Chen Ding-nan
Encyclopedia
Chen Ding-Nan was a Taiwan
ese politician.
in Law from the National Taiwan University
in 1966. After graduation Chen ran various business in Yilan. After the Kaohsiung incident
, Chen became active in politics as he started to participate in the tangwai
movement.
Chen was elected as the Magistrate
of Yilan County in 1981 and became the first non-Kuomintang
Yilan County Magistrate. During his term Chen accumulated accolades for his fine administration and was re-elected again in 1985.
After his second term ended Chen ran for a seat in the Legislative Yuan
in the Yilan County electoral district and successfully won for 4 consecutive times (1989, 1992, 1995 and 1998) until appointed as the Minister of Justice on May 20, 2000 by then just-elected President Chen Shui-bian
.
Meantime, he also ran unsuccessfully for the Governor of Taiwan Province
in 1994 and was defeated by James Soong
. Originally an independent, Chen joined the Democratic Progressive Party
in 1993 and stayed with the party until his death.
He served as Minister of Justice in the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) administration from 2000 until January 31, 2005. In late 2005 he campaigned for the Yilan County magistrate again but was defeated by the Kuomintang
's Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華).
on November 5, 2006, aged 63.
Chen was known as Mr. Clean
(陳青天) as he fought against corruption and established the Black Gold
Investigation Center. The Chen Ding-nan Foundation, established to commemorate Chen, proposes to build a memorial hall for him in his hometown Yilan. About 150,000 New Taiwan dollar
s were raised for the memorial hall. Frank Hsieh
, the ROC presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party
, also donated 20,000 NTD.
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Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese politician.
Entry into politics
As a Yilan County native, Chen received a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Law from the National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
in 1966. After graduation Chen ran various business in Yilan. After the Kaohsiung incident
Kaohsiung Incident
The Kaohsiung Incident also known as the Formosa Incident, the Meilidao Incident or the Formosa Magazine incident was the result of pro-democracy demonstrations that occurred in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on December 10, 1979....
, Chen became active in politics as he started to participate in the tangwai
Tangwai
The Tangwai movement was a political movement in the Republic of China in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Although the Kuomintang had allowed contested elections for a small number of seats in Legislative Yuan, opposition parties were still forbidden...
movement.
Chen was elected as the Magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
of Yilan County in 1981 and became the first non-Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Yilan County Magistrate. During his term Chen accumulated accolades for his fine administration and was re-elected again in 1985.
After his second term ended Chen ran for a seat in the Legislative Yuan
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
in the Yilan County electoral district and successfully won for 4 consecutive times (1989, 1992, 1995 and 1998) until appointed as the Minister of Justice on May 20, 2000 by then just-elected President Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian is a former Taiwanese politician who was the 10th and 11th-term President of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party has traditionally been supportive of Taiwan independence, ended more than fifty years of Kuomintang rule in Taiwan...
.
Meantime, he also ran unsuccessfully for the Governor of Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province
Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and is controlled by the Republic of China . The province covers approximately 73% of the territory controlled by the Republic of China...
in 1994 and was defeated by James Soong
James Soong
James Soong Chu-yu , is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan. He founded and chairs the People First Party, a smaller and more conservative party in the Kuomintang -led Pan-Blue Coalition....
. Originally an independent, Chen joined the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
in 1993 and stayed with the party until his death.
He served as Minister of Justice in the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
(DPP) administration from 2000 until January 31, 2005. In late 2005 he campaigned for the Yilan County magistrate again but was defeated by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
's Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華).
Death and legacy
Since April 2006, Chen's health condition worsened and was frequently hospitalized for advanced lung cancer. He died in the National Taiwan University HospitalNational Taiwan University Hospital
National Taiwan University Hospital started operations under Japanese rule in Dadaocheng on June 18, 1895, and moved to its present location in 1898. The Hospital was later annexed to the Medical School of Taipei Imperial University and renamed Taipei Imperial University Medical School Affiliated...
on November 5, 2006, aged 63.
Chen was known as Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean
Mr. Clean is a brand name fully owned by Procter & Gamble. It is used for a cleaning solution and related products, and as "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser", for a melamine foam cleaner.-History:...
(陳青天) as he fought against corruption and established the Black Gold
Black gold (politics)
Black gold is a term used in the Republic of China to refer to political corruption. The term refers to the obtaining of money through a dark, secretive, and corrupt method ....
Investigation Center. The Chen Ding-nan Foundation, established to commemorate Chen, proposes to build a memorial hall for him in his hometown Yilan. About 150,000 New Taiwan dollar
New Taiwan dollar
The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar...
s were raised for the memorial hall. Frank Hsieh
Frank Hsieh
Frank Hsieh Chang-ting is a Taiwanese politician of the Democratic Progressive Party in the Republic of China. He was the mayor of Kaohsiung City until his appointment as President of the Executive Yuan by president Chen Shui-bian on February 1, 2005. He announced his resignation from the post of...
, the ROC presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party
Democratic Progressive Party
The Democratic Progressive Party is a political party in Taiwan, and the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition. Founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan. It has traditionally been associated with strong advocacy of human rights and a distinct Taiwanese identity,...
, also donated 20,000 NTD.
External links
- Chen Ding-nan at China TimesChina TimesThe China Times is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. It is one of the four biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other three being the Liberty Times, United Daily News, and Apple Daily ....
. - Chen Ding-nan at Yahoo! Kimo Blog.
- Taiwan News report.
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