TAIPEI - From protests to hacked digital signboards in 7-Eleven outlets and even a marriage proposal, the effect of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's arrival in Taiwan on Tuesday (Aug 2) was palpable.
Mrs Pelosi met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, lawmakers and dissidents who fled to the island after defying Beijing, as well as chip manufacturer TSMC's chairman Mark Liu on Wednesday, before flying out the same day.
Supporters and protesters were waiting near Taipei's Songshan Airport and the hotel she was staying at when she arrived on Tuesday night.
Among the protesters were members of the New Party, a pro-China political party, and the Taiwan People's Communist Party, who are active supporters of Taiwan's unification with China.
"Pelosi, get out! We want peace, not war!" protesters chanted, worried about China starting a war over the US House Speaker's visit, while those happy to witness her arrival held up signs that read "Taiwan and the US are friends" and "We love Nancy Pelosi".
Taiwanese singer Huang An, who resides in China and has been vocal in his support of the Communist Party of China, was one of the critics who scorned news reports of her impending visit.
He posted on Weibo on Tuesday declaring that he would "Marry Tsai Ing-wen" if Mrs Pelosi dared to visit Taiwan.
Netizens called him out on his promise in the comments after Mrs Pelosi landed, prompting Huang to upload a doctored wedding photo of Ms Tsai and himself in wedding garments.
Several systems were also hacked into.
The Presidential Office's website experienced intermittent outages caused by hackers shortly before the delegation's arrival on Tuesday, while a railway station in the southern city of Kaohsiung displayed a message on its bulletin screen in simplified Chinese the same night, calling Mrs Pelosi "an old witch" whose "visit challenged the motherland's sovereignty".
The next day, several 7-Eleven branches showed messages on digital signboards calling the California representative a "war monger" and demanded she leave Taiwan.
The authorities confirmed that the railway station and convenience stores had been hacked, although the source has not been identified.
On Wednesday morning, protesters and supporters alike waited outside Taiwan's Parliament, the Legislative Yuan, when Mrs Pelosi arrived for her first meeting with local lawmakers.
The crowd dispersed after she headed to the Presidential Office, where the President presented her with Taiwan's highest civilian order, the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon.
China has repeatedly warned of repercussions and announced it would hold live-fire military drills in six maritime areas near Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.
On Tuesday, Ms Tsai called China's reaction "unnecessary".
But by Wednesday, Beijing had retaliated by halting imports of food products by major Taiwanese manufacturers, citrus fruit and fish. It also suspended natural sand exports to the island.
After the announcement, "natural sand exports" took the place of "Nancy Pelosi" as the most searched keyword online.
