Ma Ho-ling (; 9 November 1920 – 1 November 2005) was a high official of

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

and the

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 ...

. He was the father of

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 ...

, the former

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 ...

Biography

Ma was born in

Xiangtan Xiangtan () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hunan province, south-central China. The hometowns of several founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Liu Shaoqi, and Marshal Peng Dehuai, ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

in 1920. He graduated from Central Political School in

Nanking Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

(the predecessor of

National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei. The university is also considered as the earliest public service training facility of the Republic of China. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subs ...

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 ...

). While he lived in Hong Kong, he started an open-air

Cha chaan teng ''Cha chaan teng'' (; "tea restaurant"), often called a Hong Kong-style cafe or diner in English, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Cha chaan teng are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong. Due to the w ...

Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park was an amusement park on the west shore of Lai Chi Kok Bay in Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong. It was once the largest amusement park in Hong Kong, and attracted people from all walks of life in the territory. History Operat ...

. At that time, he then used three hundred dollars to hire his future wife, Qin Houxiu. He married Qin Houxiu (1922-2013) in 1943 and then came to Taiwan in 1948. The couple had four daughters and one son. The fourth child and the only son is

. Ma was a Director at Youth Supervision Committee of 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. ...

and Vice Chairman of Performance Committee of Kuomintang. Ma Ho-ling had a strong influence on his son Ma Ying-jeou. In an interview in 2004, he said that he wanted his son to run for president. But in 2005, he strongly opposed his son to run for Kuomintang's Chairmanship and even threatened to commit suicide if Ma Ying-jeou would not give up his candidacy. Ma Ho-ling died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in 2005. The inscription upon his

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

said: "Fade independence into gradual unification, wholly revitalize china; assist the strong and lift the weak, work together towards utopia." When this inscription was disclosed, 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 ...

took advantage of it as evidence that Ma Ying-jeou did not love Taiwan. During the

2008 presidential elections This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto list of sovereign states, sovereign states and their list of dependent territories, dependent territories. Referendums are included ...

Chuang Kuo-jung Chuang Kuo-jung (; born 1960) is a former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. He served under Minister Tu Cheng-sheng. Early life Chuang earned his bachelor's and master's degree from the National Taiwan University a ...

, an official of the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

, accused Ma Ho-ling of having affairs with various women. After arousing public anger, Chuang apologized and stepped down from his post.KMT lawmaker claims ghost writer wrote Chuang's apology
''

The China Post ''The China Post'' () was an English-language newspapers published in Taiwan (officially the Republic of China), alongside the ''Taipei Times'' and the ''Taiwan News''. ''The China Post'' was established by Mr. and Mrs. Y. P. Huang in 1952. In ...

'', March 19, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Ho-ling 1920 births 2005 deaths Politicians from Xiangtan Politicians of Taiwan Republic of China politicians from Hunan Taiwanese people from Hunan