Lee Teng-hui

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Lore & Background

Lee Teng-hui was born on 23 January 1923 in the rural farming community of Sanshi Village near Tamsui. He was of Hakka Chinese descent, with his ancestral home in Yongding, Tingzhou. His father, Li Chin-lung, was a policeman who graduated from a Japanese police academy, owned land, and oversaw an irrigation service while working for the colonial Japanese government. His mother came from a local landowning family. As a child, he learned Zen Buddhism, developed an interest in Western classical music, and read Western philosophy—including transcendentalist works, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—in Japanese translations. By 1940, the Kōminka movement led his father to give the family Japanese names; Lee later recalled that until he was 22 years old, he 'always considered himself a Japanese.'

Reader's Guide

Lee Teng-hui's significance lies in his role as the president who completed Taiwan's democratic transition. He oversaw the end of martial law and led reforms to democratize the Republic of China. He was an advocate of the Taiwanese localization movement and sought to establish greater international recognition of the country. After leaving office, he remained active in Taiwanese politics as a major influence on the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), and recruited for the party in the past. After Lee campaigned for TSU candidates in the 2001 Taiwanese legislative election, he was expelled by the Kuomintang. His post-presidency was also marked by efforts to maintain greater relations between Taiwan and Japan.

Did You Know?

• Lee's older brother, Lee Teng-chin, volunteered for the Imperial Japanese Navy and was killed in action in the Philippines; his body is interred at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Japan.
• By 1940, under the Kōminka movement, Lee's father gave the family Japanese names; Lee became Iwasato Masao and later recalled that until he was 22, he 'always considered himself a Japanese.'
• Lee was rejected twice from Taipei's top middle schools because they prioritized Japanese enrollment over Taiwanese students.
• He was one of only four Taiwanese students in his class at Taihoku Higher School, a Japanese-dominated institution.
• Lee earned his doctorate in agricultural economics from Cornell University in 1968, beginning a career as an economics professor.

Colonial Childhood and the Weight of Identity

Born on 23 January 1923 in Sanshi Village near Tamsui, Lee grew up in a Hakka farming community under Japanese colonial rule. His father, Li Chin-lung, was a policeman who graduated from a Japanese police academy, owned land, and oversaw an irrigation service for the colonial government, while his mother came from a local landowning family. His older brother, Lee Teng-chin, volunteered for the Imperial Japanese Navy and was killed in action in the Philippines; his body is interred at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Japan. Lee's schooling was shaped by colonial education: he cycled through four different elementary schools as his father was posted to new precincts, excelling academically yet being rejected twice from Taipei's top middle schools because they prioritized Japanese enrollment. By 1940, under the Kōminka movement, his father gave the family Japanese names—Lee became Iwasato Masao. He later recalled that until he was 22 years old, he 'always considered himself a Japanese.'

A Scholar's Path from Kyoto to Cornell

Lee's academic journey stretched across multiple continents and eras. He attended Kyoto Imperial University and served in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II before graduating from National Taiwan University. He then studied agricultural economics in the United States, earning his doctorate from Cornell University in 1968, beginning a career as an economics professor. His intellectual formation was remarkably broad: as a youth he studied Zen Buddhism, developed an interest in Western classical music, and read Western philosophy—including transcendentalist works, Nietzsche, and Goethe—in Japanese translations. At Taihoku Higher School, one of only four Taiwanese students in his class, he read The Pillow Book, The Tale of Genji, and was especially influenced by The Tale of the Heike; he idolized historian Motoori Norinaga and was deeply influenced by Nitobe Inazō's 1899 Bushido: The Soul of Japan. Despite wanting to pursue history, he chose agricultural economics for better career prospects, and was known as 'an intense, tireless and voracious reader, with wide-ranging interests.'

From Taipei Mayor to Democratic Architect

Lee's political ascent within the Kuomintang was steady and consequential. Appointed Mayor of Taipei in 1978, he became governor of Taiwan Province in 1981 under President Chiang Ching-kuo. When Chiang died in 1988, Lee succeeded him as the fourth president of the Republic of China—a position that made him the first president born in Taiwan, the last to be indirectly elected, and the first to be directly elected. His presidency was defined by sweeping democratic reforms: he oversaw the end of martial law and led reforms to democratize the Republic of China. He championed the Taiwanese localization movement, seeking to establish greater international recognition of the country, and has been credited as the president who completed Taiwan's democratic transition.

Post-Presidency, Expulsion, and Enduring Influence

After stepping down from the presidency, Lee remained a powerful force in Taiwanese politics. He became a major influence on the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), and recruited for the party in the past. After Lee campaigned for TSU candidates in the 2001 Taiwanese legislative election, he was expelled by the Kuomintang. Even after this rupture, he continued to advocate for stronger ties between Taiwan and Japan, a relationship rooted in his own formative years under colonial rule. Lee Teng-hui passed away on 30 July 2020, at the age of ninety-seven.