Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday embarked on a cycling trip that included stops in Taipei and Kaohsiung to match his “twin tower” cycling feat and commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the 228 Incident.
He said that he wanted to pay tribute to Taiwanese people’s hard-working character through cycling.
“I see it as a new way of commemorating the 228 Incident,” said Ko, who on Wednesday returned to Taiwan from a visit to Israel.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
He was joined by Taipei Hakka Affairs Commission Chairperson Xu Shi-xun (徐世勳), New Party Taipei city councilors Hou Han-ting (侯漢廷) and Pan Huai-tsung (潘懷宗), Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Lin Shih-tsung (林世宗), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Chung-wen (陳重文) and independent Taipei city councilors Chen Cheng-chung (陳政忠), Hsu Li-hsin (徐立信), Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) and Yang Ching-yu (楊靜宇).
The trip, organized by the Taipei Department of Sports, will cover 369.84km from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Participants were required to sign up in teams of five.
During his 2015 “twin tower” publicity event, Ko cycled from Taiwan proper’s northernmost tip at New Taipei City’s Fuguijiao Lighthouse (富貴角燈塔) to Oluanpi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) on the island’s southernmost tip.
Yesterday, he cycled from Taipei to Hsinchu in the morning, but returned to Taipei via high-speed rail, before being driven to Tainan in the afternoon to ride to Kaohsiung.
Ko said that he skipped the middle section to attend the national 228 Incident commemoration in Taipei.
Ko was warmly received by residents of Hsinchu County, where he grew up, some of whom addressed Ko by his nickname and shouted: “Here comes Uncle. Run for president.”
Former legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩) of the Republican Party and several borough wardens also came to show support for Ko.
After offering incense at a local temple, Ko called on Taiwanese to say goodbye to past woe and embrace hope and positivity, which is crucial to improving society.
Like cycling, people might become tired or feel bored after riding alone for 10km or 20km, but when they are accompanied by a group, the infectious atmosphere gives them the strength to move forward, he said.
“We must come together if we want to walk further. More importantly, we must move Taiwan forward with hope and positivity,” he said.
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