First Lady of the Republic of China
| First Lady of Republic of China (Taiwan) | |
|---|---|
 | |
Incumbent Position vacant since 20 May 2016 | |
| Inaugural holder | Lu Muzhen (1912) Soong Mei-ling (1949) |
| Formation | 1 January 1912 |
The First Lady of the Republic of China refers to the wife of the President of the Republic of China.[1] Since 1949, the position has been based in Taiwan, where they are often called by the title of First Lady of Taiwan,[1] in addition to First Lady of the Republic of China (ROC).[1]
The position has been vacant since 2016, as incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, the first woman to be elected to the presidency, is unmarried.[2]
First Ladies (before the 1947 Constitution)
| Spouse | Image | President | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lu Muzhen (30 July 1867 – 7 September 1952) |
|
Sun Yat-sen | 1 January 1912 | 10 March 1912 |
| 2 | Yu Yishang (1872-1956) |
|
Yuan Shikai | 10 March 1912 | 6 June 1916 |
| 3 | Oei Hui-lan (2 December 1889 – 1992) |
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|
V. K. Wellington Koo | 1 October 1926 | 16 June 1927 |
| 4 | Soong Mei-ling (March 5, 1897 or 1898 – October 23, 2003) |
|
Chiang Kai-shek | 1 August 1943 | 20 May 1948 |
First Ladies of the Republic of China on Taiwan (after the 1947 Constitution; Taiwan after 1949)
Since 1949, individuals in this position have been known as the First Lady of Taiwan, in addition to the First Lady of the Republic of China.[1]
| No. | Spouse | Image | Tenure | Age at tenure start | President | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Soong Mei-ling 宋美齡 Birth country:  Qing dynasty(5 March 1898 – 23 October 2003) |
|
20 May 1948 – 5 April 1975 |
50 years, 76 days | Chiang Kai-shek m. December 1, 1927 |
Also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek or Madame Chiang[3] |
| 5 | Liu Chi-chun 劉期純 Birth country: Qing dynasty(1908-24 December 1999) |
|
6 April 1975 – 20 May 1978 |
Yen Chia-kan m. December 14, 1924 |
||
| 6 | Chiang Fang-liang 方良 Faina Vakhreva Birth country:  Russia(present day  Belarus)(15 May 1916 – 15 December 2004) |
|
20 May 1978 – 13 January 1988 |
62 years, 5 days | Chiang Ching-kuo m. March 15, 1935 |
Born Faina Epatcheva Vahaleva (蔣方良) in Orsha in the Russian Empire, (present-day Belarus).
[4] She met her husband, Chiang Ching-kuo, (son of Chiang Kai-shek) while both were working at the Ural Heavy Machinery Factory in Sverdlovsk (present-day Yekaterinburg).[4] They moved to China following the Xi'an Incident, where Epatcheva adopted the Chinese names Chiang Fang-liang or Faina Chiang Fang-liang.[4] She and her husband later fled from Chengdu to Taiwan in 1949.[4] She avoided politics during her time as first lady.[1] |
| 7 | Tseng Wen-hui 曾文惠 Birth country: Japanese Taiwan (born 31 March 1926) |
|
13 January 1988 – 20 May 2000 |
61 years, 288 days | Lee Teng-hui m. February 9, 1949 |
Wife of the first democratically-elected President of Taiwan ((ROC).[1] |
| 8 | Wu Shu-chen 吳淑珍 (born 11 July 1953) |
|
20 May 2000 – 20 May 2008 |
46 years, 314 days | Chen Shui-bian m. February 20, 1975 |
Member of the Legislative Yuan from 1987 until 1990. |
| 9 | Christine Chow Ma (Chow Mei-ching) 周美青 Birth country:  Hong Kong(born 30 November 1952) |
|
20 May 2008 – 20 May 2016 |
55 years, 172 days | Ma Ying-jeou m. August 20, 1977 |
Born Chow Mei-ching (周美青) in British Hong Kong on November 30, 1952. Chow headed of the legal department of Mega International Commercial Bank, where she worked as a lawyer for more than 20 years, prior to becoming first lady.[5] |
| – | None | 20 May 2016 – Incumbent |
Vacant | Tsai Ing-wen unmarried |
President Tsai Ing-wen, the first woman to be elected to the presidency and first female head of state in Taiwan's history, is unmarried.[2][6] | |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ko, Shu-ling (2010-05-17). "FEATURE: ROC's first ladies play varying roles". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
- ^ a b Liu, Shan-Jan Sarah (2010-02-10). "Taiwan's first female president easily won reelection. Are Asian women taking note?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ Faison, Seth (2003-10-24). "Madame Chiang, 105, Chinese Leader's Widow, Dies". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2020-03-03. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ a b c d Bowring, Philip (2020-03-20). "BOOK REVIEW: China's Russian Princess". Asia Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
- ^ Ko, Shu-ling (2008-03-30). "Newsmaker: Chow Mei-ching: the career-minded first lady". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ "President Tsai biography". Office of the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Archived from the original on 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2020-07-30.