The Presidential Office New Year’s flag-raising ceremony went off without a hitch early on Monday. This was the first time that the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Taiwan served as the organizer.
Security checks for anyone who wanted to attend the event started at 4 a.m. At about 5 a.m., the Taipei First Girls High School’s marching band led the opening ceremony. The marching band of the Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School followed, with classical Chinese all-female Musou Band, street dancers Formosa Crew, and the Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Art Troupe also livening the celebration. At 6 a.m., the 11-meter huge national flag was raised to welcome the New Year's Day sunrise.
At 6:27 a.m., President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), along with Taiwan’s top ten outstanding young persons sang the national anthem together to welcome Taiwan’s 113th year.