Taiwan woman to hug 10,000 people to spread love

TAIPEI - A young woman in Taiwan launched a Free Hugs campaign Sunday, hoping to hug 10,000 strangers within three months to spread love.

Yeh Jo-ling, 23, kicked off her campaign at the Taipei Railway Station. With her friends holding signs and inviting passers-by to accept Yeh’s hug, Yeh hugged about 700 strangers on Sunday.

Some passengers ran to avoid her or laughed at her, but many others - both Taiwanese and foreigners - accepted her hug with a big smile.

After the hug, she gave the person she hugged a self-made card, bearing her picture and the words: “Thank you for letting me walk into your life: And thank you for walking into my life.”

Yeh was a ceramics factory worker at Yingko near Taiupei. In July, she attended a Free Hugs rally which drew more than 7,000 people to exchange hugs.

“I was touched by the warmth of the event, so I decided to quit my job and will hug 10,000 strangers,” she told DPA.

“During these three months, I will give free hugs while making plans for my future,” she said.

The Free Hugs campaign was launched in Sydney in 2004 by an Australian known by his pseudonym Juan Mann. The purpose was to show kindness to strangers to make them feel better.

Over the years, the Free Hugs campaign has spread to many countries.