The President himself was neither seen nor heard from. In the traditionally modest way of the Chinese, he went into seclusion and participated only in the family observance of his natal day.
But the people, whose leader Chiang Kai-shek has been for nearly half a century, could not be restrained by his requests for "birthday austerity".
As early as 6 a.m. on October 31, well-wishers were lining up in the Presidential Plaza to sing a "happy birthday" song. By 8 a.m. the chorus numbered 100,000 and there were 1,500 bandsmen.
Salute guns roared 21 times. Five aircraft flew past, trailing ribbons of colored smoke. A military police guard of 1,000 recited a poem of birthday congratulations.
The massed chorus formed into eight huge representations of the Chinese character for longevity and sang its song for the chief executive.
All over Taiwan and in overseas Chinese communities throughout the world hundreds of thousands gathered to sign congratulatory scrolls and books.
Streets of Taipei and other cities were gaily decorated. Lion and dragon dancers pranced and bands placed for paraders. Everyone ate peaches and noodles of longevity, as is the ancient custom.
Entertainment programs were many and varied. Theaters charged only half price. Shops gave discounts.
Foreign dignitaries paid their respects at the Presidential Office. They were received by Presidential Secretary-General Chang Chun.
At Taipei's indoor sports arena, 15,000 persons gathered to see a show put on by leading Chinese and foreign entertainers.
Fireworks brightened the evening sky.
It was a big birthday party for a big man, an attempt of the people to show Chiang Kai-shek what he means to them. It also turned into a folk holiday that must have delighted the President's heart.
Free Chinese are aware that President and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is the principal guardian of their liberty, and that in his absence, the Taiwan bastion might not have been preserved when the Communists overran the mainland.
Escapees to freedom testify that the real "revisionism" on the mainland favors restoration of the Republic of China's sovereignty and the return of Chiang Kai-shek. Much of the inspiration for resistance to the Communist "great proletarian cultural revolution" has come from towering figure of the President, from the messages he has sent to mainland compatriots, and from the existence on Taiwan of strong military forces awaiting the opportunity to counterattack the Communists.
Military strength was on display in the year-end presidential review that brought Army, Navy, and Air Force together in spectacular maneuvers. President Chiang was present along with some 5,000 others, including foreign dignitaries and representatives of overseas Chinese.
Perhaps prophetically, this was a war game of attack and not of defense. Vice Admiral William E. Gentner Jr., commander of the U.S. Taiwan Defense Command, praised the "close coordination and teamwork". He said: "Each phase was executed with precision and excellent timing. Air Force bombing was accurate and the artillery and naval gunfire support were superb."
Squadrons of F100, F104, and F86D jets came in first, dive-bombing targets only 1,000 meters from the reviewing stand. Napalm was dropped from an altitude of only 50 meters and scored direct hits. Rockets were rammed into the target area. F5A Freedom Fighters came in with machine guns blazing.
Destroyers ranging off the coast zeroed in. Then the Army's artillery began to bark: 155 mm howitzers, 106 and 75 mm recoilless rifles, and 4.2-inch mortars.
An infantry regiment moved up the rugged hill under cover of the bombardment. In support were tanks and the Marine Corps. Soon the national flag was planted on the peak.
So realistic was the exercise that at least three persons in the reviewing stand were slightly wounded by shell fragments.
Combined forces of the Republic had shown their President and Generalissimo that they are ready to move across the Taiwan Straits whenever the order is given.
Another birthday was warmly observed on November 12—the 101st of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Founding Father of the Republic of China. This concluded Dr. Sun's centennial year.
President Chiang has designated Dr. Sun's birthday as Chinese Culture Renaissance Day. This is the Republic of China's answer to the Chinese Communists and their efforts to destroy China's traditional culture in the current "cultural revolution".
The President acted at the request of 1,500 leading scholars, headed by Dr. Sun Fo, the son of Sun Yat-sen. They pointed out that Dr. Sun had been the prime mover in preserving Chinese culture even as he worked to build a modern nation based on science and progress.
Principal event of Dr. Sun's birthday was dedication of the Chinese Cultural Hall of the Chung-shan (another name for Dr. Sun) Building on lovely Yangmingshan (Grass Mountain) a few miles from Taipei. The structure has a large auditorium, a huge dining room, and many other facilities for cultural presentations and study.
