Thousands of Taiwan expatriate, members of Chinese American communities, and locals in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area celebrated the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan's Double Tenth National Day Oct. 5 in Chinatown.
The festival, organized by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D.C., featured a colorful parade with lion and dragon dances and marchers dressed in traditional garb as well as fruit carving and dough sculpting demonstrations and the lighting of a five-story high firecracker. The local community of ROC expatriates celebrated the national day by holding a flag-raising ceremony. This is the first time that the national flag of the ROC was raised in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown since the U.S. Government switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
In a keynote speech, Taiwan's chief representative in the United States, C. J. (Chien-Jen) Chen, said that because of the Taiwan people's dedication and devotion over the past 50 years, Taiwan has transformed from an underdeveloped, authoritarian country to the world's sixteenth largest economy and a strong democracy. "We hope that people in Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China can also enjoy freedom, democracy, and human rights like the people in Taiwan," he stressed.
Guests of honor included Chairwoman Therese Shaheen of the American Institute in Taiwan, Maryland Secretary of State R. Karl Aumann, D.C. Council Members Phil Mendelson and Harold Brazil, and Council Member Camille Exum of Prince George's County.
