io9: taiwan

Why Has It Taken This Long To Get A Superhero Named Panda Man?

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:30:00 PST

Taiwanese singer-actor Jay Chou will star in a science fiction TV series called Xiong Mao Xia (or Panda-Man.) Also starring: various Taiwanese pop stars, including the group S.H.E. And it'll be a "trendy drama." [CRI]

The Abandoned Spacecraft City of San Zhr

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:01:54 PDT

There are countless homages to the lost space-age architectures of the 1950s and 60s, but none seems more poignant than these photographs by Craig Ferguson of the abandoned village of San Zhr in Taiwan. These saucer-shaped buildings look like crashed spaceships. Apparently commissioned by the government as a hotel/apartment complex on the north coast, it was never completed and fell into ruins amid rumors of ghosts.

Ferguson writes:

Accounts vary on the origins of this complex, and indeed, as to whether it was meant to be a hotel development or a housing development. Apparently, it was constructed in the 1960s and included/was to include a dam to protect it against sea surges, floors and stairs made of marble and a small amusement park. The site was commissioned by the government and local firms and there is no named architect. Local papers at the time reported that there were numerous accidents during construction which caused the death of some workers. As news of these accidents spread, no one wanted to go there, even to visit, and the project was subsequently abandoned. The ghosts of those who died in vain are said to still linger there, unremembered and unable to pass on. The complex was left in its unfinished state because no amount of redevelopment will bring people to the area due to superstitions about ghosts, and it can’t be demolished because destroying the homes of spirits and lost souls is taboo in Asian culture.

This is just one of several strange housing developments profiled in a recent post by Tomorrow Museum's Joanne McNeil. Check out the whole set of bizarre residential areas — not all of which have been abandoned.

San Zhr Photos [File Magazine via Tomorrow Museum]

Mutants Meet Magnets In Taiwanese SciFi

Kevin Kelly — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:00:27 PST

According to Shen xuan zhe, a new science fiction film from Taiwan, the time, place, and date of your birth in relation to the Earth's magnetic field can give you special powers. You might become an ultra-special "chosen" member of the Brotherhood of Legio, a sort of dark Taiwanese version of the Justice League.

When the Brotherhood comes calling, it forces potential members to undergo brutal tests and wear funky LED handcuffs to determine if they're worthy or not. The film has good-looking special effects and has a The Matrix meets The X-Men feel, with a dash of bondage thrown in. Looking forward to seeing this one when it hits stateside (it's variously listed under the English titles Brotherhood of Legio and Brotherhood of Legion).

[Quiet Earth]