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President Tsai Ing-wen attending the “We are TAOYUAN - Taoyuan Day pregame ceremony”
Release date：2016-06-22
President Tsai Ing-wen attending the “We are TAOYUAN - Taoyuan Day pregame ceremony” - Mayor Cheng offering honorary citizenship to Chen Chin-Feng: For highlighting Taoyuan’s features and advancing professional baseball in Taiwan
Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan visited the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on June 11th for the “Blue Magpies Party- We are TAOYUAN - Theme Day” event. During the pregame ceremonies, Mayor Cheng awarded the home run basher champ Chen Chin-Feng and who also is captain of the Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys a “Taoyuan City Honorary Citizenship and Commemoration Plaque” to commend Chen’s contributions toward baseball. In the pregame ceremony for Taoyuan Day, President Tsai Ing-wen was serving as the pitcher, Chen as the batter, and Mayor as the catcher to start the host game for the day.
Mayor Cheng pointed out that home run basher champ Chen Chin-Feng was the first Taiwanese player to enter the Major League Baseball in the US. Chen has consistently scored home runs during crucial moments of the game, and has always served as the 4th batter in the Chinese Taipei baseball team. The honorary citizenship and commemoration plaque presented to Chen was specifically designed by Xiao Qing-Yang, a world renowned designer. The plaque is composed of a commemoration medal, golden baseball bat, and Chen’s customized Taoyuan Citizen Card and serves as a symbol recognizing his irreplaceable role in the history of baseball in Taiwan. Mayor Cheng exclaimed “Believe in Chen and hope!” which perfectly described the sentiments of fellow fans.
Mayor Cheng also reminded everyone that “Blue Magpies Party” was chosen as the title for Taoyuan Day. The Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa Caerulea Gould) is an indigenous bird unique to the region and is also the city bird of Taoyuan. The baseball jersey of Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys also incorporated elements of Hakka flower-patterned fabrics in order to emphasize local cultural features. It was hoped that “Taoyuan Day” would help improve the popularity of professional baseball in Taiwan.
Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan visited the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium on June 11th for the “Blue Magpies Party- We are TAOYUAN - Theme Day” event. During the pregame ceremonies, Mayor Cheng awarded the home run basher champ Chen Chin-Feng and who also is captain of the Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys a “Taoyuan City Honorary Citizenship and Commemoration Plaque” to commend Chen’s contributions toward baseball. In the pregame ceremony for Taoyuan Day, President Tsai Ing-wen was serving as the pitcher, Chen as the batter, and Mayor as the catcher to start the host game for the day.
Mayor Cheng pointed out that home run basher champ Chen Chin-Feng was the first Taiwanese player to enter the Major League Baseball in the US. Chen has consistently scored home runs during crucial moments of the game, and has always served as the 4th batter in the Chinese Taipei baseball team. The honorary citizenship and commemoration plaque presented to Chen was specifically designed by Xiao Qing-Yang, a world renowned designer. The plaque is composed of a commemoration medal, golden baseball bat, and Chen’s customized Taoyuan Citizen Card and serves as a symbol recognizing his irreplaceable role in the history of baseball in Taiwan. Mayor Cheng exclaimed “Believe in Chen and hope!” which perfectly described the sentiments of fellow fans.
Mayor Cheng also reminded everyone that “Blue Magpies Party” was chosen as the title for Taoyuan Day. The Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa Caerulea Gould) is an indigenous bird unique to the region and is also the city bird of Taoyuan. The baseball jersey of Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys also incorporated elements of Hakka flower-patterned fabrics in order to emphasize local cultural features. It was hoped that “Taoyuan Day” would help improve the popularity of professional baseball in Taiwan.
Mayor Cheng pointed out that to highlight Taoyuan’s features, both Tao and Yuango, mascots of Taoyuan City also attended the event to interact with fans. Taoyuan City Government departments such as the Department of Sports, Department of Economic Development, Department of Agriculture, Department of Indigenous Affairs, Department of Hakka Affairs, Department of Cultural Affairs, and Department of Tourism also established game and activity booths which include T-Ball hits, Tic-Tac throws, Hakka painting, sales of Mamy Peach, DIY indigenous handicrafts and art, cute tofu jerky houses, summer rock music halls, and an eating competition of Luroufan (braised pork rice) prepared using Taoyuan No. 3 Rice. A number of the booths were also set up by tourism factories. People who visit tourism factories in Taoyuan in the future could bring ticket stubs along and exchange them from great discounts and bonuses.
Mayor Cheng emphasized that the efforts of Taoyuan City Government in promoting baseball “regionalism” was part of its program in working with the Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys. Both the sport and the city were combined to bring a new wave of professional baseball. Baseball is considered Taiwan’s national sport. President Tsai Ing-wen was specifically invited to initiate the pregame ceremony to encourage more fans to support professional baseball.
