A ceremony to celebrate 2014 Mother's Day and to recognize exemplary mothers was held at the 4th-floor Assembly Hall of Taichung New City Hall on Taiwan Boulevard in the afternoon of May 3. Mayor Jason Hu personally commended the 43 exemplary mothers recommended by each district office and then cut the cake with six exemplary mothers whose age are over 90. Mayor Hu wished all the mothers living in Taichung a happy Mother’s Day.

In his speech, Mayor Hu first expressed his thanks to all the exemplary mothers present at the ceremony. “It is the happiest day today in Taichung City because we have so many mothers here. I heard all of you laughing at the moment when I was walking into this venue,” added Mayor Hu.

"Mom is always the greatest in the world." Mayor Hu continued to say, “Those with mothers around are the happiest. Everyone should be thankful to not only his or her own mother but also mothers of other people.”

Then, Mayor Hu cut the cake to celebrate Mother’s Day together with six exemplary mothers aged over 90, namely 104-year-old Zeng Jiang Ah-feng (曾江阿鳳) of Dali District, 95-year-old Lin Jiang Gong (林江糿) of Nantun District, 91-year-old Hung Liao Mei (洪廖美) of Fengyuan District, 91-year-old Chen Tsai Her (陳蔡合) of Longjing District, 90-year-old Xie Wan Er (謝妧娥) of Taiping District, and 90-year-old Chen Yeh-ping (陳月娉) of West District.

The 104-year-old Zeng Jiang Ah-feng and her third son Zeng Qing-hui (曾慶輝) took part in the Elderly SHOW Competition in 2013 sponsored by Health Bureau, in which she sang playful songs while waving ribbons and hitting the temple block. Nobody knew she was a great grandmother aged over 100, said Social Affairs Bureau.

Zeng Jiang Ah-feng is very nice to people, takes a walk almost every day, is not a picky eater, likes to watch soap operas every evening, and always keeps herself in a good mood. All of these factors should have contributed to her longevity.

Social Affairs Bureau said other exemplary mothers vary in their backgrounds. Some are single parents, some are people with disabilities, and others have suffered from illnesses. However, all of them have a thing in common. All of them are very positive, optimistic, unselfish, and dedicated to rearing their children. Their stories are very inspiring to those struggling families.

Social Affairs Bureau encourages people to spend more time with their mothers. “Your intimate greetings will surely make your own mother happy and proud,” added an official at the Social Affairs Bureau.

In addition to the recognition of the 43 exemplary mothers recommended by each district office, 308 exemplary mothers and their relatives were poised also for photo with the mayor. Singing and dancing programs were arranged to entertain the 2000 participants in this event. It was hoped to give every mother a wonderful and joyful Mother’s Day.

Guests attending the event included Wang Shi-yuan (王秀燕), Director-general of Social Affairs Bureau; city councilors Liu Shi-chou (劉士州), Hsu ShuiBin (許水彬), Hong Jia-hong (洪嘉鴻), and Huang Xinhui (黃馨慧).