On Saturday (Oct. 12), the Kaohsiung City Civil Affairs Bureau hosted a mass wedding ceremony that saw 50 couples tie the knot at the city’s famous Confucius Temple.
The mass wedding ceremony also included a ritual element where the couples expressed hope for the quick arrival of children in their new homes. The Mayor of Kaohsiung, Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), also joined the event to wish the couples many years of happiness.
One marriage that drew attention was the union of a Taiwanese social worker, Chian Pei-fang (簡貝芳) and a Brazilian lawyer. The two first met in the Hong Kong airport as they were transferring flights, and then later the two bumped into each other again in a Chinese airport.
Eventually, the two began a long-distance relationship which after two years led to Chian moving to Brazil, where the two were married. Together they made the trip to Taiwan this year to join the Confucian wedding ceremony.
During the Mayor’s remarks at the ceremony, Han touted Kaohsiung’s Civil Affairs Bureau and said that the government remains committed to helping families in need and making Kaohsiung an attractive place to raise a family. He also stated that from next year the city plans to offer a maternity allowance of NT$20,000 for every first child born to a Kaohsiung family, reports CNA.
