One day before Chinese New Year's Eve, Taipei City officials visited elderly residents at the municipal Kuangtzu Poai Home (廣慈博愛院) to deliver traditional red envelopes, presents and holiday greetings amid tears from those whose loneliness is emphasized during a holiday based on family reunions.
Chang Chun-chi (張春其), 82, said yesterday that he thought of his relatives far away in China during every New Year's holiday.
洍 feel especially sad during this time of year, Chang said, as tears welled in his eyes.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang, a veteran soldier who fled to Taiwan in the 1950s, was not the only one feeling blue.
Chang Yen-han (張炎漢), 73, said that during his first few New Year at Kuangtzu, 洍 felt very distressed, and missed my relatives very much ... But now I am used to it.
Chang, who has resided in Kuangtzu for over six years, said his shaky health had prevented him from immigrating to Canada or the US as his brothers and sisters had done.
He also said staying in Kuangtzu was nothing to be proud of so he hadn't told many people.
涆his place is not an honorable place like the Presidential Office or the Legislative Yuan. Staying here is embarrassing, so not many of my friends know that I am here, Chang said in Taiwanese.
The four old people's homes in the Kuangtzu complex house about 450 residents, the majority of them mainlanders who fled to Taiwan after the Chinese civil war, staffers at the institute said.
浢any still have relatives left in China. So it's understandable why some would feel sad during the Chinese New Year, said a staffer who refused to be named.
涆here's an old saying that goes `At the festive seasons, more than ever we think of our relatives far away （每逢佳節思親),' she added.
But some Kuangtzu residents were more optimistic. The 90-year-old Liu Hsueh-hsing (劉學興), dressed up in a suit and tie, said he would visit his old friends during the holidays.
浭owadays I try to remain carefree and not think too much. I take one day at a time, Liu said.
Wang Hsueh-shang (王學上), 96, chose to entertain visiting city officials and his neighbors yesterday with his expertise in twirling a hula-hoop.
Wang kept twirling his hula-hoop in one of the lobbies, drawing a roomful of laughter. Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) soon joined Wang to give the hula-hoop a try, drawing another round of laughter from the surrounding elderly, visiting officials and reporters.
Ma was late arriving at Kuangtzu, so Deputy Mayor Bai Hsiu-hsiung (白秀雄) presented a red envelope containing NT$50,000 to a representative of the elderly residents.
After his arrival, Ma took over the job of delivering oranges and candies to the residents.
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