President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday embarked on a three-day journey across the nation to meet the public and give out auspicious blessings and gifts in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
The focus of Lai’s three-day trip is a pilgrimage to a series of temples to pray for blessings on behalf of the nation.
The first two stops in his public appearances were at Taipei’s Bangka Longshan Temple (艋舺龍山寺) and Dalongdong Baoan Temple (大龍峒保安宮).
Photo: Wang Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
At both locations, Lai gave out limited-edition “red envelopes” containing NT$1.
The gifts showcase drawings of dogs and cats by Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
Aside from personally greeting members of the public, Lai delivered speeches on topics such as Taiwan’s economy and development to boost morale.
He also visited temples in New Taipei City, Keelung and Tainan yesterday.
The president was wearing a red hoodie with “Taiwan” written on the front.
It was made in collaboration with the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the Presidential Office said.
On his Facebook page yesterday, Lai said he wanted to share the passion and energy of baseball with the nation.
He said he recently visited a public event held by the Taiwan Professional Baseball Players Association in Taipei and exchanged opinions with association members and athletes about the development of the sport in Taiwan.
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