A 16m-high (55ft) glass church in the shape of a high-heeled shoe has been built in Taiwan, apparently in a bid to attract more women.
台湾建了一座高16米(55英尺)的水晶高跟鞋教堂,欲吸引女性游客。
A huge glass... what?
一个巨大的水晶……什么?
Yes, you read that right: a glass church, shaped just like a vast high-heeled shoe as if lost by a titan Cinderella while racing through the coastal province of Chaiyi.
是的,你没看错:形状就像一个巨大的水晶高跟鞋,它看起来仿佛巨人(微博)版的灰姑娘匆忙跑过嘉义海岸时,不小心落在这里的。
Made out of over 320 tinted glass panels, the shiny blue building measures more than 10m (36ft) wide and cost about T$23m (686,000USD , 477,000Pound).
外表使用约320余片彩色玻璃组成,这座闪亮的蓝色建筑宽10m(36英尺)多,成本达2300万台币(约合68万美金,47.7万英镑)。
Aerial footage taken in the area also showed the size and scale of the waterfront church, including an open blue stage with spotlights.
该地区空中拍摄的画面也能显现出这座海滨教堂的规模和范围,包括配有聚光灯的露天蓝色舞台。
It’s set to open its doors to the public on 8 February, just in time for Chinese New Year.
教堂预计于2月8日,即中国春节当天开放。
Who was the shoe-maker?
教堂是谁建造的?
It is the creation of local government officials in the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area, a prominent tourist area in Taiwan, which decided to build it last June.
台湾著名的风景区——云嘉南滨海国家风景区的政府官员于去年6月决定建立这座教堂。
But Pan Tsuei-ping, the administration’s recreation section manager, told the BBC that the church will not be used for regular services, but pre-wedding photo shoots and wedding ceremonies.
但政府娱乐科科长潘崔平告诉BBC记者,教堂不会被用于常规服务,主要用来拍摄婚纱照和举行结婚典礼。
"In our planning, we want to make it a blissful, romantic avenue… Every girl imagines how they will look like when they become the bride," Ms Pan told the BBC.
潘女士告诉BBC,“我们想要把它规划成一个幸福,浪漫的港湾......每个女孩都会憧憬,当她们作新娘时会是什么样。”
The shoe was inspired by a local story. According to officials in the 1960s, a 24-year-old girl surnamed Wang from the impoverished region suffered from Blackfoot disease. Both of her legs had to be amputated, leading to the cancellation of her wedding. She remained unmarried and spent the rest of her life at a church.
这款鞋的设计灵感源于当地的一个故事。据传,上世纪60年代时,这儿贫困地区的一位24岁的姓王的姑娘患了乌脚病。她的双腿不得不截肢,最终导致她的婚礼被取消。她一生未婚,在一座教堂里度过了余生。
The high heel is intended to honour her memory.
这座高跟鞋教堂的设计还体现了一种敬意。
To attract women?
为了吸引女性?
This does appear to be the reason behind the design.
不太像是这个设计背后的原因。
"There will be 100 female-oriented features in the church like maple leaves, chairs for lovers, biscuits and cakes," government spokesman Zheng Rongfeng is quoted as saying in local media."It will be tailored to women, especially female tourists visiting the area."
政府发言人郑荣峯对当地媒体说,“高跟鞋教堂规划了100个拍摄点,有枫叶、情人椅、夹心饼干、蛋糕等。全部都是为女生量身订制,尤其是参观本地区的女性游客。”
What women want (and actually think)
女性又是怎么看待它的呢
It has not been an unqualified success, at least on social media. One Taiwanese netizen wrote on popular Taiwanese online forum PTT, "Besides copying, what kind of standard does this church have?"
它不算是绝对的成功,至少在社交媒体上。一位台湾网友在台湾流行的网上论坛PTT上留言,“除了复制,这座教堂有什么样的标准?”
Comments streamed in from China too: "What were the authorities thinking when they commission such a hideous-looking building in the area? It’s just disrespectful," said one user on popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
中国大陆也有很多评论,某网友在新浪微博上说,“政府居然批准在这个风景区耗巨资修这样一座难看的建筑,真不知他们怎么想的。实在是不敬。”
Another user Jessie Chou said, perhaps with some disdain: "I wear flip flops anyway".
另一位署名杰西.周的网友,可能带有一点不屑,“然而我只穿人字拖。”
But some female users leapt to its defence: "If the shoe fits, why not wear it? I like it, it looks better than most modern churches anyway," said Lao Fu Qing.
但也有一些女性网友认同这个教堂,网友老傅青说,“如果鞋子合脚,为什么不穿。我喜欢它,不管怎么说它看起来比一些传统的教堂更好。”
Another user from Shandong province said: "Most girls love fairytales, it’s great that officials want to focus on women for once."
另一位山东的网友说,“大多女孩都喜欢童话。政府官员们这次希望重点关注女性,我觉得棒极了。”