Beaming and shedding happy tears, the first family formally yesterday welcomed a new member into their clan as Chen Chih-chung (
The wedding banquet began at noon at Taipei's Sheraton Hotel, with some 500 guests invited to share the occasion with the first family. Aside from the newlyweds' relatives and friends, attending dignitaries included the heads of the five branches of government, Vice President Annette Lu (
Business heavyweights such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Chairman Morris Chang (
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Serving as the wedding witness was the President of the Judicial Yuan Weng Yueh-sheng (
In his capacity as the father of the groom, President Chen said in a speech that it has been the Chen family's tradition to get married at a young age.
"I had no objection to [Chih-chung] getting married early ... but am a proud father, so long as he demonstrates maturity and is able to shoulder responsibility," the president said, against the backdrop of a giant picture of the newlyweds.
The president advised his 26 year-old son to "never pursue the road of politician" -- citing his own involvement in politics, which resulted in an assassination attempt on his wife that left her wheelchair-bound and put great pressure on his children.
On a lighter note, the president remembered his wedding with Wu 30 years ago, and said they had taken just six wedding photos.
"But like every couple, there are fights and quarrels in married life. Every time when there was a fight, a picture was torn, and so now there are no more [wedding] pictures left," said the President, who got a round of chuckles from the audience when he noted "Now I realize why young couples like to take so many sets of wedding pictures nowadays."
Noting the floods brought by heavy rains in the past few days which wreaked havoc in southern Taiwan, the president said the floods also served as an education for the newlyweds.
"[It] reminds us that while we may now be submerged in happiness, there are others who are suffering," the President said. "In their future life together, the couple ought to responsibly face all that is to come."
Speaking after Chen, Huang's father spoke of his pride in his daughter and his confidence that Chen Chih-chung would take good care of her.
The symbol "hsi" (
The first family had wished to keep the event as low-profile as it could be, especially due to the recent tragic floods.
"The first family wished to keep it simple, modest ... and just like a commoner's [wedding]," said Presidential Office spokesman Chen Wen-tsung (
But the lead up to the wedding day yesterday sent local TV news networks into a frenzy, with rampant speculation on what style of wedding dress Huang would wear and what dishes the hotel would serve.
In keeping with the principle of a "commoner's" wedding, elaborate courses such as shark's fin soup were not on the menu. Ingredients in all the ten dishes served were deliberately selected to be local Taiwanese products.
Throughout the wedding banquet proceedings, Huang wore a total of four different western-style dresses. It's common for Taiwanese brides to wear three dresses during their wedding. The white one is worn at the start of the proceedings, a more casual evening dress is worn to greet guests, and yet another one is worn to send off guests at the end of the banquet.
The wedding ceremony yesterday followed traditional custom.
Huang, a native from Changhua County, checked into the hotel Friday night to get ready for the big day yesterday.
At 7:20am yesterday -- the time selected by the first family as most auspicious -- the groom and his party arrived at the hotel with six rose-draped limousines to collect the bride. Out of security concerns, the limousines were driven by security agents.
According to the Presidential Office, the limousines were rented by the first family at their own expense, and no traffic control measures were taken for the wedding procession.
Huang's brother Huang Han-chian (
Before leaving the hotel for the presidential residence, the couple knelt before Huang's parents and bowed to thank her parents for raising her.
In keeping with the tradition, once the bride and groom stepped outside the hotel, a female attendant escorted the bride and shielded her with a rice parasol, an act which represents the casting out of evil influences.
After Huang got into the limousine, she dropped a red paper fan out the window. This act meant to say that now she was to leave all her bad habits behind as she joined her new family.
Upon arrival at the presidential residence, firecrackers were set off and a boy from the groom's family greeted the bride carrying two apples, symbolizing well-being, good fortune and sweetness.
With the rice parasol still over her head, Huang was led into the entrance where she passed by a lit stove -- a symbolic gesture meant to bring prosperity to her husband -- and then stepped over a saddle, representing fertility.
Inside the residence, the couple sat side by side on a couch with a pair of the groom's pants on it, which symbolized that the two will share their good times and bad times together. The groom then pulled aside his bride's veil and they fed each other sweet dumplings, symbolizing a happy life ahead.
After engaging in a tea ceremony, Huang then officially became a member of the Chen family.
With both hands holding the teacup, Huang offered cup of tea -- a sign of respect -- to both President Chen and Wu as well as her sister-in-law Chen Hsing-yu and her husband, Zhao Chien-ming (
Chen Chih-chung, who obtained a master's degree in law from the University of California at Berkeley last month, will travel to the US with his wife, where they will continue their studies.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their