TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The two candidates with the longest names in the Chiayi City election appeared at the same election coordination meeting on Monday (Oct. 31).
While attending a coordination meeting for the election committee on Monday, Chiayi City Council candidates "Huang Hung-Cheng, A-Cheng, from Taiwan, Global Great, God of Fortune, President" (黃宏成台灣阿成世界偉人財神總統), and "Pan Blue and Pan Green Should Both Support the Special Sex Zone Tien Shen-chieh" (顏色不分藍綠 支持性專區顏色田慎節) met and posed for photos. Huang's name contains 15 Chinese characters, while Tien's name contains 16 characters, and neither can fully fit on a standard Taiwan ID card.
The two independent candidates, both of whom are running in the B District, will likely next appear together in a rally called "Democracy Night." On her Facebook page, Tien who blogs under the handle Molly 翎熹, posted a photo of her posing with Huang and apologized that her name is one character longer than Huang's.
Huang was cited by UDN as saying that he respects Tien's enthusiastic participation in every step of the democratic election process from registration to campaigning. He said that she has effectively raised her visibility, while in the case of some other candidates, "the voters even now still do not know what they look like."
Tien (left) poses with Huang. (Facebook photo)
Huang pointed out that he was a pioneer in creating a very long name. He noted that it took nearly 15 years of struggle to change his name to 15 characters, but it opened the door for others.
He said that his original name was given to him by his parents and God, but as for the new name, "its strength, length, breadth, and splendor were created by myself." According to Huang, he does not mind if others such as Tien have longer names than himself.
Huang expressed his hope that people who adopt such long names use them for good purposes, "because changing one's name will change one's destiny." For example, if Taiwan changes its country name the Republic of China, it would change the future destiny of Taiwan.
Huang and Tien. (Facebook photo)
For his campaign, Huang is pledging infrastructure projects, such as boring a tunnel through the Central Mountain Range and running a tunnel to Xiamen. If he wins, he promises to give out free pork buns.
Tien is running on four policy proposals, with the first being the decriminalization of stripping in front of temples and having the act listed as a protected traditional cultural expression. The second is to hold international cultural festivals for drinking tea and eating fish, with the first called the Tien Shen-chieh, which is homophonic with her original name.
Third, is the establishment of a special zone for legalized prostitution in Chiayi City. Fourth, is a coming-of-age ceremony for 18-year-olds which would include red envelope subsidies provided by the municipal government.
