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 German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has been investigating nine shell companies working with Prince Holding Group, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is seeking further prosecution of alleged criminals, a source said yesterday. The nine companies and three Taiwanese nationals were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Oct. 14 as Specially Designated Nationals as a result of a US federal court indictment. Prince Holding founder Chen Zhi (陳志) has been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding’s suspected forced-labor camps in Cambodia, the indictment says. Intelligence shared between Taiwan,
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
RSS