Chang Po-ya (; born 5 October 1942) is a Taiwanese politician who is the founder of the

Non-Partisan Solidarity Union The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union is a political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was established on 16 June 2004, led by founding Chairwoman Chang Po-ya and emerged a major player in the national political scene during the 2004 Le ...

, a political party in

Taiwan 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 nort ...

Early life

Born in what is now

Chiayi City Chiayi (, Taiwanese Hokkien, Taigi Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Ka-gī''; ), officially known as Chiayi City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in the plains of southwestern Taiwan. Formerly called ''Kagee'' during the late Qing dynasty and ...

to Hsu Shih-hsien and Chang Chin-tung, both physicians, Chang Po-ya is a

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

educated in

Kaohsiung Medical College The Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU; ) is a private medical school located in Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History The university was originally established as Kaohsiung Medical College in 1954 by the former mayor of Kaohsiung City, C ...

(1968), the Institute of Public Health of

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

(1970),

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

(1974), and

Kyorin University is a private university in the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Its three campuses are in Mitaka and Hachiōji, Tokyo. It was established in 1970. The predecessor of the school, Mitaka Shinkawa Hospital, was founded in 1953 by Shinyu Matsuda. Histo ...

(1994).

Political career

She was the mayor of her home city, serving three terms (1983–89, 1997–2000), the first time succeeding her mother, Hsu; the last time succeeding her sister, . The Chang daughters and mother are known as the Hsü Family of Chiayi (許家班). During her first term, martial law was lifted and she led the creation of

The First 228 Peace Memorial Monument The First 228 Peace Memorial Monument () is a monument in East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. It was built in 1989, making it the earliest 228 Memorial Monument built in the island. It is the only 228 Memorial Monument to have been built befor ...

in Taiwan. She was the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

from June 2, 1990 to September 10, 1997 and led the creation of Taiwan's

national health insurance National health insurance (NHI), sometimes called statutory health insurance (SHI), is a system of health insurance that insures a national population against the costs of health care. It may be administered by the public sector, the private sector ...

system. Under President

Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...

, she was the

Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

from May 20, 2000 to February 1, 2002 and also served as Governor of the

Taiwan Provincial Government The Taiwan Provincial Government was the government that governed Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. Its functions have been transferred to the National Development Council and other ministries of the Executive Yuan. History At the ...

. On 7 December 2002, came in 4th as an independent candidate in the Kaohsiung City mayoral election. From 2014 to 2020, she served as the 5th President and first female President of Taiwan's

Control Yuan The Control Yuan is the supervisory and auditory branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Prior to constitutional reforms in the 1990s, the Control Yuan, along with National Assembly (electoral college) and the Legislative ...

Personal life

She is married to Chi Chan-nan (紀展南) with a son and a daughter.

References

External links

Profile of Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya from Taiwan Panorama (2000)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Po-ya 1942 births Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people National Taiwan University alumni Mayors of Chiayi Female interior ministers Taiwanese Ministers of the Interior Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Chiayi City Members of the Legislative Yuan Chairpersons of the Taiwan Provincial Government Kaohsiung Medical University alumni Women mayors of places in Taiwan Taiwanese Presidents of the Control Yuan Taiwanese Ministers of Health and Welfare Leaders of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Women government ministers of Taiwan Taiwanese women physicians 20th-century women physicians Taiwanese political party founders 21st-century Taiwanese women politicians 20th-century Taiwanese women politicians 21st-century Taiwanese politicians 20th-century Taiwanese politicians Women governors and heads of sub-national entities Taiwanese women founders