Events from the year 2012 in Taiwan,

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. This year is numbered Minguo 101 according to the official Republic of China calendar.

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

–

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

–

Vincent Siew Vincent C. Siew or Siew Wan-chang (; born 3 January 1939) is a Taiwanese politician who served as the Vice President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2012. He was the first Taiwanese-born Premier of the Republic of China and former ...

Wu Den-yih Wu may refer to: States and regions on modern China's territory *Wu (state) (; och, *, italic=yes, links=no), a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period 771–476 BCE ** Suzhou or Wu (), its eponymous capital ** Wu County (), a former county i ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

–

, Sean Chen * Vice Premier – Sean Chen,

Jiang Yi-huah Jiang Yi-huah (; born 18 November 1960) is a Taiwanese politician and former Premier of the Republic of China (ROC). On 29 November 2014, he tendered his resignation and was succeeded by Mao Chi-kuo on 8 December 2014. Prior to his appointment ...

Events

January

* 1 January ** Taipei 101 New Year's Day Fireworks Countdown at

Taipei 101 Taipei 101 (; stylized as TAIPEI 101), formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, is a supertall skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. This building was officially classified as the world's tallest from its opening in 2004 until the 2009 ...

was

television broadcast A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1 ...

TVBS News TVBS News or (TVBS-N) is a Taiwanese pay television channel. Launched in 1995, it is the first 24-hour nationwide news channel in the country. Newscasts Current news sections are named as follows. (All time HKT) * Morning News (Weekdays: 09:00 ...

. ** The renaming of Council for Hakka Affairs to

Hakka Affairs Council The Hakka Affairs Council (HAC; , Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Hak-kâ Vî-yèn-fi) is a cabinet-level unit under the Executive Yuan of the government of Taiwan. Its mission is to revitalize Hakka language and culture, and promoting Hakka cultural research and ...

. * 5 January – The opening of Fu Jen University Station, Touqianzhuang Station and Xinzhuang Station of

Taipei Metro Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), branded as Metro Taipei, is a rapid transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei City, New Taipei in Taiwan, operated by the State-owned enterprise, government-owned Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation ...

Xinzhuang District Xinzhuang District () is a district in the western part of New Taipei in northern Taiwan. It has an area of and a population of 413,443 people (2016). History A former name of the area is ''Pulauan'' (). On 15 January 1980, Xinzhuang was ...

New Taipei New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest s ...

. * 14 January **

2012 Republic of China presidential election Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 14 January 2012. The election was held concurrently with legislative elections. It was the fifth direct election for the President of the Republic of China. Prior to 1996, the President was elected b ...

. **

2012 Republic of China legislative election The 2012 Taiwanese legislative election was held on 16 January 2012 for all 113 seats in the Legislative Yuan. For the first time, legislative elections were held simultaneously with the presidential election. Elected parliamentarians formed the ...

. * 15 January – The officiating ceremony of

Xiaolin Village Memorial Park The Xiaolin Village Memorial Park () is a memorial park in Siaolin Village, Jiasian District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The park commemorates victims of the Typhoon Morakot in 2009. History In the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, Magistrate Yang Chiu-hs ...

Jiasian District Jiasian District, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency () is a District (Taiwan), rural district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Located far from the coast, the township is regarded as a gatewa ...

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

. * 23–25 January – Chinese New Year's Day (

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

year A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

) at

was

February

* 3 February – The opening of

Guo Ziyi Memorial Hall The Guo Ziyi Memorial Hall () or Neihu Red House, formerly known as Neihu Guo Family Estate or Neihu Kuo Family Ancestral Home, is a historical building in Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The building was originally built in 1917 during ...

Neihu District Neihu District is a district of Taipei City, Taiwan. Neihu means "inner lake." The older name originates from the Ketagalan word ''Tayour'' (transliterated by the Dutch as ''Cattajo''), meaning woman's head ornament. Many mountainous roads and ...

, Taipei. * 6 February ** Sean Chen became the

of the Republic of China. **

became the Vice Premier of the Republic of China. * 16 February – The visit of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Guo Jinlong Guo Jinlong (; born July 1947) is a Chinese politician, who served as the Vice Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission on Building Spiritual Civilization, and was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. Between 2008 and 201 ...

to Taiwan for a 6-day visit.

March

* 1 March ** The establishment of

Taiwan International Ports Corporation The Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC; ) is a state-owned shipping company in Taiwan that operates ports in Taiwan. History The company was founded on Thursday 1 March 2012. Organizational structure * Public Affairs Department * Lega ...

