"Love You for a Lifetime, Forever and Ever" – Limited Edition Commemorative Train Tickets from Taiwan Railways

▲ Taiwan Railways launches the "Love You for a Lifetime, Forever and Ever" commemorative tickets. (Photo / Courtesy of Taiwan Railways website)

By Chen Rui-zhong / Comprehensive Report

Yong'an Bao'an was the first auspicious phrase ticket issued by Taiwan Railways and remains the most widely distributed to date. To continue this trend, Yongkang Station specially launched the "Love You for a Lifetime, Forever and Ever" commemorative namecard-style tickets on September 9, 2014.

To convey a special meaning, Taiwan Railways used a date stamp with four digits for the Gregorian calendar for the first time, changing from the usual three-digit Republic of China year format. This special format is only available for this commemorative namecard-style ticket issue, resulting in the first-ever "2014-9-9" date, symbolizing the unique meaning of "Love You for a Lifetime, Forever and Ever."

Taiwan Railways announced that a total of 100,000 commemorative tickets will be issued. Sales began at 8:00 AM on September 6, 2014 (Year 103 in the Republic of China calendar) at the ticket office of Yongkang Station. All tickets are sold on-site via a queue system, with no mail-order or proxy purchases accepted. Each person is limited to purchasing 20 tickets.

In addition, Taiwan Railways has designed two commemorative stamps for purchasers to mark the occasion. One features a heart shape with a small heart-shaped lock in the upper right corner, symbolizing never being apart. The heart is engraved with the words "Love for a Lifetime, Companionship for a Lifetime." To complete the stamp, two commemorative namecard-style tickets are required, representing a perfect match and walking through life together. The other stamp can be used on a single namecard-style ticket, with a design theme that fits the Mid-Autumn Festival, wishing families happiness and lasting joy.