Coastal areas still struggle with flooding 4302TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Even though Typhoon Krathon has largely dissipated four coastal districts in New Taipei will keep schools and offices closed on Saturday (Oct Wanli, Jinshan, Shimen, and Sanzhi struggled with impassable roads, floods, landslides, and fallen trees Friday (Oct. 4). To ensure the safety of residents and to speed up relief work, the New Taipei City Government decided to close schools and offices on Saturday, per CNA The four districts are located on the coast between Tamsui and Keelung, which were hit by heavy rain Friday. A landslide buried 12 government vehicles near a garbage incinerator in the city The Central Personnel Administration provides regular updates on school and office closures on its website. 3 Kaohsiung 7-Eleven store clerks bracing door blown back by Krathon Government will fully support typhoon recovery, Taiwan president says Kaohsiung teen battles Typhoon Krathon's wind with umbrella 2 dead, 667 injured, 1 missing in Taiwan from Typhoon Krathon Flooding shown at Kaohsiung's Museum of Fine Arts area Krathon downgraded to tropical depression, sunny weekend ahead Taipei MRT reminds passengers of drinking water ban Taiwan dollar hits NT$29 per US dollar triggering currency exchange rush Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off east Taiwan Vietjet flight makes unscheduled landing in Taiwan Central Bank steps in as Taiwan dollar posts strong single-day gain Four Vietnamese residents found dead in northern Taiwan Taiwan ranked 2nd most innovative country in world US tech earnings spark Taiwan stock market rally Taiwan ranks 1st in Asia on World Press Freedom Index Rising Taiwan dollar over Trump tariffs has pros and cons Some areas of New Taipei City recorded more than 600 mm of rain in under 12 hours The National Fire Agency said that one person was confirmed dead five others injured and two remained missing in northern Taiwan as of Friday The fatality occurred in the Bali District of New Taipei City when a woman on a motorcycle was swept away by flood water one in New Taipei City and the other in Keelung are missing after being swept away by flood water Emergency teams were called on to carry out hundreds of flood water rescues and evacuations including dozens of young children from a flooded kindergarten school in Taipei around 4,000 people have been evacuated in several areas including Kaohsiung City (3051) Hundreds of flights were cancelled due to the heavy rain and Taipei Songshan Airport had to be closed for several hours A road bridge in New Taipei City was severely damaged by flood water from a swollen river As of early 03 June (local time) Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau had issued heavy rainfall warnings for many parts of the country The National Fire Agency says that Disaster Response Centres have been set up and several rainfall and flood warnings issued including Level 2 warnings for Keelung City The higher Level 3 warnings are in place for Taichung City Over 600 warnings for potential mud or landslides have also been issued over 100 locations in the country recorded more than 230 mm of rain between early 02 June and early 03 June Some parts of New Taipei City recorded more than 600 mm of rain during the same period Local observers say that much of the rain fell in an 11 hour period Figures below from Taiwan Central Weather Bureau for the period 00:00 hours The taxi was submerged in Taiwan and then the passenger escaped.#Taiwan #flood #flooding #floodwaterhttps://t.co/rAFgsnto3s pic.twitter.com/A122DP4e1q — 蔡承融 (@SaiShouYuu) June 2, 2017 Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList Via Curbed | Source Design You Trust A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. Across the world are cities and places that once thrived but now lay in ruins. These abandoned cities, which are often referred to as ghost towns Their decay causes our imaginations to run wild conjuring images of a place lost to time and just what kinds of life may have passed through its city limits Some have rich and glorious pasts while others have a dark and troubled history Sanzhi Pod City is located just outside of New Taipei City Construction of this UFO-style housing development began in 1978 and was intended to be a vacation resort marketed toward US military personnel After several fatal car accidents during construction and an equally devastating loss of investment Source: Deviant Art Many attribute the pod city’s bad luck to the bisecting of a Chinese dragon statue near the front gates in order to widen the road Though the area had become a tourist curiosity and the subject of an MTV film the pods were demolished in 2010 to make way for a commercial seaside resort Source: Boston University Bodie, California is a true Wild West ghost town Officially becoming a historic state park in 1962 but like so many other towns whose existence hinges on primary commodities the former gold rush town withered away as the gold ore dried up The term “ghost town” was first used to describe Bodie all the way back in 1915 It has been named