《TAIPEI TIMES》 National Day to focus on diversity, inclusiveness

CELEBRATING SUCCESS: In Taipei, athletes and contestants who performed well at international events are to ride on floats in a ‘Parade of Taiwanese Heroes’

By Sean Lin / Staff reporter

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This year’s Double Ten National Day is to feature performances by new residents and naturalized Republic of China （ROC） citizens to accentuate the nation’s inclusiveness and diversity, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan （蘇嘉全） said yesterday.

This year’s theme, “Taiwan Forward,” comes with a motif made up of animated green and purple lines that converge to form the “double ten” sign.

It is the committee’s hope to convey Taiwan’s passion, inclusiveness and endless possibilities through the motif, Su, chairman of the National Day Celebration Preparation Committee, told a news conference in Taipei.

Father Edmund Ryden and pianist Anna Azusa Fujita, both naturalized citizens, are to lead the singing of the national anthem, Su said, adding that they are to be joined by 30 new residents from Southeast Asia.

Performances by the ROC Honor Guard, ROC Army Academy, Taipei Yuehfu Drum and Bugle Corps and Taiwan PeiDe Dragon and Lion Dance Group are to take place in front of the Presidential Office Building on Ketagalan Boulevard, he said.

In celebration of the nation’s birthday and its diverse culture, fireworks are to be set off in Taipei, Taoyuan and Pingtung County, with Taipei also to feature a procession of floats, Su said.

Various types of helicopters, including Black Hawk, Boeing AH-64 Apache and Bell AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters have been slated to perform routines, he said.

Meanwhile, the General Association of Chinese Culture has arranged for athletes who participated in the Napoli Summer Universiade and in the U-18 Baseball World Cup, as well as contestants in this year’s WorldSkills International competition, to ride on floats to be cheered on by people who attend the celebrations.

“The Parade of Taiwanese Heroes” is to be led by honor guards and is also meant to help athletes prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.

Team Taiwan clinched nine gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze medals in the Napoli Summer Universiade — its best result in a universiade hosted by a foreign country.

The nation’s baseball team won the U-18 Baseball World Cup, foiling the US team’s bid to secure its fifth straight championship title, while at WorldSkills International, the national team finished fourth among 63 countries.

Baseball coach and former US Major League Baseball pitcher Wang Chien-ming （王建民）; baseball player Wu Sheng-feng （吳昇峰）; tennis player Tseng Chun-hsin （曾俊欣）, who won a gold at the Napoli universiade; and WorldSkills International gold medalist Yang Ting-yu （楊婷喻） are to make appearances.

Additional reporting by Huang Hsin-po and Lee Hsin-fang

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES