I woke up this morning to the sound of the celebration ceremony of Double Ten Day, from the television. All my wife's family were gathered around the television, enjoying the sights and sounds that were being shown from the main ceremony in Taipei Main City.
'Double Ten Day' marks the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising of 10th October 1911 which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in China and led to the establishment of the Republic of China on 1st January 1912. For this reason, the day has been marked a national celebration day and public holiday!
There was a speech from the president (in Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka), parachutists jumping from helicopters, marching bands and parades of some of the Taiwanese army's weapons systems and personnel. Despite not being able to understand most of what was being said, I found it very interesting to watch.
My favourite part was seeing the F-16 fighter jets flying in a V-formation on the television and then seeing them fly over my wife's mother's house, leaving a jet stream of red, white and blue as they soared through air. Here is a picture I found on the internet of the jets.
Although I did not attend today's ceremony, I still share in the pride of the Taiwanese for having experienced life in such a brilliant country.
Thanks for reading.
