Su Huan-chih (; born July 20, 1956) was the magistrate of
Tainan County
Tainan County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Sinying City.
History
Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () shortly after the end of World War II ...
from 2001 to 2010, until Tainan County's merger into
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 his ...
. Born in a rural township in southern
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 ...
, Su graduated from
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 ...
. He passed the
bar examination
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
in 1986 and started his career as a lawyer.
Su made his entry into politics in the 1990s. He was elected legislator three times in a row serving from 1992 to 2001. As an experienced legislator, Su launched a magisterial campaign in 2001 and was elected with over 51% of the votes, becoming the second member of the
Democratic Progressive Party to ever hold the position.
Early life and career
Su Huan-chih was born on 20 July 1956 in
Cigu,
Tainan County
Tainan County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Sinying City.
History
Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () shortly after the end of World War II ...
. He grew up in the agriculture-based township during his childhood years.
Su began studying at the prestigious
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 ...
majoring in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
. He decided to drop out and switched his major to laws in 1977.
After passing the
bar examination
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
Australia
Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
, Su started his career as a practicing lawyer. With his academic experience in physics, he was hired by
IBM Taiwan to serve as its
patent attorney
A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and op ...
.
Su gave up his job at IBM and went back to his hometown to run for legislator. He was elected a member of the
Legislative Yuan in 1992. He promoted the senior welfare and
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
. Having been elected three times in a row, Su worked to decrease the difference in resource distribution between northern and southern Taiwan.
Tainan magistracy
Su was elected the magistrate of
Tainan County
Tainan County was a county in southern Taiwan between 1945 and 2010. The county seat was in Sinying City.
History
Tainan County was established on 7 January 1946 on the territory of Tainan Prefecture () shortly after the end of World War II ...
and took office on December 20, 2001. He focused on preserving the environment of the region. For example, he worked with international ecologists and planned to build a research center near the habitat of
black-faced spoonbill
The black-faced spoonbill (''Platalea minor'') is a species of wading bird in the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae, found in eastern Asia. This species has the most restricted distribution of the six spoonbill species, and it is the ...
s with a goal to preserve these
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
birds.
The Su administration also improved the technological economy of the region. The
net worth of the
Tainan Science Park
Tainan Science Park () of Taiwan is located in Sinshih, Shanhua and Anding Districts of Tainan City with a total area of , and is a part of the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP).
History
On 1 July 1993, the Executive Yuan approved the es ...
grew from
NT$50.1 billion in 2001 to NT$451.6 billion in 2006. Apart from the growth in profit, many new industrial parks were established. As a result, Tainan County transformed from an agrarian county to a technological county.
Despite the technological innovations, Su also promoted agriculture of southern Taiwan. The Taiwan Orchid Plantation () was founded during his term. The plantation has held three international exhibitions since its establishment. The exhibitions attracted more than 600 thousand visitors gaining NT$400 million from export orders.
Later political career
In March 2018, Su began his independent campaign for the Taipei mayoralty. He ended his Taipei mayoral bid in July, choosing to contest the same office in Tainan.
On 24 August 2019, Su founded the and was elected its convenor. During the
2022 local election cycle, Su contested the Taipei mayoralty.
References
External links
Taiwan Orchid Plantation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Huan-chih
1956 births
Living people
Magistrates of Tainan County
Democratic Progressive Party Members of the Legislative Yuan
Tainan Members of the Legislative Yuan
National Taiwan University alumni
Fu Jen Catholic University alumni
Members of the 2nd Legislative Yuan
Members of the 3rd Legislative Yuan
Members of the 4th Legislative Yuan
IBM employees
21st-century Taiwanese judges
Taiwanese political party founders
20th-century Taiwanese lawyers