May 20, 1996 was a historic day for all Chinese people. That day was the inauguration of the first ever popularly elected president in the thousands of years of dynasty-filled history of the "children of the Yellow emperor." It completed the aim of which Dr. Sun Yat-sen and countless revolutionary comrades dreamed--and for which some even died--at the time of the revolution 85 years ago.

Early on this day, which was a focus of international media attention, more than ten thousand people from all over Taiwan, and a few elite representatives of overseas Chinese from around the world, gathered in the Gymnasium of Taoyuan County--which is to say the building known to all as the Taoyuan "Big Egg"--to hear President Lee Teng-hui's inaugural address. They were to personally participate in the passage of the Chinese people into the age of democracy.

Before 8:00 am, the stadium opened under tight security. Guests with their variously color-coded invitations filed toward the entrances. The men were, virtually without exception, wearing dark suits, while the women were dressed in everything from qipao and suits to long dresses and even jeans. Though most people met the invitation's request that men wear suits and leather shoes, while women wear dresses, some wore whatever they wanted, and no one was seen to be turned away for failing to meet the "dress code." Maybe this is also Taiwanese democracy?

The president's address was scheduled to start at 10:00 sharp. Shortly after nine, with the stadium already about 70% full, the sound of music rose up. Elegant woodwinds and string instruments accompanied a chorus's gently voiced song. The first tune on the program was "Song of Gratitude." This was followed by a march; music from Raiders of the Lost Ark; aboriginal, Taiwanese, and Hakka compositions; "In Praise of the Republic of China"; "All Things for the People"; and the "Song of Happiness." The selection was made with great care, and included tunes signifying respect for everything from the president's beliefs to the various groups that make up Taiwan's population.

One thing markedly different from most government-sponsored ceremonies in the past is that few of the crowd were large groups mobilized to show up en bloc. There were no classes of students, nor battalions of civil servants. Aside from the 500 members of the chorus, who wore the same outfits and reported as a unit, most of the spectators came in clusters of three and five, sometimes as couples or in families, and sometimes alone.

Chiang Kuan-feng, director of the Third Bureau of the Presidential Office, was responsible for the details of the ceremony. He says that the biggest problem before the event was not the layout of the stadium, nor security measures (which may seem hard but which the Presidential Office handles routinely). It wasn't even the traffic, a problem to which the media and local residents devoted much attention. It was how to distribute the 15,000 invitations for the dome and the 30,000-plus for the outdoor stadium (where some events were held) among the representatives of the 21,300,000 people of Taiwan, and to find out how many would really come to the event when the time came.

Chiang Kuan-feng feels that on this occasion the issuing of invitations was "broad and deep." Equal attention was given to the central government and the localities; professional, religious, and social groups were all included; and even overseas Chinese were given as fair a distribution of RSVPs as possible. As for how many people could or would come, it was hard to say. The only thing to do was keep calling the contact people for each group and ask, "What will your attendance rate be?" As for the small number of individuals invited personally by the president or vice-president, the organizers just counted on their dedication to old friends.

A Doctor Hsu, who arrived before 8:00 am, was personally invited by President Lee, and he proudly showed his invitation. He and Lee were schoolmates in Tanshui Middle School, and, as they got along well, have stayed in contact for the past 56 years. He was asked about the comment some people made during the election campaign that "Lee Teng-hui has changed." Having known Lee for so long, did he not also feel this to some small extent? He angrily replied, "Those guys don't know what they are talking about. Have they known President Lee as long as I have? I am not in politics, but I know that Lee Teng-hui has always been thinking of what is best for Taiwanese. Ever since he became mayor of Taipei 18 years ago, I have been telling people about him every chance I get, because his ideals are the same as mine. Over the past ten or so years I haven't even needed to speak with him face-to-face, and I have known that his thought is based on the spirit of love and the strength of democracy." Doctor Hsu, who came with his wife by overnight bus from Kaohsiung to attend the event, says with conviction, "Right now there is no one who can compare to him. With him as leader, Taiwanese can put their hearts at ease."

Quite a few people at the event that day felt the same way. Two overseas Chinese, one from Los Angeles and one from Auckland, both expressed absolute support for President Lee. Julian Wang, who emigrated to the US over two decades ago, admits that she was a member of a pro-Lee support group during the election. But she is at the inaugural celebrations in her status as head of the California branch of the alumni association of the Department of Music of National Taiwan Normal University. She constantly emphasized, "Taiwanese chose correctly, and played this move well. Based on the current situation, only Lee Teng-hui and the group around him have the strongest personal cultivation, administrative experience, and international outlook. Right now the most important thing for Taiwanese is unity, to create internal harmony, wealth, and strength, and absolutely not to allow the Communists to fragment us." Michael Lin, representing Taiwanese businessmen in New Zealand, hastened to add, "Unity is essential. That's the only way people will give us respect. Now Taiwan has real democracy, and this gives us a lot of 'face' overseas."

When people sitting in the back row heard Wang's and Lin's comments, they seemed interested in expressing their opinions, but at that moment the master of ceremonies announced the beginning of the president's address. Although the text of the speech had been leaked to the media the preceding day, the audience still waited in breathless anticipation. After the speech began, many in the audience looked back and forth between the copies of the speech in their hands and the president speaking on stage. Virtually every time the president paused for breath, the crowd erupted in applause, and the intensity of the applause increased as the speech moved toward its close. At the end, when President Lee called out, "Long Live the People, Long Live Democracy, Long Live the Republic of China," the crowd stood and responded in kind. And as the president and vice-president were walking a circuit of the stadium to thank their guests, someone began to whistle loudly. The high-pitched whistle, amidst the shouts of "We wish you well, Mr. President" and as the choir elegantly sang a song in praise of the ROC, was unspeakably moving.

Perhaps this was the thing that was most touching about the whole splendid event. As long as one didn't do something that would cause people to gag in shock, everyone could use their own way to show their excitement. Perhaps the anecdote told by Yangmei Township acting mayor Liu Yung-fa can serve as the best footnote to why the majority of people support democracy: The previous day, a Control Yuan member speaking at a wedding told the new couple, "You have chosen a great day, the eve of the president's inauguration, to be married. I give the bride my best wishes that tonight she will become pregnant with a future president. . . ."

In the ceremony to inaugurate the president and formally make the people the "boss," who knows how many people made the same wish that "one day such honor can also be mine," allowing us to use our votes to select the next "general manager."

The Air Force's "Thunder Tigers" stunt flying team's "diamond formation" was one of the highlights of the day's activities. Though they are capable of flying as close to the ground as 500 meters, for reasons of safety they stayed above 1200 meters, so the sound reverberations were not as startling as they often are. （photo courtesy of the Government Information Office）

There were also cultural activities on May 20. First came the arts activities and performances at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The weather was great, and many people came with their whole families. （photo by Hsueh Chi-kuang）