President Chiang said the essence of Chinese culture is embodied in the philosophy of Dr. Sun, who based his hopes for the Chinese future on the three principles of Nationalism, Democracy, and Social Welfare, which he called the People's Livelihood.
He said that from the implementation of these principles would come government of, by, and for the people.
More than 1,800 persons attended the Chung-shan Building dedication. Another 2,000 gathered for ceremonies at the Taipei City Hall. Observances also were held throughout Taiwan and in all overseas Chinese communities.
China representation debate was under way at the United Nations once more.
Foreign Minister Wei Tao-ming was in New York to speak the cause of the Republic of China with eloquence.
He said: "At a time when Peiping is in deep trouble, when the hopes for freedom and deliverance are brighter than ever before, the United Nations would be doing a great disservice to the Chinese people if it should put the seal of approval on the Chinese Communist regime and thus enhance its prestige...
"Far from making the Chinese Communists more moderate in words and deeds, such a proposal would strengthen their belief that they are indeed invincible and that their policy of aggression has paid off."
Outcome of the vote was never in doubt. The two-thirds rule to decide important questions was involved. Additionally, Peiping has suffered a sharp loss of prestige during the last year. Africa, Indonesia, India, and many others have learned the truth about the Chinese Communists.
This did not change votes in every instance. But it changed enough of them to make the Republic of China's position much stronger than in 1965. The ROC also had won new friends and strengthened old bonds with a more active diplomacy and a technical assistance program that has helped some 40 other countries.
Free China's reaction was strongly unfavorable as Italy and several other countries moved to establish a committee to study China representation and make recommendations to the General Assembly in 1967. China and its friends put just one simple question: What is there to study?
The Chinese Communists are rebels and not a nation. They hold the soil of the mainland illegally and only as a result of force and violence. Nor do they hold it permanently. The forces of the Republic of China are sworn to return and end Communist tyranny.
Some self-styled realists do not accept this. They claim that in actuality two Chinas exist, and that this is likely to be the case for a long time.
Even if this were true, it would not lead to any change in representation at this time. The Republic of China has made wholly clear that it will never sit down with the Chinese Communists at the U.N. or elsewhere. Peiping also has rejected coexistence.
Two Chinas thus become not a solution but an impossibility. The United Nations has only the alternatives of maintaining the status quo, with the Republic of China retaining its General Assembly and Security Council scats, or of expelling the ROC and seating the Communists.
It is inconceivable that the U.N. could eject a Charter member that has lived up to its U.N. pledges and fulfilled its obligations in order to seat a regime that has been condemned by the Assembly as an aggressor and that has vowed to take over the international organization or destroy it.
Taipei was the site of two important meeting in late October and early November: the 5th Asian Advertising Congress and the third general assembly of the Asian Broadcasting Union.
Vice President and Premier addressed the closing session of the advertising conference, and called upon those attending for "genuine educational and promotional efforts to put advertising in its proper place in the panorama of economic development".
He suggested that in Asia it is necessary for advertising to sell itself first. Many other speakers pointed to the slowness of the Asian region to embrace modern advertising techniques and thereby develop the massive demand that is essential to mass production economies.
James A. Linen, the president of Time Inc., forecast a new Asian community based on an equal partnership between Orient and Occident. He cited free Asian gains of the year, and said he is of the opinion that the danger of Communism has declined.
Minister of Economic Affairs K. T. Li compared advertising's contribution to consumption with machinery's contribution to production. He said: "Advertising helps lower the cost of production and must necessarily play a significant role in the improvement of the standed of living.
More than 500 delegates from 15 countries and localities attended. They voted unanimously for provisional establishment of the Asian and Pacific Advertising Association in Taipei. Mrs. Nancy Yu Huang, publisher of the China Post, is the first chairman. The 1968 meeting of the Asian Advertising Congress will be held in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
The Taipei congress was preceded by a two-day workshop that included exhibits and talks on techniques and their application.
Members of the Asian Broadcasting Union gave special attention to space-age developments, including the Asian telecommunications satellite. More than 60 delegates from 15 countries attended.
Broadcasters agreed that lack of regional training is a serious obstacle to better transmission and better programming. A training institute has been proposed and Malaysia has offered a site.
Exchange of both radio and TV programs will be increased. To raise quality, a new award of US$500 will be given to the best low-cost TV documentary annually. Previous awards, including $1,100 each for the best radio and TV programs, will be continued.
