or deities who must "accept" the offering before the family is allowed to indulge.
Larry King Bows Out
With his trademark glasses and suspenders, Larry King is a familiar face to millions of viewers across the globe. Larry King Live, which ends this month after 25 years on air, has been a flagship for CNN.
Refined Tea — A Century of Brewing
As Lunar New Year approaches, Dihua Street becomes the go-to place for New Year shopping. A look at its teeming hordes is enough to convince visitors of its fame. What you may not know is the reason this street in the historic area of Dadaocheng became so prosperous: tea.
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成功的開場 |
Japan's Warhol
Passing off commercial, everyday images as high-art is nothing new. Andy Warhol was doing it with cans of soup in the 1960s, and Roy Lichtenstein with comic book panels even earlier. Warhol would doubtless recognize a follower of his pop art movement in Takashi Murakami, albeit with a distinctly Japanese slant.
Zappos: The Perfect Fit
When Nick Swinmurn approached investors with a plan to sell shoes online in 1998, they wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole. More than a decade on, Swinmurn's brainchild Zappos.com grosses over US$1 billion annually. The naysayers must be kicking themselves.