Mayor Cheng then mentioned the ongoing Qingpu International Baseball Stadium improvement project. The teams are also making plans to establish a Smart stadium. As for flooding issues during heavy rain, Mayor Cheng replied that this was caused by the limited gravel layers of the previous stadium and would require substantial improvements. Once the season is over, work schedules will be reviewed to accommodate a series of major enhancements that include 360 degrees stadium, illumination, improved drainage, and field renovations.
Mayor Cheng then described the aim of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to transfer operations of Airport Access MRT to the Taoyuan Metro Corporation. The company is fully staffed with 1,100 individuals who have made all the necessary preparations. Taoyuan only needs the MOTC to finalize the testing and improvement plans so that the metro system could be opened to the public with “absolute confidence in system safety and stability.” The metro system will help make it more convenient for fans to watch baseball games at the stadium.
Director-General of the Department of Public Information Chang Tun-Han described Chen Chin-Feng and his 17-year long baseball career and his many contributions to baseball in Taiwan. Chen has led the Taiwanese team in numerous baseball games around the world and was a historical first in many areas. He was the first Taiwanese player to be fielded in a regular game of the Major League Baseball of the US and initiated the trend with Taiwanese players playing in US teams. Such efforts helped improve passion for baseball amongst many Taiwanese fans.
Director-General Chang pointed out that the Taoyuan City Government specifically invited Xiao Qing-Yang, a world renowned designer, to create the Taoyuan City Honorary Citizenship and Commemoration Plaque as a token of gratitude for Chen’s contribution to national baseball. The major theme of the plaque was Chen’s number 52 jersey and includes a commemoration medal, golden baseball bat, an EasyCard, and an iPASS. This commemoration plaque was inspired by other honorary badges given to top athletes around the world at the conclusion of their athletic career. The main theme was Chen’s classic batting pose, while the base was the pattern of his number 52 jersey. The 7 corners around the badge showed 7 rays of light to highlight his extensive contributions. The center of the plaque would be the ball. The back of the plaque is decorated with Chen’s famous quote: “Just hit it when it comes.” This was an encouraging quote and described the instant decisions that had to be made within the mind of the batter when facing the pitch.
Mayor Cheng emphasized that the efforts of Taoyuan City Government in promoting baseball “regionalism” was part of its program in working with the Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys. Both the sport and the city were combined to bring a new wave of professional baseball. Baseball is considered Taiwan’s national sport. President Tsai Ing-wen was specifically invited to initiate the pregame ceremony to encourage more fans to support professional baseball.
Mayor Cheng then mentioned the ongoing Qingpu International Baseball Stadium improvement project. The teams are also making plans to establish a Smart stadium. As for flooding issues during heavy rain, Mayor Cheng replied that this was caused by the limited gravel layers of the previous stadium and would require substantial improvements. Once the season is over, work schedules will be reviewed to accommodate a series of major enhancements that include 360 degrees stadium, illumination, improved drainage, and field renovations.
Mayor Cheng then described the aim of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to transfer operations of Airport Access MRT to the Taoyuan Metro Corporation. The company is fully staffed with 1,100 individuals who have made all the necessary preparations. Taoyuan only needs the MOTC to finalize the testing and improvement plans so that the metro system could be opened to the public with “absolute confidence in system safety and stability.” The metro system will help make it more convenient for fans to watch baseball games at the stadium.
Director-General of the Department of Public Information Chang Tun-Han described Chen Chin-Feng and his 17-year long baseball career and his many contributions to baseball in Taiwan. Chen has led the Taiwanese team in numerous baseball games around the world and was a historical first in many areas. He was the first Taiwanese player to be fielded in a regular game of the Major League Baseball of the US and initiated the trend with Taiwanese players playing in US teams. Such efforts helped improve passion for baseball amongst many Taiwanese fans.
Director-General Chang pointed out that the Taoyuan City Government specifically invited Xiao Qing-Yang, a world renowned designer, to create the Taoyuan City Honorary Citizenship and Commemoration Plaque as a token of gratitude for Chen’s contribution to national baseball. The major theme of the plaque was Chen’s number 52 jersey and includes a commemoration medal, golden baseball bat, an EasyCard, and an iPASS. This commemoration plaque was inspired by other honorary badges given to top athletes around the world at the conclusion of their athletic career. The main theme was Chen’s classic batting pose, while the base was the pattern of his number 52 jersey. The 7 corners around the badge showed 7 rays of light to highlight his extensive contributions. The center of the plaque would be the ball. The back of the plaque is decorated with Chen’s famous quote: “Just hit it when it comes.” This was an encouraging quote and described the instant decisions that had to be made within the mind of the batter when facing the pitch.
