The Taipei City Government is set to double the number of dating and anniversary events it holds this year, the Taipei Department of Civil Affairs announced yesterday.
Department of Civil Affairs Deputy Commissioner Hsu Min-chuan (許敏娟) said the department continues to strive to make Taipei a child-bearing-friendly city, hoping to use the activities to promote family life.
After years of low birth rates leading to a rapidly aging population, Taipei has made encouraging childbirth an official policy.
As well as providing subsidies and other incentives for those who give birth, the department several years ago began holding collective dating events and event’s commemorating elderly couples’ golden anniversaries (金婚) to publicly promote marriage and family life to city residents, Population Policy Division Director Su Shih-min (蘇詩敏) said.
Both sets of events have proved extremely popular with city residents, she said, with registration for many collective dating events filled in seconds as many parents push their children to participate.
With this year’s doubling of the number of collective dating activities and golden anniversary celebrations, 960 single people and 60 elderly couples would be able to participate, she said.
Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發) and Ho Jui-ying (何瑞英) — the parents of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) — also attended the department’s press conference, sharing stories from their 57-year marriage.
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