as California’s official state gold-rush ghost town The Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated it fell under the control of the Triads after the government gave up control Known for drug trafficking and prostitution at its ‘high point’ the city had 33,000 residents within its .010 square mile area building their living quarters upward instead of outward and storing a whopping 4,000 pounds of drugs within its borders British and Chinese governments had the area systematically evacuated due to persistently awful sanitary conditions slowly turning it into a post-apocalyptic looking shell of a city Kowloon Walled City Park opened in December 1995 and still contains some artifacts including its yamen (government) building and remnants of its South Gate a verdant park may be found where the Walled City once stood tall For a more encompassing look at the history and present of Kowloon be sure to see this video produced by the Wall Street Journal: Source: 8 Things To Do A testament to the destructive power of nuclear energy, Pripyat, Ukraine was a booming Soviet city before the Chernobyl catastrophe The power plant’s tragic meltdown spurred a sudden and rapid evacuation of Pripyat and the surrounding areas Everything was deemed contaminated and was therefore left behind Source: Flickr Over the years, vandals have struck most of the buildings, hastening the ruin started by time and the elements. Not ones to miss out on a moment to profit, however, in 2005 an American entrepreneur founded a company to give tours of the Chernobyl area today Be sure to catch this amazing overhead video of Chernobyl and Pripyat: Hashima Island Japan (also known as Battleship Island because of its shape when viewed from above) is now one of 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki Prefecture the island was inhabited and run as a coal mining facility But as Japan made the switch from coal to cleaner and more efficient fuel sources the island and its dwellings were deserted and it has been left relatively untouched since As abandoned cities have become en vogue among photography enthusiasts journalists have been allowed into the area for documentation and some attempts have been made to stabilize various apartments and other buildings that have started to crumble For those who want to enter Hashima’s eerie confines but lack the budget or willpower Google employees captured its aesthetics with a Street View backpack Source: Wikipedia Varosha, Cyprus is a suburb of Famagusta and was a leading tourist destination in the 1970s. Varosha, once sprinkled with luxury high rises and a hotspot for Hollywood A-listers including Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Raquel Welch Varosha’s inhabitants and tourists fled The residents hoped to return to their homes after the conflict died down but the Turkish government fenced off the resorts and have since barred admission to outsiders The area has remained abandoned ever since the United Nations ordered Turkey to hand Varosha over to them so that those who were forced out could negotiate resettlement conditions Turkey failed to comply and has since used the city as a political tool to get Cyprus to agree to Turkey’s own political terms Source: Wikimedia Commons Norway was a Russian settlement and coal mining community Sold from Sweden to the Soviet Union in 1927 the area was closed and abandoned in 1998 and is now only accessible by boat or snowmobile Tourists are not permitted to enter the buildings—even the ones that stand open—without prior approval another figure whose ideas have also been abandoned For those who wish to spend an extended amount of time in this frigid and decrepit city hotels have recently been popping up to accommodate such tastes If you enjoyed our article on the world’s creepiest abandoned cities, then be sure to check out our other posts on amazing facts and incredible abandoned structures! The second line of the Danhai Light Rail Transit system is likely to bypass the popular tourist spot of Tamsui Old Street (淡水老街) and run along the Tamsui River (淡水河) due to opposition from local residents, the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems said on Tuesday. The Blue Seaside Line, which is under construction, is to start at MRT Tamsui Station and join the completed Green Mountain Line at Binhai Shalun Station, it said. The Blue Seaside Line was originally to be separated into two single tracks in either direction, instead of a single double-track design for most parts between MRT Tamsui Station and Station V23, near Fort San Domingo, the department said. That would allow one track to run through Tamsui Old Street, while the other would run along Provincial Highway 2b, it said. The two tracks were to converge near Station V23 and extend westward to Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf Station next to the highway, it added. However, local residents have opposed introducing the light rail to the old street since last year, due to noise and environmental concerns, as well as the inconvenience that would be caused for parking and product loading. At a meeting between the