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| Experience Kaohsiung's Metaverse |
◎Written by Li Guei-sian
◎English translation by Lin Yu-ciao
◎Photo by Carter |
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When you put on the VIVE monitor, the world in front of you suddenly changes. Participants are virtually transported to places like Egypt's pyramids or even Mars. Kaohsiung's Metaverse has been made possible with the strategic integration of academia, technology, and art. It is also becoming an integral part of Kaohsiung's 5G AIoT smart city.
In VIVELAND VR Theme Park, visitors can enjoy an immersive virtual experience. HTC has spearheaded these VR applications, allowing users to enter and explore the Metaverse. This space covers 300 square meters and provides users with 30 VR games including virtual museums. Although the Metaverse has sparked a heated global debate, the advanced VR technology allows people to enter an exciting 3D world, integrating the virtual with the real and defying physical boundaries. This medium is regarded as a new trend where people create an imaginary Metaverse world.
"HTC hopes to continue developing virtual reality technologies and applications for various educational and training programs. The Metaverse will have various functional, industrial, and ecological applications," explained the manager of the Kaohsiung branch, Guo Jhen-sian.
Sun Jhih-bin, director of I-Shou University's Digital Media Design Department, leads efforts to integrate the Metaverse VR Game Center with the Technology and Art Design Center. These innovations will be carried out through industry-university cooperation and continue cultivating talents to develop Kaohsiung's Metaverse further.
Kaohsiung city government is also promoting VR. Kaohsiung's VR FILM LAB launched more than 20 original VR films that won awards at Venice International, Cannes, and Sundance Film Festivals. The city government has set up a VR Film Lab in Pier-2 Art Center. This lab is the first open art space in Taiwan that exhibits VR movies and provides immersive experiences for visitors.
Sun Jhih-bin believes the Metaverse will continue integrating innovative technologies, including NFT, blockchain, and VR. Kaohsiung will integrate its smart city capabilities with Metaverse's virtual cities. In the future, people will also be able to access Metaverse for e-commerce transactions. The Metaverse project in Kaohsiung has been made possible with the New Asia Bay's 5G platform and partnerships between industries, government, and academia.
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VR FILM LAB
Address: Dayi Street, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City (C9 Warehouse)
Website: https://vrfilmlab.tw/
Viveland VR Theme Park in Kaohsiung SKM Park
Address: No. 1-1, Jhongan Road, Cianjhen District, Kaohsiung City (3F, East Mall)
Website: https://www.facebook.com/KOSMOSxVIVELAND/ |
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| Seafood Snacks from Kaohsiung: Jane Jane Shredded Squid |
◎Written by Wang Ting-yun
◎English translation by Lin Yu-ciao
◎Photos by Carter |
Kaohsiung's squid catch ranks second in the world, and squid is known as one of the city's three ocean treasures, along with tuna and saury. Among the many processed squid foods available nowadays, Jane Jane Shredded Squid, produced by Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise Co., Ltd., has become a tasty favorite of people throughout Taiwan.
※Exporting from Kaohsiung Cianjhen Fishing Port
Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise, which has been based in Kaohsiung for more than 40 years, manages deep-sea fisheries operations from Taiwan's largest deep-sea fishing harbor, Cianjhen Fishing Port in Kaohsiung. It updated its technology and set up the country's first shredded squid processing plant in 1979. Since then, it has won a solid reputation through its Jane Jane-brand shredded squid.
Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise makes and sells a variety of products, including dried squid shreds, cod fragrant shreds, and kelp candy. Its frozen prepared foods include fish balls and crab-flavored sticks, while its exports include squid steaks. General Manager Chen Huang-jhou says that Jane Jane has built a name for itself in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In foreign countries, frozen food is more popular than snacks.
“We don't sell anything we wouldn't eat!” Chen says, stressing that using unhealthy additives would run counter to Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise's corporate spirit and culture. The company has also obtained internationally-recognized SQF certification, guaranteeing a high level of food safety and quality.
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Chen believes that people adore munching on Jane Jane shredded squid because of its tasty flavor and chewy-yet-tender texture. When making quality products, quality management is of paramount importance, he explains. Quality control depends on skilled specialists. Squid parts that are more than 1.5 cm wide, too hard, or too thick are removed. Moreover, the company has endeavored to reduce the calorie and sodium content of its products as much as possible without compromising their flavor.
Jane Jane Traditional-Style Grilled Squid has become another popular snack in recent years. The squid is grilled on an iron plate with a distinctive honey sauce, lending it an aroma that older Taiwanese often associate with the grilled squid sold by vendors outside movie theaters decades ago. Chen's confidence in Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise's products is obvious. He recalls negotiating with a Japanese customer who used Chen's ready-to-eat snow crab legs to make crab-leg sushi on the spot. The client was so impressed that he placed an order immediately after tasting it!
Chen says that Shin Ho Sing Ocean Enterprise has more than 340 employees, and the turnover rate is extremely low. More than half of the workers have 20-plus years of experience. Chen is a Taipei native who has been living in Kaohsiung for eight years. In addition to his fondness for the southern maritime city and its warm and straightforward people, he recognizes the continuous progress Kaohsiung has been making, saying: “Kaohsiung is the root of our company!” |
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