Taiwan doesn’t have enough children to attend its schools

Hello and good morning! It’s Tuesday, June 18. Here’s some of what you need to know in our community today.

Happy International Sushi Day!

The first authentic sushi bar in the U.S., Kawafuku, first began serving nigiri in 1966 in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles. Sushi, with the help of Hollywood celebs at the time and the boom of Japanese immigrants in the following decades that would result in increased awareness and consumption of the dish, is now more popular than ever in the States.

Entertainment

102-year-old snack shop grandma becomes TikTok-famous

Sie Choo Yong, the owner of a small provision shop in Singapore, has gained viral fame on TikTok for her generosity. The centenarian can be seen giving away extra items and even refusing payment in a video filmed by user @dinahnahnah, who appealed to viewers to support Sie’s business at Beauty World Centre in Upper Bukit Timah.

• The shop, Lean Seng Lee Trading, is owned by Sie’s youngest son, who said he keeps the store open to provide Sie with meaningful activity, rather than being bored at home. Despite her age, she remains highly active and healthy, according to her second-oldest son, who is 66. Originally from China, Sie moved to Singapore in her 30s and has a background in farming. Sie has seven children and 27 grandchildren. 

• The TikTok video has garnered over 184,000 views and many supportive comments, with viewers praising Sie's kindness and expressing intentions to visit her shop. “Yes pleaseeee support this aunty. I grew up buying snacks from her shop since primary school. I'm hitting 30 and till this day she remembers me,” one comment reads.

Crime

NY restaurant owner wakes up from coma caused by dine-and-dash attack

Su Wen, the 49-year-old owner and chef of Shogun Sushi in Albany, New York, is recovering from a brutal attack by a dine-and-dash customer on May 29. The assault left him in a coma for nearly two weeks, during which doctors had to remove part of his skull. Su has since regained consciousness but remains mostly bedridden and unable to speak or move independently.

• During the incident, Lucas Healey, 42, allegedly ordered numerous dishes and alcoholic beverages totalling to $424.44 before attempting to leave without paying. A physical altercation broke out as employees tried to stop him, resulting in the owner being punched in the face and falling to the ground head first. Healey was arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including first-degree robbery as a hate crime. 

• A GoFundMe campaign, started by neighboring tavern owner Chris Pratt, has raised over $33,000 for the victim’s medical expenses. “I understand that he is a husband and father of two. I am told he is a very diligent worker…I was told by the manager of Shogun yesterday that his wife had to quit her job to tend to her husband,” Pratt wrote.  

Asia

South China Sea tensions heightened after Philippine ship crash

A collision between a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea has further heightened tensions between the two nations. China's coast guard accused the Philippine ship of disregarding warnings and approaching dangerously, leading to the collision. However, the Philippine military disregarded China's report as “deceptive and misleading,” adding that the Chinese vessels’ presence in the area is illegal. 

• China's growingly assertive claims over the entire South China Sea, particularly through the controversial "nine-dash line" on its maps, have sparked numerous conflicts with regional neighbors, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam. Although the Philippines won the landmark arbitration case against China’s claims over the Sea at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016, Beijing did not participate in the proceedings to settle the maritime dispute and rejected the ruling. 

• On Saturday, China’s new law took effect, authorizing its coast guard to seize foreign ships “that illegally enter” their territorial waters and detain crews for up to 60 days, with provisions allowing for the use of force. The Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have declared their non-recognition of the legislation. The territorial disputes have strained relations and raised concerns about potential military conflict between China and the U.S., the Philippines’ treaty ally. While the U.S. does not claim territory in the region, it has pledged to defend the Philippines from armed attacks in the area.

Taiwan

Taiwan doesn’t have enough children to attend its schools

In Taiwan, demographic decline is forcing educational institutions to close as enrollment dwindles amid an aging population. Since the mid-1980s, the country has experienced a birth rate well below replacement levels, resulting in a substantial decrease in school-aged children. As of 2023, the birth rate stands at 0.865, exacerbating challenges faced by both private and public schools.

• From 2011 to 2021, Taiwan saw a significant decline in student enrollment in primary and junior high schools, decreasing from 2.3 million to less than 1.8 million students. This decline is particularly acute in private schools, with many facing closure, while universities also struggle, prompting calls to merge struggling private institutions with public ones to enhance educational quality and accessibility.

• Despite government incentives, financial challenges and cultural factors deter many from having more children. A Pew Research Center survey across East Asia, including Taiwan, indicates diminishing societal pressure on women to have children, marking a shift in family and gender role attitudes. Less than a third of Taiwanese adults view childbearing as a woman’s societal duty, with a majority believing it should be a personal choice.

More News

• And the most affordable city in the U.S. is …: Fort Wayne, whose Asian population is approximately 5.6% of its 325,000 residents, was recently ranked the most affordable city to move to in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. The northeastern Indiana city has a low cost of living, with housing expenses accounting for just 19.56% of the median household income ($71,507), a median property price of $169,485 and a median rent of $1,078. Joining Fort Wayne at the top of the list are: Huntsville, Alabama; Wichita, Kansas; Springfield, Missouri; and Davenport, Iowa.

• Official K-food section is coming to Amazon: South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation announced on Sunday that up to around 300 of the nation’s companies will participate in selling their processed food products on Amazon by the end of the year. The initial phase of their plan to increase food exports will showcase 20 products, like bibimbap and perilla oil, from 10 domestic companies at the world’s largest online retailer.

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