city government and local residents on Monday, complementary measures were initiated, including road renovation and construction of underground parking lots for motorcycles. However, residents remain opposed to the idea, leading to a plan in which there would not be any separation of the double tracks, the department said. The entire line is to be built alongside the river, bypassing the old street and the highway, it said. The city government is expected to approve the new plan soon, the department said, adding that construction could start next year and be completed in 2024 as scheduled. The four-line light-rail system started operations in 2018 after the completion of the Green Mountain Line and is also to include the Bali and Sanzhi lines, which are still in the planning stages. The Blue Seaside Line’s first phase, which has three stops — Taipei University of Marine Technology, Shalun and Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf — has almost been completed, the city government said. The budget for the system, including a second phase to extend the Blue Seaside Line to six more stations along the river between Fisherman’s Wharf and MRT Tamsui Station, totals NT$15.3 billion (US$506 million). The system is part of the development of the 1,748.7 hectare Danhai New Town, which was launched in 1992 with the aim of attracting 300,000 residents by 2036. The electric streetcars travel on their own tracks, but share the road with other vehicles and must obey standard traffic regulations, including stopping at red lights. From lively seaside towns with perfectly groomed white sands to remote beautiful beaches and sand sculpting competitions they all have something different to offer Tommy_HSIEN-TSE / Shutterstock View Tours The small coastal town of Danshui lies to the northwest of Taipei city at the end of the MRT’s Red line This ever popular day trip destination features many historic sites such as Fort San Domingo and Danshui Old Street the pedestrian street of this seaside town offers everything from Taiwanese sausage on a stick to locally made crafts and wooden toys There is also a beach to the north of the town just past Fisherman’s Wharf but although the flat sands are perfect for beach games the water is dangerous and local authorities warn visitors to stay on the sands Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy About the author An Irishman living in Taiwan since 2003 I used to teach but now I write words for a living and by some fluke of nature See & Do Epic Places in Taiwan Even Locals Don't Know About See & Do The Best Places for an Asian Spring Break See & Do The Top 7 Things to See and Do in Wanhua Guides & Tips 13 Hilarious Arabic Swear Words and Phrases Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in October History The Oldest Religions in the World See & Do 10 of the Oldest Cities in the World See & Do The Best Hiking Trails in Taiwan Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in November See & Do The Coolest Neighborhoods in Taichung US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd Animal Protection Office called to remove snake and release into wild 5022TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A resident of New Taipei’s Sanzhi District was startled after discovering a snake on a toilet in Cherry Blossom Park next to Balian River A staff member from New Taipei’s Animal Protection Office identified the snake as a non-venomous red-banded snake (Lycodon rufozonatus) He placed it in a cage and took it into the mountains to be released into the wild According to New Taipei’s Animal Protection Office, there were 3,650 requests by the public to catch and relocate snakes in 2023. The top three snakes most commonly found were the Taiwanese habu, red-banded snake, and king ratsnake, per New Taipei City Government The office reminded the public that when engaging in outdoor activities to wear long trousers and sleeves The Sanzhi District resident who discovered the snake said his family member was about to sit on the toilet when the red-banded snake appeared After hearing a family member scream for help The office said each snake has different habits including the venomous and non-venomous variety Most snakes will not go out of their way to attack humans try to remember the snake's physical characteristics and seek medical attention as soon as possible The public is also asked not to purposely harass snakes as this could be a violation of the Wildlife Conservation Act.  