Outside the political sphere, there is probably no one in Taiwan who gets as much publicity as Siamese twins Chang Chung-jen (
The celebration recalled a familiar scene two decades ago in an operating room of the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH,
The operation on Sept. 10, 1979, was significant because it was expected to become the world's first separation of male Siamese twins joined at the hip and born with three legs. The operation was successful and made medical history.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Unlike the large number of live TV reports today, local television stations at that time made very few real-time broadcasts except for baseball games involving teams from Taiwan in the Little League World Series each year.
Because of the publicity, Chung-jen and Chung-yi became household names and their photos before and after the operation were on the front page of every newspaper, with some still hanging on a wall at NTUH.
After a lapse of 20 years, the twins, now 23, yesterday gathered with the doctors who performed the operation in a celebration at NTUH of the 20th anniversary of the event.
National Taiwan University President Chen Wei-jao (
"The two brothers continue to make contributions to society. Chung-jen, for instance, now donates NT$800 monthly to a charity organization to help a girl in China."
Chen said, however, that "the pity is that they lack care and concern from their parents."
The parents of the brothers have been out of contact with them for years, leaving them to live on their own. They are supported by donations from the public.
Both said that they miss their parents.
In a documentary self-produced by the two brothers highlighting episodes in their life after the surgical separation, Chung-yi, the younger, sent a message to his parents that he still loves them despite all that has happened.
The documentary, made public for the first time, is an emotional film, with the two brothers using Celine Dion's theme song from the movie Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On," as the background music.
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