台湾建巨型水晶鞋教堂 春节开放

A 16m-high 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米的水晶高跟鞋教堂，以吸引女性游客。

A huge glass... what?

巨型水晶…啥？

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 Chaiyi.

是的，你没看错：一座玻璃教堂，外观就像一只巨大的高跟鞋，仿佛有一位灰姑娘巨人跑过（台湾）嘉义，不小心把鞋落在了这里。

Made out of over 320 tinted glass panels, the shiny blue building measures more than 10m wide and cost about T$23m.

这座闪耀着蓝色光辉的建筑由320多块有色玻璃构建而成，其宽度超过10米，造价高达2300万台币（约合450万元人民币）。

Aerial footage taken in the area also showed the size and scale of the waterfront church, including an open blue stage with spotlights.

空中航拍画面不仅可以清楚地展现这座滨海教堂的形状和规模，还能看到一个配备着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.

教堂定于2月8日（春节）当天面向公众开放。

Who was the shoe-maker?

教堂是谁主张建的？

It is the creation of local officials in the Southwest Coast Scenic Area, a prominent tourist area in Taiwan, which decided to build it last June.

去年6月，台湾著名的云嘉南滨海风景区决定建造这样一座教堂。

But Pan Tsuei-ping, its recreation section manager, told the BBC that the church will not be used for regular services, but pre-wedding photo shoots and wedding ceremonies.

但负责休闲区的经理潘翠平对BBC表示，教堂不会用于每周做礼拜，而是专门用来拍婚纱照和举办婚礼。

"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.

“我们计划把教堂打造成一个幸福浪漫的场所……每个女孩都曾梦想过自己成为新娘时的情景，”潘女士告诉BBC。

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.

鞋子的设计灵感来源于当地一个故事。据官方记载，上世纪60年代，贫困区有一位24岁的王姓女孩不幸患上了黑脚病，不得不截掉双腿，她的婚礼也因此取消。最后她终生未婚，在一座教堂里度过了余生。

The high heel is intended to honour her memory.

这只高跟鞋就是为了纪念她而设计的。

To attract women?

为了吸引女性游览？

This does appear to be the reason behind the design.

这正是设计这只鞋的真正原因。

"There will be 100 female-oriented features in the church like maple leaves, chairs for lovers, biscuits and cakes," a spokesman Zheng Rongfeng is quoted as saying in local media.

“教堂为女性设置了100个特色场景，有枫叶、情人椅、小甜饼和蛋糕，”发言人郑荣峯告诉当地媒体。

"It will be tailored to women, especially female tourists visiting the area."

“这些全都是为女性量身打造的，尤其是来参观的女性游客。”

What women want (and actually think)

来看看女性们的真实看法

It has not been an unqualified success, at least on social media. One Taiwan netizen wrote, "Besides copying, what kind of standard does this church have?"

至少从社交媒体上的评论来看，它没有完全得到肯定。一位台湾网友写道：“除了模仿已有的设计，这座教堂还有什么可取之处吗？”

Women apparently don't all want glass slippers. From another user: "Why don't people say that it's objectifying women this time…"

显然，并不是所有女性都想要水晶鞋。另一位网友就问道：“大家不觉得这种设计物化了女性吗……”

Comments streamed in from the Chinese mainland too: "What were the authorities thinking when they commission such a hideous-looking building in the area? " said one user on popular Chinese microblogging site Weibo.

评论中也不乏来自中国大陆的声音：“不知道当局是怎么想的，居然建了这么一座怪丑的建筑。”一位网友在新浪微博上说道。

Another user Jessie Chou said, perhaps with some disdain: "I wear flip flops anyway".

还有一位名叫杰西·周的网友略带鄙夷地说：“反正我只穿人字拖。”

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.

但也有一些女网友支持该教堂的设计，其中一位名为“老福庆”的网友称：“如果鞋子合脚，为什么不穿呢？我就挺喜欢的，它看起来怎么样也比一些现代教堂要好。”

Another user from Shandong said: "Most girls love fairytales, it's great that officials want to focus on women for once."

另一位来自山东的网友说：“大部分女孩都喜欢童话故事。至少这一次官方考虑到了女性的需求，我觉得挺好的。”