The Republic of China (Taiwan) Centenary Foundation was officially inaugurated yesterday to plan a series of events to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China (ROC) next year.
“The foundation’s board comprises individuals from government and the private sector because the foundation will incorporate both efforts from the government and from the private sector in planning a series of events beginning in October this year to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the ROC,” foundation executive director Tsai Shih-ping (蔡詩萍) said. “With the activities to come, we will not only remember the past, but also pray for the prosperity of the country for the next 100 years.”
SYMBOLIC
For the symbolic gesture of naming the foundation — removing a red cloth that covers a plaque bearing the name of the foundation, usually performed by government officials or celebrities — 35 elementary students were brought in because children symbolize the future of the country, the organizer said.
The children also suggested ideas for the celebration.
“We should fly 100 balloons with wishes from 100 people into the sky,” one child said.
“We should display specimens of 100 species of butterflies unique to Taiwan at the butterfly exhibition area in the Taipei Zoo,” another said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who attended the ceremony as the honorary chairman of the foundation, said he hoped the celebrations would improve Taiwan’s international image.
The ROC’s centennial celebrates the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty by revolutionaries led by Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) and the founding of the ROC in 1911.
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