Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday called on the public to visit historical religious sites more frequently to advance the country's cultural tourism when he paid a visit to a famous Matsu temple in Peikang (北港), Yunlin County.
Su visited the temple in the company of Minister Without Portfolio Ho Mei-yueh (
Some of the worshipers in the temple greeted Su with the title "president," urging him to make a bid for the 2008 presidential election.
Su answered only with a smile.
"Seeing the public joyously worshiping Matsu in the temple allowed me to feel the peace and harmony in society.
historical
The temple has a 300-year history, and deserves to be visited," Su said.
Later yesterday, Su took part in a ground-breaking ceremony for Yunlin County's new Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.
There he met Wang Yung-ching (
Wang confirmed news from earlier last week that he had met with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
meeting
"I hadn't met him [Hu] before. This time I did," Wang said, noting that "he [Hu] told me that he welcomed [the investment plan]."
Wang was referring to his plan to expand the group's petrochemical project in Ningbo City, in Zhejiang Province.
Superintendent of the hospital's Yunlin branch, Wang Jeng-yi (王正儀), said that it was scheduled for completion in two years, will have more than 500 beds, a staff of more than 830 and will be able to treat 300,000 patients a year.
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