President and Madame Chiang Kai-shek greeted the Thai royal couple as they stepped from their Thai Airways plane at Sungshan Airport. They then accompanied the King and Queen to a canopied reviewing stand where the King received a 21-gun salute.
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At the half-hour welcoming ceremonies at the airport, King Bhumibol reviewed an honor guard with the President (top).
Then the royal couple proceeded to the newly completed Chiling Pavilion of the Grand Hotel where they stayed. The procession, escorted by 24 policemen on motorcycles, passed through five ceremonial arches erected to welcome the Thai visitors.
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More than 200,000 people lined the four-mile route to the hotel. Masked Chinese opera stars (top) and lion dancers (center) staged impromptu street-side performances. Schoolgirls waved the flags of Thailand and China in spontaneous greeting (bottom).
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On June 6, King Bhumibol, accompanied by Vice President Chen Cheng, laid a wreath at the Martyr's Shrine (top left). He also visited the Taoyuan farm of Yu Wen-shan and shook hands with the farmers (bottom).
The Queen, accompanied by Madame Chen, went to the Chinese Women's Anti-Aggression League sewing room to talk to volunteers who make servicemen's clothing (top right).
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The following day, the royal couple went south to visit the Kukuan Air Base in central Taiwan. The King and Queen were enthralled by the precision flying of the Thunger-Tigers, who ended the show with a breathtaking bomb-burst (top). At the National Palace Museum, they received a commentary on the priceless paintings from George Yeh, former ambassador to the United States (center).
The King and Queen also shared the experience of a Chinese opera performance together with Vice President and Mme. Chen (bottom).
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On June 5, President and Madame Chiang gave a state dinner to welcome King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. The President made a welcoming speech (top) and toasts were drunk to Sino-Thai friendship (bottom).
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Vice President and Madame Chen Cheng hosted a dinner for the royal couple on June 6 (top). On the last evening of their visit, the King and Queen feted President and Madame Chiang to express thanks for a pleasant stay in Taiwan (bottom).
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The royal couple left on June 8, having stolen the hearts of the Chinese. They were seen off by President and Madame Chiang. The King and the President exchanged salutes while Queen Sirikit bade goodbye to James Shen, director of the Government Information Office (top).
The King shook hands with Madame Chiang (center) and the Queen gave the Buddhist greeting to a group of monk (bottom).