Taiwan Day was once again held at the San Jose Giants stadium in North America’s Taiwan Major League Baseball on September 1st. The event aimed to continue the spirit of cheering for Taiwanese players living in the United States. This year’s activities combined traditional temple music, dance, and baseball to showcase Taiwanese cultural characteristics and moved the overseas Taiwanese community present at the event.
Before the game, a prerecorded video of Vice President Hsiao Mei-chin was shown on the big screen at the stadium. She thanked everyone for celebrating Taiwanese culture together and wished both players and fans to enjoy the game and the passion for baseball. Following that, the “Feng Ming Zhai Chinese Orchestra” performed the American national anthem with traditional instruments and debuted the exclusive cheer song “Direction of Dreams – Team Taiwan,” which resonated throughout the venue.
The 2025 Taiwan-American Miss First Princess, Natalina Chen, brought a lively cha-cha dance that garnered thunderous applause from the audience. Additionally, four Taiwanese-American second-generation youths aged 4 to 15 served as honorary first-pitch guests, with 15-year-old pitcher Xu Kang-jie expressing his nervousness but deep honor to be part of the event.
The game that day featured the San Jose Giants against the Modesto Nuts. Organizer Chen Wen-ze mentioned that the event broke into the Bay Area for the first time, with sponsorship from both Taiwanese and American businesses. Taiwanese sponsors included the Chung Fu Tang Temple in Taichung, Long Live Streaming, ACI, TwoWay, while American sponsors included Ascend the World Foundation, Ming Wei Corporation, Duan Chun-zhen, Beauty Plus, among others, who have been long-time supporters. The participation of temple groups has built a new bridge between religious culture and baseball.
The event organizers rented out the Future Club social area providing drinks and meals; while families could enjoy the picnic area and Family Fun Zone to experience bounce houses and pitching games. Along the sidelines, there were Team Taiwan T-shirts, Fu Hang Soy Milk, Zhi Chu Sesame Paste, and other Taiwanese snacks and giveaways, allowing everyone to savor the rich taste of Taiwan even in the scorching 92 degrees Fahrenheit heat.
An overseas Taiwanese named Xu Gui-zhen shared that she queued to enter with her family and friends at 2:15 pm that afternoon, feeling full of anticipation and moved by the experience. She expressed that what brought tears to her eyes and sent shivers down her spine was the stirring performance of the national anthem on traditional instruments and when the East Bay Taiwanese Association led over 20 children to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning, the atmosphere in the stadium reached its peak. After the game, the field was open for children to run around the bases, watching the excitement and joy of the kids running and high-fiving her was truly priceless.
The cheer song performed that day was composed by the leader of the Feng Ming Zhai Orchestra, He Pei-qi (Fabi), with lyrics by Ding Tian-mu, a Golden Melody Award-winning producer. He Pei-qi mentioned that the song was dedicated to overseas Taiwanese children striving abroad. She expressed special thanks for President Lai Ching-de’s personal signature of support and the responses within two weeks from 20 temples including Chung Fu Tang and Wu Tong Palace, making the invocation of “the protection of the gods” a true blessing and bringing Taiwan’s temple culture and national music onto the American stage.
Natalina Chen expressed her hope to promote Taiwanese and Hakka cultures through the stage of Taiwan-American Miss and become a role model for young Taiwanese-American girls. Despite the sweltering weather, nearly a thousand Taiwanese compatriots participated enthusiastically. Xu Gui-zhen reflected that this day not only reunited many familiar faces for her but also introduced her to new friends. She sincerely thanked the organizers, sponsors, and parents for their efforts, emphasizing that “this place is not just about baseball but also the most passionate showcase of Taiwanese culture!”