Tsai Ing-wen Joins Puma Shen's Taipei Rally as Livestream Nears 200,000 Viewers

A Former President Brings a Surge of Attention

Former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen joined Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen at Daan Forest Park on November 1, 2026, as the number watching his official YouTube livestream climbed from about 140,000 to a reported peak of 199,242. Onstage, she urged supporters to turn their enthusiasm into votes ahead of the November 28 election.

The peak left the broadcast just 758 viewers short of 200,000. Compared with the roughly 140,000 watching before the surge, that represented an increase of about 59,000, or 42%. The figures describe viewers connected at the same time, rather than everyone who watched during the evening.

Organizers claimed 35,000 people gathered at the park. Another account described attendance more broadly as exceeding 10,000. Tsai appeared at around 9 p.m., drawing cheers as she took the stage in a jacket over a black top and later raised Shen's hand in support.

Her appearance brought together several strands of the campaign: a procession through districts considered difficult territory for the DPP, a promise to focus on everyday municipal services, and a playful relationship with supporters on Threads. Tsai also warned that convincing fake recordings and videos could distract voters from the choices before them.

For Shen, the evening's immediate task was to connect a large audience with a practical request: recruit more voters. Tsai said Taipei had long been difficult ground for her party, while pointing to her own experience of winning more than half the city's votes in a presidential election.

From Wenshan Streets to Daan Forest Park

Shen's campaign began the afternoon with a vehicle procession through Daan and Wenshan, districts described as strong territory for the rival pan blue camp. The route started at Muzha Jiying Temple in Wenshan at about 4:50 p.m. and took nearly three hours to reach Daan Forest Park.

DPP legislator Tsai Chi-chang and four party candidates for the city council accompanied the procession. Supporters called out encouragement along the route before the campaign moved into its evening discussion of city affairs.

The sequence linked street campaigning with an event that people could follow from home:

• October 31: Taipei's first mayoral debate took place, and Tsai announced on Threads that she would attend the next evening's event.
• November 1, about 4:50 p.m.: Shen's procession left Muzha Jiying Temple.
• November 1, evening: The procession reached Daan Forest Park after nearly three hours.
• November 1, around 9 p.m.: Tsai took the stage, with the livestream subsequently reaching a reported 199,242 simultaneous viewers.
• November 28: Voters are due to choose Taipei's mayor and city council members.

How a Threads Joke Reached the Rally

Tsai's arrival had been previewed through a joke already circulating on Threads. Users had begun deliberately replacing the Chinese expression for "baby," a term of affection, with visually similar characters to see whether a partner was reading messages carefully. Other users copied the joke, and Tsai joined in, exchanging the playful nickname with supporters.

The day before the rally, Tsai posted that she lived in Daan and had learned that Shen's campaign vehicle, known as the Yangliu, or Ocean Current, would pass near her home. She said she would attend on November 1. Shen replied by asking whether she would actually speak onstage.

Shortly before appearing, Tsai used Threads again to direct people who were absent from the park toward the livestream. Her brief message told them she was about to take the stage. The broadcast chat soon filled with affectionate greetings, declarations of support and messages tracking progress toward 200,000 viewers.

Some Threads users said they were rushing to the park; others wrote that they had arrived but could not get in. Those comments conveyed the excitement around her appearance, although no detailed account of entry arrangements was given.

A Gift Tease Kept the Conversation Going

Tsai continued posting during the event, teasing a gift for Shen and saying she would reveal it after he finished speaking. The promise prompted supporters to joke about how long they might have to wait because the candidate had so much to say.

Other comments playfully questioned why she was looking at her phone while sitting below the stage. The exchange gave people watching remotely another way to take part while the policy speeches continued.

Tsai also recalled an earlier gift with a clear campaign meaning: a ship's wheel she gave Shen when accompanying him to register his candidacy. She said it was now on the campaign vehicle. The wheel and the Ocean Current name present Shen as someone steering the city, with individual supporters joining together like drops of water.