To report snakes that need to be removed from populated areas call the New Taipei Animal Protection Office 24-hour reporting hotline at 02-29596353 or the citizen hotline at 1999 Yunlin launch Taiwan National Day fireworks Taoyuan unveils Taiwan National Day pedestrian signals red sunsets over Taipei before Typhoon Krathon Feature photo: Legend of the Taiwan Bunun tribe sun shooting statue Feature photo: EVA Air jet flies past Taipei 101 The Red Cross Society of The Republic of China (Taiwan) Address：83, Section 2, Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District, New Taipei City 25154, Taiwan (R.O.C.) (Map) TEL：886-2-2362-8232 | FAX：886-2-2363-5154Contact Us Mail：redcross@redcross.org.tw This page requires JavaScript to function correctly please enable JavaScript in your browser settings first 14921TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four scenic seawalls in Taiwan have become popular tourist destinations with two located on the main island of Taiwan and the other two in Penghu County a seaside park located at Cianshuei Bay in New Taipei’s coastal Sanzhi District An old platform used to stand at the same site The jetty leading to the platform has wavy guard rails that blend into the background An art installation shaped like a wedding ring stands at the center of the deck near the end of the jetty scheduled to open in the middle of September is expected to become an ideal place to watch the sun set into the sea (Facebook, Sheila Teng photo) The seawall is located at the end of the Tunnel of Stars a seaside attraction in Kaohsiung’s Cijin District not many people know about the seawall's sea horse shape The shape of the curvy jetty and the lighthouse will become clear when looked at from the Chihou Battery Even though the seawall is off-limits to tourists it is still a soothing sight to behold from different angles (Facebook, 林神行 photo) Penghu County is a seawall that goes straight into the open water the seawall is photogenic in different weather conditions Aerial photos of the seawall reveal the paradise-like beauty of this road into the blue beyond (Facebook, 澎湖旅遊天強旅行社有限公司 photo) (Facebook, 澎湖綠灣民宿 photo)​​​​​​Xiaochijiao Double Curved Bridge the Xiaochijiao Double Curved Bridge looks like a catwalk on the sea and is often described as the Penghu version of the Maldives owing to the clear water surrounding the attraction the white bridge and the beach umbrella-shaped platform look like a wonderland floating out onto the water Aerial photography can produce magnificent images (Facebook, 東南旅遊 photo) AIT director visits Kaohsiung as part of south Taiwan tour Kaohsiung showcases golden age of entertainment Kaohsiung company fined NT$8.4 million for selling expired meat Saw wielding man rides scooter into Taiwan military base Kaohsiung rural communities win medals in village competition Welcome to bdonline.co.uk. This site uses cookies. Read our policy By 2018-05-16T06:00:00+01:00 University of Greenwich student Steven Hutt set for north-east Asia megacity odyssey An architecture student at the University of Greenwich has been revealed as the winner of RIBA’s Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship 2018 Steven Hutt will tour megacities of north-east Asia with an eye on infrastructure and its interrelationship with urban wildlife following his successful bid for the £7,000 cashpot underwritten by Foster in acknowledgement of a fund that helped him in his student days RIBA said he would commence his study tour in Taiwan looking at the dilapidated Sanzhi Pod City which has become a breeding ground for five new species of orchid mantis before progressing on to mainland China and South Korea Hutt’s proposal concludes with a cycle ride of more than 600 miles from the western Japanese city of Fukuoka to the capital Tokyo on which he proposes “documenting the rural and urban landscapes” The ACROS Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall Foster said he and his fellow judging panel members had been faced with the highest number of bids for the scholarship in the award’s decade-plus history we all felt the winning proposal dealt with a topic that was extremely relevant given the accelerating pace of urbanisation in Asia and the rest of the world,” he said “The relationship between nature and the city will be a key aspect as we seek to develop the sustainable cities of the future and I look forward to seeing the findings Steven Hutt’s research.” RIBA president Ben Derbyshire said Hutt’s proposal Judges for the 2018 award also commended entries by Jemma Chapman of Ravensbourne and Kitty Byrne of the Mackintosh School of Architecture The 2017 scholarship was won by Chloe Loader of Lincoln University with a proposal for studying sustainable masterplanning in emerging cities that took in Brazil Royal College of Art student will visit direct air capture sites in Iceland Architect dodges question on professional giants and scolds Britain’s lack of infrastructure ambition Site powered by Webvision Cloud You must be logged in to post a comment EERIE photographs show a derelict UFO-shaped holiday park that is at the centre of mysterious conspiracy theories. The Sanzhi Pod City in Taiwan was built in 1978 as a seaside resort for US military officers and rich locals. But the site was left to rot in 1980 following several unexplained deaths and the sighting of a paranormal dragon. The doomed vacation destination quickly became a dark tourism attraction. The paint on the brightly-coloured lodges is now covered in mould, damp and dirt, while many of the floor-to-ceiling windows have been smashed. Graffiti has been scrawled on the side of the buildings as well as on the lakeside slide. According to locals, a burial ground for Dutch soldiers is hidden underneath the futuristic chalets. Builders