. ** The establishment of

Maritime and Port Bureau The Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB; ) is the port authority under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China (Taiwan) responsible for building a quality environment for the maritime industry, reinforce maritime cap ...

April

* 1 April –

Skip Beat! , abbreviated as ''Sukibi'', is a Japanese shōjo manga by Yoshiki Nakamura. It is the story of , a 16-year-old girl who discovers that her childhood friend and romantic goal, Shotaro Fuwa, only keeps her around to act as a maid and to ea ...

was closing telecast aired on

Formosa Television Formosa Television () is a television station based in New Taipei, Taiwan. Established on March 27, 1996, FTV began broadcasting on June 11, 1997. Formosa Television is also the first free-to-air television station which was established witho ...

. * 23–29 April

2012 OEC Kaohsiung The 2012 OEC Kaohsiung was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan between 23 and 29 April 2012. Singl ...

* 25–26 April – 2012 Democratic Progressive Party presidential primary.

May

* 7 May – The visit of

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

Governor Wang Guosheng to Taiwan for an 8-day visit. * 12 May – The opening of Miaoli Hakka Cultural Park in

Miaoli County Miaoli County (Mandarin Pinyin: ''miáo lì xiàn''; Hakka PFS: ''Mèu-li̍t-yen''; Hokkien POJ: ''Biâu-le̍k-koān'' or ''Miâu-le̍k-koān'') is a county in western Taiwan. Miaoli is adjacent with Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City to the nort ...

. * 13 May – The opening of

Macau Economic and Cultural Office The Macau Economic and Cultural Office (; pt, Delegação Económica e Cultural de Macau) is the representative office of Macau in the Republic of China. Its counterpart body in Macau is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau. The of ...

in Xinyi District,

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the Capital city, capital and a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Regions of Taiwan, Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of t ...

. * 15 May – The inauguration of

Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office The Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (HKETCO; ) is the representative office of Hong Kong in the Republic of China. Its counterpart body in Hong Kong is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong. The office is located a ...

in Taipei City. * 20 May **

inaugurated as the

President of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, now often referred to as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (ROC), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The position once had aut ...

for the second term. **

inaugurated as the

of the Republic of China. ** The

Aviation Safety Council The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB, ) is an independent government agency of the Republic of China responsible for major transportation accidents on aviation, railways, waterways, and highways in Taiwan. The council is headquartered in ...

became an independent body from the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

. ** The establishment of

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) *Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

from the former Council for Cultural Affairs. ** The disestablishment of

Government Information Office The Government Information Office, Executive Yuan (GIO; ) was a cabinet-level agency of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan (the Republic of China) in charge of promoting government policies and regulating domestic media. History In April 1947, the R ...

. * 22 May – The establishment of

Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development The Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID; ) is the bureau of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China responsible for supervising and promoting film, broadcasting, television and popular music sectors of Taiwan. ...

of the Ministry of Culture.

June

* 27 June – The opening of the first Taiwanese branch of

Bank of China The Bank of China (BOC; ) is a Chinese majority state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing and the fourth largest bank in the world. The Bank of China was founded in 1912 by the Republican government as China's central bank, repl ...

located in Taipei City. * 30 June at 12:00 Taiwan Time - The

digital switchover The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...

in Taiwan is completed, and

analogue television Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, phase and frequency of an analog s ...

ended operation.

July

* 7 July – Referendum for casinos establishment in

Lienchiang County The Matsu Islands ( or , ; Foochow Romanized: Mā-cū liĕk-dō̤), officially Lienchiang County (, ; Foochow Romanized: Lièng-gŏng-gâing), are an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea governed by the Republic of China ( ...

which 56% voters voted in favor.

August

* 5 August – The ''East China Sea Peace Initiative'' proposed by President

. * 11 August – The opening of

Yeh Shih-tao Literature Memorial Hall The Yeh-Shyr-Tau Literary Memorial Museum () is a memorial hall dedicated to Yeh Shih-tao in West Central District, Tainan, Taiwan. History The building where the memorial hall is housed today used to be the Tainan Forestry Affairs Office. In 2 ...

West Central District West Central District () is a District (Taiwan), district located in the center of Tainan City, Taiwan. It is home to 76,983 people. History The district was founded on 1 January 2004, which merged with West District and Central District.. ...

Tainan City Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of hist ...

