Politicians yesterday visited temples around the nation on the first day of the Lunar New Year, praying for prosperity and well-being while handing out “lucky” red envelopes to temple-goers.
More than 1,000 people lined up in the morning at the Juesiou Temple (覺修宮) in Taipei to receive an envelope from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Temple officials said the line started to form three hours before Tsai’s scheduled arrival and grew to 300m long at one point, adding that at least 1,200 people joined the line.
Photo: Chiu Shu-yu, Taipei Times
Tsai was accompanied on her visit by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), the first stop of her four-day-long temple visits to distribute red envelopes with NT$1 inside, which symbolizes a new beginning.
The Presidential Office said Tsai only visited temples in northern Taiwan yesterday, but she is to travel to central and southern Taiwan over the next three days.
Tsai also took to Facebook yesterday to wish the public a good new year, saying that a united Taiwan will surely be welcomed by good fortune ahead.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“The nation’s fortune hinges on all of its people,” she said.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday continued his decades-long tradition of starting his new year by visiting temples in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), where he prayed for prosperity and peace for Taiwan.
Su exchanged friendly greetings with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) when they ran into each other at the Jieyun Temple (接雲寺).
Photo: Chiu Shu-yu, Taipei Times
Hou defeated Su in the mayoral election on Nov. 24 last year.
Former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who has said he plans to run for president in next year’s election, visited the Jhulinshan Guanyin Temple (竹林山觀音寺) in Linkou District (林口), where he was dogged by questions about growing calls within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for a generational handover of power.
“Senior KMT members have made tremendous dedications to the party. Different generations should work together to make the KMT better,” Chu said.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) prayed for the city at its Lecheng Temple (樂成宮), which she said has been a center of faith for her predecessors.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who lost his re-election bid to Lu in the November elections, visited the same temple, and said he hoped the city’s infrastructure development would be continued.
KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who is rumored to also be interested in running for president next year, visited a temple in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春).
Wang said he would recruit Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) if he decides to make a run for the presidency, but did not say for what role.
Additional reporting by CNA and staff reporters Chiu Shu-yi and Chang Ching-ya
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