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President's son ties the knot in Taipei

Chen Chih-chung, left, yesterday holds the limousine door for his bride, Huang Rui-jing. PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

Beaming and shedding happy tears, the first family formally yesterday welcomed a new member into their clan as Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), the only son of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), tied the knot in a ceremonial wedding with Huang Jui-ching (黃睿靚).

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 (呂秀蓮) and Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲).

Business heavyweights such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) and Taipei 101 CEO Diana Chen (陳敏薰) were also spotted at the banquet.

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who attended the wedding banquet of President Chen's daughter Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤) four years ago, said he could not attend this time, citing a prior engagement in Kaohsiung City.

Serving as the wedding witness was the President of the Judicial Yuan Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生). Weng was President Chen's professor at National Taiwan University and was also the witness for the marriage of Chen Shui-bian and first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) 30 years ago, as well as that of Chen Hsing-yu in 2001.

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" (囍), which mean "happiness," was decorated in the ballroom as well. The symbol is made up of two of the same character "hsi" (喜), meaning "double happiness" -- referring to marital bliss.

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 (陳文宗).

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 (黃漢強) greeted Chen Chih-chung at the hotel entrance with a plate of sweets, and the groom's party then proceeded inside to meet the bride.

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 (趙建銘), addressing each of them be their formal family title. In return, the bride received gifts of red envelopes.

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.
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