President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), took the plunge yesterday in a wedding that helped cheer up a nation recovering from two typhoons in as many weeks.
The event was a relatively unassuming affair, as the first family wished to keep it "simple, modest ... and just like a commoner's."
The wedding and banquet for Chen Hsing-yu and Chao Chien-ming (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The wedding ceremony began at 6:30pm when around 600 guests arrived at the hotel, including the heads of the five branches of government, Vice President Annette Lu (
President Chen took Hsing-yu on his arm and walked down the aisle as Chao waited on the stage.
Serving as the wedding witness, Judicial Yuan President Weng Yueh-sheng (
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
Weng was the president's professor at National Taiwan University and was also the witness for the marriage of Chen and first lady Wu Shu-chen (
"I believe that President Chen and first lady Wu set a fine example for the newlywed couple, as they have taken care of each other all these years," Weng said during his speech at the wedding.
In his speech, Lee said that Chen and Wu had sacrificed what could have been ordinary lives to devote themselves to their country.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"President Chen has consulted with me many times during the past month," Lee said, "and one of the major issues he once asked me about is how to be a good father-in-law. I think I am more experienced than he is on this issue."
After Lee and Chao Chien-ming's father gave their speeches, the president then expressed his appreciation to all guests and officials who helped to organize the wedding.
Chen said that Hsing-yu and Chien-ming should work hard just like other ordinary young people, and praised his wife for bringing the happy couple together.
"The thought of her daughter's wedding kept her motivated after going through such pain following the car accident 11 years ago," Chen said, referring to the politically-motivated accident which cost Wu the use of her legs.
Chen said that he had stepped into the political circle 21 years ago when Hsing-yu was just five years old and that it was his wife who should take all the credit for raising their daughter.
"This is the happiest moment for my wife," Chen said, "and the last dream for Shu-chen is to hold a grandchild in her arms."
Early yesterday morning, Chao and his companions went to the presidential residence to collect the bride and take her to the Mandarina Crown Hotel.
Through a steady drizzle, six rose-draped limousines arrived at the presidential residence at around 9:10am. Chen Chih-jung (
Chen told the couple at the residence: "A marriage reflects everyday life. It cannot be sunny everyday, and it will be stormy from time to time."
"On the stormy days ... they should support and care for one another. With more tolerance, care and understanding, there will be greater happiness and fulfillment."
After the family photo shoot, the president put down the veil for the bride and then the bride and groom bid farewell to the first couple.
The first lady then sprayed water from a bowl, a gesture that Hsin-yu was no longer the cherished child of her own family and must fulfill the duties of her new family.
The first couple was apparently very happy but also reluctant to part with their daughter. Both of them wished the newlyweds a happy life ahead.
Just before the limousines left the residence, the president picked up a camera and took photos of his daughter.
When the limousines arrived at the Mandarina Crown Hotel at 10:45am, they were greeted by a long string of firecrackers set off by the groom's family.
A boy from the groom's family greeted the bride with two apples in hand, symbolizing well-being, good fortune and sweetness.
After the newlyweds entered their bridal suite, 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 unveiled his bride and kissed her.
The couple then fed each other sweet dumplings for a happy life ahead.
Despite widespread media coverage of the event, the Presidential Office kept a low profile and championed simplicity.
Because of the recent string of typhoons, many activities surrounding the wedding such as press interviews and news conferences were cancelled.
The president donated NT$1.5 million he had planned to give as his daughter's dowry, along with NT$500,000 of Hsin-yu's savings, to victims of Typhoon Nari.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS