Thousands of people flocked to the Yongkang Railway Station in Greater Tainan yesterday to buy Republic of China Centennial commemorative tickets for the route between Yongkang (永康) and Baoan (保安), according to Yongkang station master Lin Wen-chin (林文欽).
Lin said people started lining up at the Yongkang Railway Station on Thursday night to obtain the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) tickets, which were not to go on sale until 8am yesterday.
At one point, the line stretched for 1km, Lin said, estimating that it took buyers at least two hours to get to the sales counter.
In Chinese, a rearrangement of the characters for Yongkang and Baoan produces the Chinese phrase “Yong Bao An Kang (永保安康),” which means “peace and health forever.”
The commemorative tickets are being sold in sets of two, with one dated Dec. 31, 2010, and the other Jan. 1, 2011 — the date the Republic of China marks its 100th founding anniversary. New Year greetings are printed on the back of each ticket.
The TRA issued a total of 50,000 sets of commemorative tickets in red packets that symbolize good luck and fortune.
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