The 1966 radio award went to the Broadcasting Corporation of China for its "Joint Cultivation" series serving rural communities. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation won the TV award for its program "A View From Geneva". Special mention was given the National Broadcasting Company for "A Day in Irkutsk".
Next year's meeting will be held in Singapore.
One of the most important conferences ever held in Taipei will be that to inaugurate the World Anti-Communist Leaque. The tentative time is next fall.
Decision to establish the world organization and meet in Taipei was made at the 12th convention of the Asian Peoples' Anti-Communist League in Seoul early in November. Ku Cheng-kang, head of the China chapter of APACL, will be chairman of the first world meeting.
Jose M. Hernandez of the Philippines, secretary-general of APACL, will be the first secretary-general of the World Anti-Communist League.
Twenty-three countries and areas were represented at the Seoul meeting, which passed resolutions:
* Endorsing the spirit of the seven-nation Manila conference but opposing Vietnam peace talks prior to withdrawal of Communist forces from South Vietnam.
* Calling on the United States and other Vietnam war allies to take stronger action for victory and an early peace.
APACL, which was established at an international meeting in Chinhae, Korea, in 1954, will be merged in the new WACL on April 1, 1967. The charter for the world organization was approved at Seoul.
As in the case of APACL, both national and organizational chapters may hold membership. Observers may attend the annual conferences.
Twenty-four movie workers of Hongkong and Taiwan were honored for their contributions to Mandarin films at Golden Horse award ceremonies in Taipei October 30.
The Government Information Office of the Republic of China gives the awards annually to encourage films voiced in the Mandarin dialect. Mandarin is taught and used in the schools of Taiwan. On the mainland, it is more widely spoken than any other dialect.
GIO Deputy Director Chiu Nan presided as Golden Horses and cash awards went to:
"Beauty of Beauties" as the best film. It is a joint production of the Grand Motion Picture Company of Taiwan and the Taiwan Film Studio.
Li Han-hsiang, who directed "Beauty of Beauties".
Chao Lei of the Cathay organization in Hongkong, who played the male lead in "Beauty of Beauties".
Miss Kuei Ya-Iei, a star of the Grand company, the best actress award for her performance in "Drizzles".
Hu Ching-chuan of Hongkong, best script.
Miss Wang Mo-chou, special award for her role of a deaf-mute in "Silent Wife".
Wu Chia-hsiang, Cathay, best supporting actor.
Miss Lu Pi-yun, Taiwan, best supporting actress.
Miss Hsieh Lin-lin, child actor.
Wang Chien-han, Taiwan, best color photography.
Ku Yi, Taiwan, best color design.
Tso Hung-yuan, Taiwan, best music.
Chiang Hsing-Iung, Hongkong, best editing.
Chi Ho-hsi, Taiwan, best documentary filming.
Huang Min, Taiwan, best documentary planning.
Before his departure for the United Nations, Foreign Minister Wei Tao-ming told the Legislative Yuan that 918 Chinese technicians now are helping 41 countries in agricultural and industrial development.
The regional breakdown is 27 countries in Africa, 8 in Asia, 5 in Central and South America, and 1 in Europe. By numbers, 692 technicians are in Africa, 200 in Asia, 21 in Central and South America, and 4 in Europe.
Additionally, 629 technicians from these same regions have received training in Taiwan. More than 300 of them have been graduated from five-month agricultural seminars for African agronomists.
Appointed director of the Government Information Office by the Executive Yuan was James Wei, publisher-director of the China News and a newsman-broadcaster of long experience. He succeeds James Shen, who is China's new ambassador to Australia.
Wei was with GIO on the mainland in the 1940s. He was a correspondent for Reuters and deputy director of the Central News Agency. Among his assignments was coverage of the Korean War. For more than 10 years, he was managing director of the Broadcasting Corporation of China.
On the mainland, everyone is dragooned into the militia. The Red Guards are said to number more than 10 million. They have no privilege of rejecting membership. If they are chosen, they join.
In Taiwan, even the reserve officers' training program has been made voluntary. Previously all college students were enrolled and served 14 months.
As of next fall, reserve officers will be selected from among students who volunteer. The service period will be two years, the same as that for regular military service.
For college students and young men who do not attend college the obligation of national service will be the same: two years in the armed forces.