Hu 'surprised' to be named rising star by UK mag

In its latest edition, the magazine praised Hu for “his large-scale infrastructure and economic development,” his push to transform Taichung into a city of culture by introducing works by architect Zaha Hadid, and performances by movie director Zhang Yimou and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The magazine also praised him for bringing down the crime rate, in a city “known for crime and prostitution,” by 60 percent since 2001.

The magazine, however, also pointed out the challenge Hu faces to “focus on local politics as supporters push for a presidential bid.”

Hu said that he was surprised to be selected because he had not signed up for evaluation. He also expressed reservations about the magazine's praise for his achievements on crime. He said that, while foreigners can only learn about Taichung's public security by reading the figures — which do show a drop in criminal cases — they cannot really appreciate the level of public safety in the city.

Crime rate in Taichung has dropped, but the city still faces a lot of challenges, and the city government will endlessly strive to improve public security, Hu said.

Founded by former editor and founder of the influential fashion magazine “Wallpaper*,” Tyler Brule, in 2007, Monocle is available in over 50 countries. It has become popular among intellectuals in the West, which means Taichung has gain some level of success in its internationalization, Hu said.

The magazine describes itself as “a global briefing covering international affairs, business, culture and design,” while it has been described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a “meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair.”

Hu is listed among chiefs of cities worldwide including Nagoya, Japan; Houston, Texas, U.S.; Holon, Israel; Stockholm, Sweden; Amsterdam-Oost, the Netherlands; Barranquilla, Colombia; Perth, Australia; Madrid, Spain and Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

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