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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Culture & Society

Man Fined for Placing Traffic Cone on Koxinga Statue in Taiwan

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A young man placed a traffic cone on the head of a statue of Koxinga in Tainan, Taiwan.
  • The statue is not a protected historical relic, so the man will be fined under the Social Order Maintenance Act.
  • The man claimed he did it to create a festive atmosphere and as a joke, not to damage the statue.

A statue of Koxinga in Tainan, Taiwan, was humorously adorned with a traffic cone on its head, an act that has led to a fine for a young man involved.

The incident occurred at the Yanping Junwang Temple, where the equestrian statue of Koxinga, a prominent historical figure, was found with a bright yellow traffic cone perched on its head, resembling a large party hat. The unusual sight drew attention from passersby, who found the scene amusing.

The statue is not a protected historical relic.

— Tainan City Police Second PrecinctConfirming the status of the statue after the incident.

Authorities confirmed that the statue is a general landscape sculpture and not a designated historical relic. Therefore, the act did not constitute damage to cultural heritage. However, the man's actions were deemed a violation of the Social Order Maintenance Act for defacing a public monument.

He thought the statue was too solemn and wanted to create an early festive atmosphere.

— Young man involvedExplaining his motivation for placing the traffic cone on the statue.

The young man, who was identified through surveillance footage, stated that he placed the cone on the statue to create an early Christmas atmosphere and as a humorous gesture. He insisted he had no intention of damaging the monument, finding the statue to be too solemn at times.

Despite the statue's non-heritage status and lack of damage, the man faces a fine of up to NT$6,000 for his actions. The incident highlights a playful, albeit rule-breaking, interaction with public monuments.

He claimed it was purely out of humor and he had no intention of destruction.

— Young man involvedStating his lack of malicious intent.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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