The first building in Taiwan designed by world renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the Asia University Museum of Art, is set to open in mid-2013, the museum's chief curator said Sunday.

Taiwan played a very important role in enabling “Life of Pi” to be made, Rhythm & Hues Studios Inc. (R&H), one of the world's top five visual effects companies, said Friday.

Grand Hyatt Taipei hosted its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony last night, starting with a children's choir performance by the Taiwan Foundation of Rare Disorders (TFRD).

Award-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee said Saturday that Taiwan's film industry still needs the support of the government as the domestic market is limited in size.

The 49th Golden Horse Film Festival will kick off in Yilan in Northeastern Taiwan for the first time today and will feature 86 films, 15 directors and as many as 20 actors from around the world, the county government said yesterday. Among the entries to be screened, Taiwanese films “To My Dear Granny,” “Legend of the T-Dog” and “Unpolitical Romance” will make their world premieres at the festival, which runs until Nov. 18, according to the county's Cultural Affairs Bureau.

Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee said yesterday at a press conference in Taipei that shooting his latest movie, “Life of Pi,” in Taiwan allowed “thinking outside of the Hollywood box.”

Gloria Jean's Coffees, the biggest coffee franchise in Australia, opened its first shop in Taiwan yesterday, entering a lucrative market that sells an estimated 300 million cups of coffee per year.

Every November, rural Yunlin County is cast into the national spotlight with its Gukeng Coffee Festival, which showcases Gukeng Township's coffee industry, farming history and unique coffee culture.

Traveling through Western Taiwan on the country's high speed rail line has been selected by the editors of National Geographic as one of its “Best Winter Trips 2013,” according to the U.S.-based magazine's website.

Blue Crystal Shrimps (藍金剛水晶蝦), color changing sea horses, and a “200-year-old” fish can all be seen at the 2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo,(台灣國際觀賞魚博覽會) which is set to kick off on Nov. 9 at the Taipei World Trade Center, Nangang Exhibition Hall.