San Francisco: Taiwanese golfer C.T. Pan and newly drafted WNBA player Kaitlyn Chen celebrated Taiwan on the first day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month at an event hosted by the San Francisco Giants on Thursday. Pan and Chen were the guests of honor and threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park as part of the second Taiwanese Heritage Night hosted by the Giants before its home game against the Colorado Rockies.
According to Focus Taiwan, Pan, who won the bronze medal in the men's golf competition at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, expressed that seeing Taiwanese fans cheering for him at tournaments in the United States boosts his confidence, and he extended his gratitude to them for their support. He emphasized Taiwan's unique qualities and hoped more people would become aware of his Taiwanese background in golf.
Chen, who was drafted by the Golden State Valkyries in mid-April, shared her pride in her Taiwanese heritage, highlighting the significance of participating in the event at Oracle Park. As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she expressed her longing to return to Taiwan and conveyed how her Asian heritage has influenced her upbringing. Celebrating this heritage during Asian American and Pacific Islander Month was particularly meaningful to her.
Taiwanese Heritage Night was organized by the Taiwan Tourism Administration, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, the Giants, and EVA Air, an international airline partner of the baseball team. Sylvia Lee, director of the Taiwan Tourism Administration's San Francisco Office, noted the shared baseball culture between Taiwan and the United States and expressed a desire to promote Taiwan as a travel destination through such sports events.