First Lady of the Republic of China

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First Lady of Republic of China (Taiwan)
Flag of Taiwan.svg
Incumbent
Position vacant
since 20 May 2016
Inaugural holderLu Muzhen (1912)
Soong Mei-ling (1949)
Formation1 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)
 Lumuzhenp.JPG Sun Yat-sen 1 January 1912 10 March 1912
2
(1872-1956)
 Yushi.jpg Yuan Shikai 10 March 1912 6 June 1916
3 Oei Hui-lan
(2 December 1889 – 1992)
 Madame Wellington Koo (née Hui-lan Oei) with baby.jpg V. K. Wellington Koo 1 October 1926 16 June 1927
4 Soong Mei-ling
(March 5, 1897 or 1898 – October 23, 2003)
 Soong May-ling giving a special radio broadcast.jpg Chiang Kai-shek 1 August 1943 20 May 1948

First Ladies of the Republic of China (after the 1947 Constitution; based in 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)
 Soong May-ling giving a special radio broadcast.jpg 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)
 Liu Chi-chun portrait.png 6 April 1975
–
20 May 1978 		Yen Chia-kan
m. December 14, 1924
6 Chiang Fang-liang
蔣方良
Faina Vakhreva
Birth country:  Russia
(present day  Belarus)
(15 May 1916 – 15 December 2004)
 Faina Chiang.jpg 20 May 1978
–
13 January 1988 		62 years, 5 days Chiang Ching-kuo
m. March 15, 1935 		Born Faina Epatcheva Vahaleva 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)
 Tseng Wen-hui 2016.jpg 13 January 1988
–
20 May 2000 		61 years, 288 days Lee Teng-hui
m. February 9, 1949 		Wife of the first popularly elected president.[1]
8 Wu Shu-chen
吳淑珍
(born 11 July 1953)
 2008TaiwanLegislativeElection Shu-chen Wu.jpg 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)
 Christine Chow Ma.jpg 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]
10 None 20 May 2016
–
Incumbent 		Vacant Tsai Ing-wen
unmarried 		President Tsai Ing-wen, the first female head of state in the Republic's history, is unmarried.[2][6]

Longevity[]

Rank First Lady Born Died Age
1 Soong Mei-ling March 5, 1898 October 23, 2003 105 years, 232 days
2 Oei Hui-lan 2 December 1889 1992 102 years, 364 days to 103 years, 29 days
3 Tseng Wen-hui 31 Mar 1926 Alive 95 years, 313 days
4 Liu Chi-chun 1908 24 December 1999 90 years, 358 days to 91 years, 327 days
5 Chiang Fang-liang 15 May 1916 15 Dec 2004 88 years, 214 days
6 Lu Muzhen
 30 July 1867 7 September 1952 85 years, 39 days
7 1872 1956 84 years, 334 days to 84 years, 365 days
8 Christine Chow Ma 30 Nov 1952 Alive 69 years, 69 days
9 Wu Shu-chen 11 Jul 1953 Alive 68 years, 211 days

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "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.
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