The contents of the newly teased gift were not identified in the accounts of the evening. The earlier wheel, however, became part of Tsai's argument that Shen had remembered her encouragement to guide Taipei in the right direction.

Tsai Makes the Case for Reassurance

Tsai's central endorsement concerned Shen's temperament. She said a capital city's mayor, like a president, should make people feel secure, and that she saw that quality in him. She linked the argument to her own efforts as president to maintain social stability.

Her assessment followed Taipei's first mayoral debate the previous day. Tsai praised Shen for responding positively to attacks and for meeting what she described as smears with warmth. She also acknowledged her affection for the candidate while describing enthusiasm among younger supporters, expectations among women voters and support across age groups.

Taipei voters, she said, expect candidates to prepare thoroughly and explain their ideas before earning support. Her own presidential experience supplied the comparison: despite the DPP's difficulties in the city, she had previously won a majority there.

Tsai framed voting as a choice about daily life and the kind of society residents want. Her appeal was to support Shen for his approach and plans, rather than out of hostility toward someone else. She said the attention audiences gave his policy speeches showed that voters were willing to listen to detailed proposals.

Three Priorities for the First 100 Days

Tsai identified three measures Shen intended to prioritize during his first 100 days if elected: replanting trees, giving greater attention to child abuse and improving school lunches. Each connects the campaign to a service or concern that residents can recognize in their own neighborhoods and families.

For parents, the commitments concern children's safety and the food they receive at school. For residents using streets and public spaces, the tree pledge concerns the city's immediate surroundings. Tsai presented the three priorities as matters affecting everyday life and safety.

She said Shen had gathered residents' views quickly and used them to shape concrete proposals. Her argument was that city government needs to prepare before problems become urgent, using the campaign's maritime imagery to describe the danger of waiting until a vessel nears rocks before changing direction.

The three commitments remained broad. The event accounts gave no budgets, planting targets, detailed changes to child protection services or nutritional standards for school meals. Residents therefore heard the areas Shen would prioritize, while the practical scope of those promises still needed fuller explanation.

A Warning About Fake Voices and Images

Tsai also addressed the circulation of a recording described as fabricated and used to attack Shen. She warned that advances in artificial intelligence were making some online audio and video difficult to judge, especially as election day approached.

Tsai, the former president, gave supporters a short instruction:

Verify before sharing.

Artificial intelligence can produce or alter a voice or image so that it resembles a real person. A familiar sounding voice can make a message feel convincing, which is why Tsai urged people to pause before believing or forwarding surprising material.

She said political disagreement should remain possible, while genuine discussion should take priority over fabricated voices and images. Her warning connected the circulation of online content directly to voters' decisions about Taipei's future.

Turning Enthusiasm Into Votes

Tsai's request for help recruiting voters came with different numerical targets in accounts of the speech. A detailed account quoted her asking each supporter to bring in another 20 votes, while a shorter account described an appeal for 10 votes each.

Her message in either case was that attending the rally or watching online should be followed by persuading other people to vote. She said the campaign could not afford to relax and referred to a gap between Shen and his opponent, without providing a polling figure.

Tsai urged supporters to vote on November 28 for Shen, identified as candidate No. 3, and for the DPP's Taipei city council candidates. That widened the appeal beyond the mayoral contest to the elected body that also helps shape city policy.

The evening left Shen with a visible show of support from a former president, a large reported audience and several concrete themes to carry into the remaining weeks: city services, personal reassurance and care over election information. The next fixed date was November 28, when the campaign's calls for support would reach the ballot box.

Key Points

• Tsai Ing-wen joined Puma Shen's campaign event at Daan Forest Park on November 1, 2026.
• Shen's official YouTube livestream reportedly peaked at 199,242 simultaneous viewers.
• Organizers claimed a crowd of 35,000 at the park.
• Tsai praised Shen's temperament and highlighted promises on trees, child protection and school lunches.
• She urged supporters to check suspicious recordings and videos before sharing them.
• Tsai called for votes for Shen and DPP city council candidates on November 28.