When Chen Shui-bian (
Thinking about the mood of the ceremony and Chen's victory, Lee decided the inauguration would be the "right occasion" to recite his poem entitled "Heartfelt Wishes" (
The poem paints a picture of freedom and its impact on children from the mountaintops and seashores of the island, Lin said.
PHOTO: CHIANG-YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Robert Frost read a poem at John Kennedy's inauguration ceremony and used the opportunity to remind him that power corrupts whereas poetry purifies one's mind. I will read my poem at Chen's inauguration not to flatter the president, but to remind him of the expectations artists like myself have towards the government," Lee said.
Lee is not alone as other poets -- including Chiang Hsun (
"In all of Taiwan's history, poets have never before read their poems to celebrate the presidential inauguration," Lee added.
Poetry recitals are one of many features that will make this year's inauguration celebration activities "unconventional," organizers said.
Grand Celebration
Since this year's election is the first time Taiwan has experienced a peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, everything that is being done is happening for the first time, said Luo Wen-chia (
"There is really nothing from the past that we can refer to [in our planning]," Luo said.
While the inauguration ceremony will remain formal, the outdoor celebration rally as well as evening parties in Taipei and Kaohsiung are likely to catch the public's attention.
At the outdoor celebration, pop singer Chang Hui-mei (A-mei,
"We were reluctant to follow a prescribed pattern, so we thought of Chang, who is an Aboriginal pop star. The reaction to her performance (in rehearsal sessions), so far, has been very positive," he said.
Another feature of the rally will be a series of songs and choral music delivered by various ethnic groups on the island before Chen delivers his inauguration speech in front of the rally, he added.
Chen's speech will be followed by a newly composed choral piece entitled "God Blesses Our Land, Formosa (
Party On
As for the evening parties, organizers said these light-hearted programs based on the public's life experiences were to be "carnivals for all" -- in contrast with previous ones which were rather "ceremonious" and detached from the public.
"In the past, national-level celebrations of all sorts tended to be very formal and ritualistic, quite distant from the public," said Jen Chien-cheng (
Although an outdoor rally to celebrate the inauguration of President Lee Teng-hui (
"After all, this party [in Taipei] is not designed specially for A-bian [Chen's nickname] as the President. Rather, it is dedicated to all the people in Taiwan who are invited to celebrate this joyous occasion," the island's first peaceful transfer of power, Jen said.
At Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, audiences will be invited to reminisce about how Taiwan has transformed itself during the past 55 years -- through songs and performances familiar to disparate ethnic groups and age groups.
Aside from familiar Taiwanese tunes such as "Wang-chun-feng (
The 34-year old Jen even borrowed his parents' wedding photos for the slideshow which is being staged, in order to create a nostalgic kind of atmosphere.
The party in Kaohsiung, on the other hand, will center on the theme of the "ocean," with various live music bands performing various pieces of music. Luo urged the audience simply to enjoy themselves.
"The key purpose of these parties should be amusement for the eyes and the ears, otherwise the audience may as well take part in seminars instead," Luo said.
Even so, the designated vice chairman of the Cabinet-level Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) said there was a serious point to the whole ceremony.
"Aside from the visual and audio gratification the audience might garner from these programs, we hope that these performances can engrave in the minds of the audience a feeling of being part of a common community," Lou said.
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