Shen Boyang clarifies the controversy over the placement of sugar cane: keeping it upright is in line with customs, placing it horizontally is just for photo composition

The chairman of Fude Palace presented Shen Boyang and Jiang Wanan with sugar canes symbolizing their advancement. (combined by this newspaper, data photo)

The controversy over the gift of sugar cane from Zhongzhuang Tsai Fudong Palace continues to ferment in the political arena. DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang was invited to participate in a live broadcast yesterday (29th) and revealed the latest developments of the incident for the first time during a car visit to the TV station. Shen Boyang said that before the live broadcast, he called Lin Chunyu, the chairman of Zhongzhuangzi Fudong Palace. He mainly expressed greetings after hearing that the other party's voice was hoarse and suspected of having a cold. He did not specifically ask about the details of the abandoned sugar cane. He also kindly suggested that Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan should pay tribute to the gods in person.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan recently attended an event at the Zhongzhuang Tsai Palace of Fortune and received a gift of sugar cane, a symbol of rising prosperity. However, it was later revealed that the sugar cane was left on the roadside next to the temple, raising questions about folk beliefs and disrespectful intentions of the recipient. In this regard, Shen Boyang pointed out during the car interview that after seeing the relevant news, he noticed that Chairman Lin Chunyu was suspected of having a cold during the interview, so he took the initiative to call and greet him about his health before recording, and did not specifically mention the "Sugar Cane Rebellion". Shen Boyang also said that since this matter caused discussion between local believers and the temple authorities, he would suggest Jiang Wanan pay tribute to the gods.

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In addition, Shen Boyang also took this opportunity to personally clear up doubts about the placement of sugar cane in Shen Boyang's campaign headquarters office. He emphasized that he was aware of traditional folk customs. When the sugar cane was brought back to the campaign headquarters from Fude Palace, it was always placed "upright" and properly preserved in accordance with the rules. The "horizontal" seen in the external photos was purely a staff member who temporarily moved it to the table and placed it horizontally to take photos in order to capture community material. After the shooting, it was immediately restored to the upright position.

Shen Boyang also shared his campaign routine and thoughts during the car interview. He revealed that when he has a full schedule, he will often take the time to close his eyes and catch up on sleep. He will not deliberately browse the information of the next event in the car. Instead, he will use the time before going to bed the day before to digest and absorb, so as to avoid confusion on the spot. What comes to mind on the spot will be more sincere and smooth. He also specifically mentioned that, except for certain official itinerary updates that are posted by the team, almost all daily posts and message interactions on his personal Threads community are answered by him personally, demonstrating a high-affinity communication style.