. * 24–28 August –

The Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) is a student-led not-for-profit organization associated with the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences. HPAIR currently holds two annual conferences that bring to ...

Asia Conference in Taipei.

September

* 1 September – The establishment of

Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs The Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA; ) is the agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China. History IDIA was originally established in January 1969 as Foreign Service Training Institute and renamed ...

of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. * 10 September – The establishment of Taoyuan American School in Luzhu Township,

Taoyuan County Taoyuan County () is under the administration of Changde, Hunan, Hunan Province, China. The Yuan River, a tributary of the Yangtze, flows through Taoyuan. It covers an area of 4441 square kilometers, of which is arable land. It is from Zhangji ...

. * 28 September – The opening of Beihu Station in Hukou Township,

Hsinchu County Hsinchu County (Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a county in north-western Taiwan. The population of the county is mainly Hakka; with a Taiwanese aboriginal minority in the southeastern part of the county. Zhubei is the county capital, where ...

November

* 21 November – The establishment of China Affairs Committee of the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...

. * 28 November – The closing of Baoshan Station of

Taiwan Railways Administration Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) is a railway operator in Taiwan. It is an agency of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, responsible for managing, maintaining, and running conventional passenger and freight railway services ...

Taoyuan City Taoyuan () is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) located in northwestern Taiwan, neighboring New Taipei City to the north-east, Yilan County, Taiwan, Yilan County to the south-e ...

December

* 19 December – The establishment of

Labor Union of National Taiwan University The Labor Union of National Taiwan University (LUNTU; ), proposed by full-time research assistants, contract staffs, and school-time workers, was a labor union that organized the workers at the National Taiwan University. And on 9 December 2012, ...

. * 24 December – The opening of

Taiwan Stock Museum The Taiwan Stock Museum () is a museum in Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The museum was planned and created by the Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corporation. It was opened on 24 December 2012 in a ceremony officiated by Financial ...

in Songshan District, Taipei. * 28 December – The discontinuation of

Linkou Line The Linkou Line () was a railway branch line in Taiwan operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration. It was located in Taoyuan County and New Taipei City. The Linkou line was suspended for operation in December 2012. History The railroad was ori ...

Deaths

* 3 January –

Fong Fei-fei Fong Fei-Fei (), born Lim Chiu-Luan (; 20 August 1953 – 3 January 2012), was a Taiwanese singer, host and actress. As one of the biggest pop singers in Taiwan, she was known for her melodic love songs, unique personal stage style and broad voca ...

, 58, Taiwanese singer, lung cancer. * 25 February – , 86, Taiwanese essayist and engineer. * 1 April –

Chang Mei-yao Chang Fu-chi (; 1 January 1941 – 1 April 2012), known by the stage name Chang Mei-yao (), was a Taiwanese actress. Chang Fu-chi was born in 1941 in what later became Puli, Nantou County to a family of Taiwanese aboriginal descent. She assum ...

, 71, Taiwanese actress. * 15 June – Ming Ji, 89, Taiwanese film director, organ failure. * 20 June – Liao Fu-pen, 74, Taiwanese politician,

MLY A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

(1984–2002), multiple organ failure. * 14 July – Wen Hsing-tsun, 86, Taiwanese politician,

(1987–1990), pancreatic cancer. * 20 July – , 30, Taiwanese actor. * 22 August –

Paul Shan Kuo-hsi Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, S.J. (; 3 December 1924 – 22 August 2012) was a cardinal in the Catholic Church. He was at times the bishop of Hualien and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and the chairman of Fu Jen Catholic University. Biography Kuo-hsi was born i ...

, 87, Taiwanese Roman Catholic cardinal. * 23 August –

Paul Ch'eng Shih-kuang Paul Ch'eng Shih-kuang (; 15 September 1915 – 23 August 2012) was a Taiwanese prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Shih-kuang was born in Hsiao-Yi, Taiwan in the fall of 1915 and was ordained a priest 29 June 1943. Shih-kuang was appointed ...

, 96, Taiwanese Roman Catholic bishop. * 13 September – , 69, Taiwanese entertainer, lung cancer and multiple organ failure. * 7 December – Chen Wen-yu, 88, Taiwanese horticulturalist. * 26 December ** Chu Ting-shun, 84, Taiwanese musician. ** , 79, Taiwanese essayist and literary critic. * 31 December – Yang Teng-kuei, 74, Taiwanese film producer, stroke.

References

{{Asia topic, 2012 in Years of the 21st century in Taiwan