May Chin

Kao Chin Su-mei (Ciwas Ali)
May Chin in 2007
Member of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Parliament for Highland Aborigines electoral district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2002
Personal details
Born	September 21, 1965 (1965-09-21) Taichung County (now part of Taichung City)
Nationality	Republic of China
Political party	Non-Partisan Solidarity Union
Alma mater	Minzu University of China

Stage named May Chin, Kao Chin Su-mei (Chinese: 高金素梅; pinyin: Gāo Jīn Sùméi; Wade–Giles: kao chin su-mei, Atayal name: Ciwas Ali, in traditional Chinese: 吉娃斯·阿麗), born on September 21, 1965 in Heping Township, Taichung County (now part of Taichung City), Taiwan as Chin Su-mei, to a Han Chinese father and a Taiwanese Aborigine (of the Atayal tribe) mother, is a Taiwanese singer, actress and politician. After having acted since the mid-1980s, she stood for election to be a representative of Taiwanese Aborigines within the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan), hence taking on the Chinese surname of her Taiwanese Aborigine mother and became Kao Chin Su-mei . She was elected into the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in December 2001 and re-elected twice in 2004 and 2008, all in the Highland Aborigines electoral district. She is currently a member of the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union.

Selected filmography

• Wedding Banquet (1993)
• May Jean (1994)
• Woman Soup (1999)

May Chin also published some 10 albums and showed up in various local TV series and commercials since mid-1980s.

Business and political career

Besides acting, in mid-1990s May Chin ran a wedding photography service shop in Taipei. However this shop caught fire in 1996 and the fire claimed six lives. May Chin had to close down this shop and she took up the compensation responsibility. Later, in 1998, May Chin was diagnosed with liver cancer. She recovered after having surgery to remove the diseased tissues in 1999.

Since entering the Legislative Yuan, May Chin has been noted for her outspoken views, traditional Atayal costume and face paint in the shape of traditional Atayal tattoo work reserved for married women. May Chin has also been tightly associated with the pan blue coalition, especially in close cooperation with the People First Party. She is also noted for her anti-Japan and China-friendly standpoints, and even protested in front of the Yasukuni Shrine in an effort to remove the enshrined spirits of Taiwanese Aboriginal soldiers who died fighting for the Japanese army during World War II, as well as sued Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for visiting Yasukuni Shrine.

On 19 August 2009, Ms Chin met with the President of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao [1]. At the meeting, President Hu expressed his deep sorrow and condolences for the typhoon victims in Taiwan to an actor-turned-politician Kao who led a delegation of her fellow ethnic minorities in Taiwan to visit the mainland. Hu added that "People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of one family and Chinese people have a long tradition of lending a hand to those in danger and difficulties."[2].

As a parliament member, Ms. Chin is dedicated to the benefits of Taiwanese Aborigines, hence receiving strong support from her constituents. [3].

Personal life

Her father was Han Chinese and her mother was a member of the Atayal tribe.

References

• May Chin at the Internet Movie Database
• Personal Blog (in Traditional Chinese)
• Washing away vanity, Taiwan's Aborigines