Braving low temperatures, members of Taipei First Girls’ High School’s (TFGHS) Marching Band, Honor Guard and Color Guard on Monday dazzled the tens of thousands of people lined up to watch the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.
The New Year’s celebration, held in Pasadena since 1890, was held under sunny skies this year, but in 6°C weather that did not appear to affect the performers on their 8.85km route.
Placed 58th in the parade’s lineup, the school was one of six international groups that took part in this year’s Rose Parade and one of 76 elements (39 floats, 21 marching bands and 16 equestrian teams) in the procession.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei First Girls’ High School Marching Band Parents’ Support Group
The 125 TFGHS girls were praised by anchors from KTLA, which broadcast the event, for how organized their formation was as they rounded a corner to march toward the event’s main seating area.
“Look at them playing to the crowd here. How beautiful that is,” one of the anchors said of the marching band.
As the TFGHS girls were applauded by the crowd, a woman was heard shouting: “Go, Taiwan.”
Photo: AP
One of the honor guard members dropped her parade rifle, but quickly recovered, maintaining her composure, which won a compliment from one of the anchors, who called her a “professional.”
“I hope they’re very proud of themselves, what it took to get here, what it takes to march this distance,” the anchor said.
Unlike at international sporting events overseen by the International Olympic Committee, the event’s host referred to Taiwan by its official name, the Republic of China, and Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
In the bleachers, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles Director-General Louis Huang (黃敏境) and several alumnae of the school waved Taiwan’s national flag as they cheered for TFGHS.
Honor guard Chiu Jo-an (邱若安) said that at the end of every segment she turned to wave at the crowd, which responded enthusiastically each time, leaving her feeling touched.
She said the most memorable moment for her was when a member of the audience shouted in Mandarin: “Go Taipei First Girls’ High School.”
This is the third time that TGFHS has been invited to the Rose Parade after performing in 1996 and 2005.
Color guard Chen En-hsuan (陳恩瑄) said the audience seemed more passionate than audiences in Taiwan.
People seated on both sides of the road kept screaming, cheering and waving, which was something she was not used to at home, she said.
“Hearing people shouting ‘Taiwan’ and waving the [national] flag, I could truly feel that this event brought Taiwan to the world,” marching band member Ni Chin-wei (倪沁葳) said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS