The China Post
Date: January 2, 2017
By: CNA
TAIPEI — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Sunday did away with speaking on the morning of New
Year’s Day and instead listened to the playing of music bands as part of the head of state’s public marking of the New Year.
At a New Year’s Day flag-hoisting ceremony that has now become a tradition observed by four presidents, Tsai and Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) stepped out of the Presidential Office at 06:16 a.m. to join the hundreds of citizens already gathered on the open space in front of the building.
They sang the national anthem together with 45 model soldiers from various armed forces units recently commended for their distinguished performance over the course of 2016.
The flag-hoisting was followed by the performance of drummers of the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra and Fire Ex., a punk music band best known for writing a song for the student-led anti-government Sunflower Movement in 2014. [FULL STORY]