recalled seeing creepy spirits during construction, with many believing they were the ghosts of army men protecting the land. Another theory claims that the attraction was also haunted by a paranormal dragon. Truth-seekers say a large concrete dragon was knocked down to make way for the entrance of the pod city, thereby cursing the site. In many Asian cultures, dragons are a symbol of good fortune and success, fuelling speculation the opposite was unleashed when the dragon was destroyed. including several suicides from construction workers with no signs of depression The retro futuristic building styles were popular at that time but the price was so high that they failed to sell most of the units a mysterious ancient city which dates back to 500BC was found by British archaeologists buried beneath a hill And stunning images were revealed of a deserted Chinese fishing village that has been taken over by nature 2019 - 6:34amIt’s hard to believe these abandoned hotels Keep flicking through to learn their unique history and how they fell from grace Varosha wasn’t just your standard resort but was the jewel in the crown of Cypriot luxury once upon a time The Varosha Resort that lined the shoreline even rivalled the likes of Cannes and Marbella the Turkish invasion ensured that all inhabitants fled and the hotels that made-up the resort were closed down Maya Hotel in Japan never really had an easy ride It was firebombed and destroyed in WWII and then once re-built it was torn down once again when a typhoon hit in the '40s It finally closed in 1995 after being used as a student centre for the last part of the 20th century the resort was built in 1978 aimed at an influx of American tourists visiting Asia But after a number of deaths during building and then a lack of finances the Sanzhi Pod City never opened and there’s now talks of ripping it down and popping a seaside resort in its place Racha in Georgia was once known as Georgian Switzerland and was the place to go during the height of the Soviet Union the holiday resorts that are spotted throughout the mountain range sit abandoned This stunning mansion getaway was once an incredibly popular spa resort but it is one of many boutique hotels and holiday properties that have sat vacant for years in Luso Locals say that there’s not much point plunging money into the spa town because it’s no longer a trendy place to visit It might not look much now but back in 1800s Puente-del-Inca in Argentina was the place to be Tourists were brought in to the large thermal resort and spa on the infamous Transandine Railway the train station is a museum and the springs are abandoned almost all resorts in the area have had to close down after a 90 per cent drop in tourism The Tunisia Resort in Sousse might now sit eerily empty but it was once one of the most popular resorts in the area found on the island of Rügen to the north-west of the country was the most popular beach resort for German families It’s now a favourite for tourists wanting to see a prime example of Third Reich architecture When Indonesia started getting an influx of tourists at the start of the century many hotels were built including this resort on the tiny island of Bunaken not all Indonesian islands got the same amount of love from tourists this hotel sits abandoned due to the economic downturn The Sanzhi UFO houses also known as the Sanzhi pod houses or Sanzhi Pod City were a set of abandoned pod-shaped buildings in Sanzhi District,New Taipei City some examples of which can be found elsewhere in Taiwan.The site where the buildings were located was owned by Hung Kuo Group The now demolished complex  that once was  an innovative project of futuristic homes is made up of the eccentric  UFO inspired style called Futuro The UFO houses were constructed beginning in 1978 They were intended as a vacation resort in a part of the northern coast adjacent to Tamsui military officers coming from their East Asian postings.However the project was abandoned in 1980 due to investment losses and several car accident deaths and suicides during construction which is said to have been caused by the unfortuitous act of bisecting the Chinese dragon sculpture located near the resort gates for widening the road to the buildings.Other stories indicated that the site was the former burial ground for Dutch soldiers.The pod-like buildings became a minor tourist attraction due in part to their unusual architecture The structures have since been subject of a film used as a location by MTV for cinematography and become a subject in online discussions described as a ghost town or “ruins of the future”.The houses are referred to in the title of a track on the experimental Germanpianist Hauschka’s 2014 LP Abandoned City The buildings were scheduled to be torn down in late 2008 despite an online petition to retain one of the structures as a museum Demolition work on the site began on 29 December 2008 with plans to redevelop the site into a tourist attraction with hotels and beach facilities Ian Smith is one of the authors writing for The Vintage News Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE