Premier Tang Fei has not yet fully recovered from recent surgery, but he is already on the job anyway. (photo by Hsueh Chi-kuang) (photo by Hsueh Chi-kuang)

Taiwan stands up, demonstrating afirm insistence on reason and a sturdy faith in democracy.

"Taiwan stands up, representing the self-confidence of the people and the dignity of the country.

"Taiwan stands up, symbolizing the quest for hope and the realization of dreams."

On May 20, with the sun shining and national flags in front of the Presidential Palace fluttering in a gentle breeze, before a large crowd and the eyes of the world, Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu were sworn in as the 10th-term president and vice president of the ROC, marking the beginning of a new era. That same day, the new cabinet was also sworn in, with President Chen supervising the proceedings.

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, a series of difficult tests are confronting the new government right from the start. For one thing, since enunciation by the previous administration of the "special state-to-state" formula, Taiwan's relations with mainland China have reached freezing point. For another, entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has major implications for Taiwan's future economic development and for cross-strait relations. Domestically, crime is a problem, as is "black gold"-the rampant influence of underworld and moneyed interests in politics. Then there is also the battle between environmental protection on the one hand and economic and energy development on the other. These problems need urgent attention from the new government.

With this first-ever experience in Taiwan of transition of power to a different political party, will the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have new ideas for governing? Or will it follow the "line" pursued by the Taiwanese-dominated Kuomintang of former president Lee Teng-hui? Is the "new middle ground" or "third way" proposed by President Chen something that people want and need to create a new future? Or is it a tactic for compromising on political ideals of the past? Will Taiwan be able to advance to a grand future via "a government for all people" and "rule by the clean and upright"?

On May 20, the day of president Chen Shui-bian's inauguration, hundreds of thousands of people participated in celebratory events held around the country. The people of Taiwan treated this first transition of power to another political party in Taiwan's history as a festival.

Interviewed at the inauguration, nearly drowned out by the noise of so many people having an exciting time, Wang Man-yi, who was active in the opposition movement during her university days, says that she never expected that she would see the Kuomintang forced out of office and the DPP take power before she was even 30 years old.

Naturally this first-ever change of the "helmsman" is a novel and unusual sensation. And it comes at a time when Taiwan faces, in the words of former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh, "a turning point from which Taiwan can either ascend upward or sink into the mire."