Thursday, 19 October 2023

 Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (09:58): Last week I had the opportunity to attend and celebrate with the Chinese community in Melbourne’s south-east their Double Ten Day festival. The event symbolises the national day of Taiwan and commemorates the start of the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911, which ultimately led to the collapse of the imperial Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China on 1 January 1912. It is universally recognised as the first country in Asia to implement a republican constitutional system. The national day is celebrated by many overseas Chinese communities. Despite much adversity, the Republic of China, Taiwan, has continued to be a beacon on the continent as a place that is free, fair and democratic. On this occasion it was staged by host Tom Huynh, the president of Springvale Chinese Ethnic School, a school that for the last 40 years has helped the Chinese community to pass on their history, language and traditions to the next generation. It is a real testament of the community’s ability to thrive in and integrate into Australian society while still retaining their distinct language, heritage and culture to pass on to the next generation. I thank them for the invitation, and I wish the community well.