On ordinary workdays, Premier Yu is in his office going over papers before 8 o'clock in the morning. On Sunday, when he can stay at home, he still gets up early. In the fine early-morning rain, clumps of chrysanthemums stand off against neat rows of orchids in the garden.

Inside, the house is also full of orchids--set out on tables and printed on walls and screens. Mrs. Yu is the president of the Women's Garden and Art Club of the Republic of China. She studied painting at an early age with P'u Hsin-yu and Kao I-hung and later under Ch'en Tan-ch'eng, while the traditional arts of knitting, paper cutting, flower arrangement, and calligraphy have long been promoted by the Garden and Art Club. The club's exhibition on classical Chinese flower arrangement held last March at the National Museum of History was a resounding success.

"Madame Premier arranges flowers and paints. And the Premier?"

"Me? No way!," Premier Yu, wearing a blue jacket, says with a smile. "I just give her moral support!"

"He's too busy," says Mrs. Yu. She describes the Premier's day this way. He goes to the office bright and early. Then at night, after eating dinner and watching the news, he heads for the study, where he may work till 11 o'clock or so before retiring to bed.

"I mostly meet visitors and attend meetings during the day," Premier Yu explains. "Visitors take a lot of time. It may look like each group or individual needs only 20 or 30 minutes, but added up, it's a lot." Meetings are, however, an important channel of communication for allied heads of state and legislative representatives. As a result, outside of visitors and meetings, most of the Premier's office time is spent on handling only the most urgent papers; matters that require more time to ponder over must be brought home.

With leisure time so scarce, besides getting in a couple of hours of golf first thing Friday mornings, he relaxes by reading or by listening to music. "Except for ordinary books, magazines, and newspapers, most of my reading is in economics, my field of study. Frankly speaking, I really don't have an ear for music. I just listen to whatever's on for a little break."

The Premier does not watch much television. "We mostly just look at the news," says Mrs. Yu. Occasionally they catch the "Five Lights" amateur program on Sunday. "It's warm and friendly," she says. "Everyone puts on an act. And the level is quite good--not a bit exaggerated."

Premier and Mrs. Yu will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next year. At our repeated insistence, Mrs. Yu took out their wedding picture, which evoked fond memories.

"Mr. Yu skipped all three grades of junior high school and graduated from Tsing Hua University when he was 20. He then went to work following the late President Chiang Kai-shek," Mrs. Yu recalls. A friend introduced the future Mr. and Mrs. Yu for a bridge game at a party in Chung-king. Because she thought he was going to follow political work, she did not encourage his attention. Shortly after, she went to Radcliffe to study English literature. "I never imagined I would go into the Harvard library and find Mr. Yu there, as familiar as ever."

Less than a year later, with Mr. Yu's promise to "go into finance," they got married in a Harvard church. "And so now, after all these years, he winds up in a political job," says Mrs. Yu.

As to how to make a successful marriage work, "you've got to look at it as a long-term proposition," Mrs. Yu says. "When two people are together, there are bound to be differences. Mr. Yu is an engineer-turned-economist. I studied literature and like flowers and painting. Even though he may not really be interested in my hobbies, he still takes a look when he can--and it makes him happy."

"The most important thing is sympathy and understanding," Premier Yu adds. "Sometimes she insists, and I give in. Sometimes I insist, and she gives in."

So who gives in the most? Premier Yu answers with a smile, "I don't insist on anything except important affairs of state."

Most of the Premier's daily needs are attended to by Mrs. Yu. "He likes to eat lightly and simply. A carp roasted in green onions suits his palate to a tee."

"Actually, since I left home when I was little, I'm not at all picky about eating," Premier Yu remarks. "A host who invites me has it easy--I'll eat anything." "Except sweet things," Mrs. Yu adds.

Despite the care of Mrs. Yu, the Premier has loads of work. How does he deal with it all on limited time and energy? "The so-called 'disease of modern man' is not a question of being busy," Premier Yu maintains. "It all depends on how you handle your work. The most important thing is to take care of urgent matters first, and then you can deal with the rest in a more relaxed frame of mind."

Our Sunday chat with Premier and Mrs. Yu has taken place in just this kind of relaxed atmosphere. After snapping a picture of the couple together in a rare scene together at home, our photographer sets his eye on Lucky, the big wolfhound in the backyard. The Premier has to turn down this request though: "He doesn't mind his manners in front of guests." "A free spirit," Mrs. Yu chimes in.

And so we bid farewell to our host and hostess and return the peace and quiet of this Sunday, with its scent of flowers, to the Premier and his wife, who so rarely have a chance to enjoy a weekend together.

[Picture Caption]

Premier and Mrs. Yu spend a rare Sunday of relaxation, chatting with us about family life. (photo by Lee Pei-huei)

This wedding picture was taken in 1946. (Rephotoed by Chang Liang-kang.)

This wedding picture was taken in 1946. （Rephotoed by Chang Liang-kang.）