Taiwan Today

A statue of the matchmaking deity Old Man Under the Moon, which is housed at historic Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple, arrived in Japan on its first-ever overseas trip Feb. 14. The statue is special three-day attraction at the Okinawa International Asia Music Festival. In addition to visiting the statue and seeking the deity’s blessings, festivalgoers can sample Taiwan tea, braised pork rice and other products.

ROC Ministry of Finance statistics released Feb. 13 show that national tax revenue grew 51 percent year on year to NT$126.4 billion (US$4.16 billion) in January. The result was attributed to strong performances in business, consolidated income and sales tax revenues. In addition, securities transaction tax revenue reached NT$7 billion, up 20.2 percent from the same period last year.

The 2014 Badminton Asia Youth Under-19 Championships will be held Feb. 16 to 23 at Taipei Gymnasium. This is the first time the tournament has been staged in Taiwan since 2001. More than 200 contestants from 17 countries and territories, including India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and mainland China, are taking part in the event. (YHC-JSM)

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