Taichung Mayor in Traffic Accident

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and and his wife Shao Hsiao-ling (邵曉鈴) were driving home from Kaoshuing Saturday evening when they were involved in a collision with a sedan on the highway near Tainan. Shao Hsiao-ling, who was thrown from the vehicle as it rolled, has received 13 liters of blood transfusions and has had her arm amputated and spleen removed. The Taipei Times reports that her life is not in danger. She will need reconstructive surgery on her face.

The couple were traveling with three close aides, reports the China Post, but no word on their condition.

*Maggie reminds me that we sat in the row behind Shao when we went to see Cloud Gate 2. She struck me as a vivacious, yet down to earth woman. She was wearing jeans and a plain cotton shirt, but exuded great amounts of warmth. I wish her and her family all the luck in the world in getting through this period.

** There's nothing else on the news today. Now we're watching clips from an earlier phase of her career as a television actress in historical soap operas. She quit acting 32 years ago when they got married.

After Jason Hu had a stroke four years ago while on vacation in the States, Shao followed her husband everywhere he went and cooked three meals a day for him, so that he wouldn't have any unhealthy food.