An 81-year-old Taiwanese woman from Japan surprised an audience of thousands yesterday at the Double Ten Day celebrations when -- after a long pause -- she ended her speech in Japanese rather than in Mandarin or Hokkien.
Luo Wang Ming-chu (羅王明珠) is a KMT member and a member of the Chinese Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. Having resided in Japan for more than 60 years, she speaks fluent Japanese as well as some Hokkien and Mandarin.
Appearing a little nervous, Luo stammered throughout most the speech, which was filled with several long pauses.
To end the embarrassment quickly, she decided to finish the speech in Japanese -- the language with which she is most comfortable. In Japanese, she told everyone that she was honored to give the speech and that she wished the best for everyone.
The performance stunned the event's guests.
"The script was too hard for me to understand, but my feelings for Taiwan are always there," Luo told reporters afterward.
Hsu Chen-jun (
He said there was no political motive or message in using Japanese. She spoke in Japanese, Hsu said, because "she wished to send her regards in the language she is most familiar with."
The official said that Luo originally hails from Taichung and -- as an overseas Taiwanese -- she has been very active in promoting international affairs.
Although the commission was aware that Luo is not equipped with sufficient skills in Mandarin and Hokkien, its members were also surprised by her spontaneous use of Japanese. But the commission believed her performance was due to her lack of experience in public speaking.
Hsu said the commission picked Luo as a last-minute replacement. The original speaker, a representative from South Africa, canceled his trip to Taiwan on Wednesday.
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