"The only thing more striking than the $32,000 diamond-encrusted eyeglasses on display at the Baodao Optical department store here is the bronze statue of Chairman Mao Zedong that greets shoppers entering what is billed as the world's largest eyeglass emporium. That is because Baodao Optical's owners are from Taiwan, the island whose governing party, the Kuomintang, fought a fierce - and losing - civil war against Mao's Communist forces before fleeing the mainland in 1949 with more than a million refugees. The rival governments have yet to sign a peace accord. But by choosing to display Mao's likeness and his famous credo "Serve the People" so prominently, Baodao Optical reveals how far some Taiwanese businesses will go to romance a Chinese market that many see as the wellspring of their future prosperity. Such gestures have become especially freighted as an estimated 200,000 people return to Taiwan for an election Saturday whose outcome could determine the future of a relationship that has warmed steadily since President Ma Ying-jeou swept into office there in 2008. Ma, of the Kuomintang, is facing a vigorous challenge from Tsai Ing-wen, a low-key academic whose Democratic Progressive Party has long advocated formal independence, a position that in the past inspired Beijing to lob missiles into the Taiwan Strait. Polls suggest that the race is too close to call, with a third candidate expected to draw around 10 percent of the vote, largely from Ma. The growing political heft of the Taishang, the name given to the million or so Taiwanese in China who have staked their livelihoods on its expansive economy, has become a point of contention in a race that has raised existential questions about a Taiwan increasingly ensconced in Beijing's embrace. Because Taiwan does not allow absentee balloting, Taishang executives have been urging their compatriots to return home to vote, warning that a victory for Tsai could anger Beijing and prompt it to yank back the welcome mat.... more... - Anne Bouey from Bookmarklet

"Polls suggest that the race is too close to call, with a third candidate expected to draw around 10 percent of the vote, largely from Ma." Luuulz, hai there James Soong! - Jessie

Fun fact: "Serve the People" (wei renmin fuwu) seems to be more often quoted now as "Serve the RMB" (wei renminbi fuwu). ;-) - Jessie