President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will host a joint wedding for 100 couples on Jan. 1 as part of the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony, one of a series of events organized by the government to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China (ROC).
The couples will also be allowed to have their wedding photos taken in the Presidential Office — the first time the tightly guarded building has been opened to the public for such an activity.
A pre-wedding briefing was held yesterday for the couples.
Photo: Pan Hsing-hui, Taipei Times
Wu Teh-liang (吳德良), a groom-to-be, who was first to register for the mass wedding, said he was encouraged by his future in-laws to take part “to show his sincerity.”
He eventually succeeded in getting the No. 1 designation by sending his registration form simultaneously using five different fax machines with the help of his colleagues.
Lee Ming-lung (李明龍), another groom-to-be, said he had only dated his girlfriend for three months when he saw the mass wedding advertisement in August. He decided to ask his partner to marry him and they became the 70th successful registrant.
Meanwhile, according to a report released yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 6,170 couples filed for their marriage registrations on Sept. 9, marking the highest daily total recorded in the past 20 years.
The date is seen as auspicious because of the series of nines, which in Mandarin is a homonym for “long-lasting.”
This year is the 99th year on the ROC calendar.
On another date that was also considered propitious — Oct. 10 —- 2,527 couples registered their marriages, eight times the daily average of 300 couples last year, the report showed.
The number 10 implies completeness and perfection in Chinese culture.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
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