Hey there! Welcome back to another episode of News Bites.

I'm Paz Bueno…

And I'm Nancy Sun.

In today's news:

The skulls of Paiwan warriors return home, and the laziest way to go up a mountain.

And in today's Tasty Tidbit…an animal that looks like a combination of three other animals!

Stay tuned to hear more about that, coming up next.

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排灣族戰士的頭骨返鄉

Homecoming for Paiwan Warriors' Skulls

Let's begin our first story with history (歷史).

Back in the 1870s, a battle called the Mudan Incident happened between the Paiwan warriors of Taiwan and Japanese soldiers.

1870年代，台灣的排灣族戰士和日本士兵之間，爆發一場叫做牡丹社事件的戰鬥。

The fight started because some sailors from the Ryukyu Islands (琉球群島) were killed by the Paiwan people.

These sailors were lost at sea and ended up in Taiwan.

Japan wanted to punish (懲罰) the Paiwan people for this.

So, in 1874, Japanese soldiers went to Taiwan to fight.

It was the first time Japanese soldiers fought in another country.

The Paiwan people knew how to fight well in their own land and gave the Japanese soldiers a hard time (讓日本士兵吃了大虧).

But the Japanese soldiers were strong and won some of the fights.

Many soldiers also got very sick because they were not used to the weather in Taiwan.

很多士兵也因為不習慣台灣的天氣而生病。

In the end, both sides stopped fighting, and that was the end of the war.

During this battle, the Japanese took the skulls (頭骨) of 12 Paiwan warriors away from Taiwan.

These skulls were very important to the indigenous (原住民) Paiwan people and their history.

Some of these skulls traveled far and ended up in Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom.

一些頭骨被帶到遠方，最終流落到英國愛丁堡大學。

For many years, these skulls stayed there.

But recently, the university agreed to give them back to Taiwan.

People in Mudan Township worked hard to bring these skulls back home.

Leaders from the Paiwan tribe and experts went to the U.K. to see the skulls.

They planned a special ceremony (特別的儀式) to welcome them back.

These skulls are now in a museum in Tainan.

There, scientists are studying them to learn more about who these warriors were.

The Mudan Incident is remembered as a time when the Paiwan people had to fight very hard to protect their home.

牡丹社事件被記住是因為排灣族人必須非常努力地保護他們的家園。

Today, there's a park at the place where the battle happened.

It's a big moment for Taiwan because it's like a part of history is finally back where it belongs.

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看山景輕鬆搭手扶梯！

Mountain Views Just an Escalator Ride Away!

Hiking up a mountain (爬山) is a great adventure.

It's all about following trails, climbing over rocks, and enjoying nature.

As you walk, you can hear birds, see trees and flowers, and breathe fresh air.

When you reach the top, you feel proud (自豪) and excited to see the amazing view.

But what if you could get to the top without all the climbing?

In Zhejiang Province, China, visiting a mountain just got easier.

在中國浙江省，參觀山景現在變得更容易了。

Now, instead of hiking up trails, tourists can take a long escalator (手扶梯) to see beautiful mountain views.

This escalator is so big it can carry people hundreds of meters to the top.

Tianyu Mountain (天嶼山) is not very tall, just 350 meters high.

But it used to be hard to climb because you had to walk over three other mountains to get to the top.

This was tough (很艱難) for older people and kids.

Now, with the new escalator, everyone can get to the top without getting tired.

Not everyone likes this idea.

Some people say the escalators ruin the fun of climbing and the beauty of the mountains.

有些人說電梯破壞了攀登的樂趣和山的美。

But others really like it.

They say it's easy and lets them see all the sights without missing anything.

他們說這很容易，讓他們可以不錯過任何景點就可以看到所有的景色。

A tourist said it's great because they didn't have to walk and still saw everything.

A mother said it's perfect for kids and older family members.

Just standing on the escalator makes the trip simple and fun.

There's even a video of the big escalator on Tianyu Mountain that lots of people watched.

And Tianyu isn't the only place with an escalator.

There's another one in Shenxianju Scenic Area in Taizhou City (台州市神仙居風景區), called the South Sky Ladder, that's been around for three years.

So, in Zhejiang, seeing the best mountain views doesn't mean you have to hike all day.

Just take a quick ride up the mountain!

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So, in today's News Bites:

During the Mudan Incident in the 1870s, the Japanese took the skulls of 12 Paiwan warriors away from Taiwan.

Four of them ended up in Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom.

The University has returned the skulls to Taiwan.

The Mudan Township held a special ceremony to welcome them back.

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And,

In Zhejiang Province, China, visiting mountains just got easier.

Now, instead of hiking up trails, tourists can take long escalators to see beautiful mountain views.

Some people say the escalators ruin the fun of climbing and the beauty of the mountains.

But others really like it.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

There's an interesting animal that looks like a combination of three other animals.

It has a bill like a duck…

A tail like a beaver…

And webbed feet like an otter!

It's called the platypus (鴨嘴獸)!

It's one of the few mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live babies.

It's also one of my favorite animals!

It's truly one-of-a-kind.

What's your favorite animal, and why?

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If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!