This spring the weather in Taiwan has been chilly, but the mood has been passionate.
With the official beginning of the presidential election campaign on February 24, the candidates went into all-out offensives, while voters held out high expectations. On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, the sound of war drums resounded, and weapons were raised. This pushed the first-ever popularly elected leader of Chinese people into the international limelight.
In March 23, the curtain came down on the election. The president took on the cumulative weight of the hopes and responsibilities of the voters as reflected in each individual ballot. Thus began a new era in democracy for the Republic of China and the drawing up of the blueprint of national construction in this critical era.
This young republic, only 85 years old, nevertheless has behind it several thousand years of history and civilization. There are 21 million people who live on this island, yet cannot escape from deep feelings toward the 1.2 billion people who share our culture. The democratic election we just completed was unprecedented, but so is the challenge that we now face.
How can we reform the corruption in domestic politics and create a just society governed by the rule of law? How can we blend together the different groups and achieve consensus, respect the common values of humankind, and allow a pluralistic culture to soundly flourish? How should we balance economic growth and environmental protection? How can we give due attention to both material and spiritual development? How can we make the term "Asian values" a synonym for democratic politics and a fair distribution of wealth?
Most important, and perhaps most urgent, is the interaction with the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait. How can we narrow differences, so that our hard work is respected, so that our achievements are accepted, so that our experience of peaceful reform can become the experience of all the Chinese people?
As planning was underway for the presidential inaugural ceremony, the inaugural address--elucidating our common hopes and the myriad problems and challenges we face--was being painstakingly written in order to set forth the directions in which our country will go in these next four years.
As the country celebrates yet another milestone, we are presenting a special series of articles. One is a short account compiled from notes taken on-the-spot at the site of the inaugural address; another analyzes the address itself; and there is also the complete text of the speech. At the same time, we have taken this opportunity for a closer look at the site of the speech--Taoyuan's "Big Egg" domed stadium. Taipei and Kaohsiung are determined to build domed stadiums--landmarks of modern cities--and we explore some questions connected to these, providing "some dessert for thought" after the inaugural main course itself.