Su Huan-chih

Su Huan-chih
Born	(1956-07-20) July 20, 1956 Cigu, Tainan County, Taiwan
Occupation(s)	Politician, attorney
Years active	1992–present
Known for	Magistrate of Tainan County (2001–2010), member of Legislative Yuan (1992–2001), founder and convenor of Taiwan Renewal Party

Su Huan-chih (; born July 20, 1956) is a Taiwanese political figure who held the position of magistrate for Tainan County from 2001 until the county's integration into Tainan City in 2010. Hailing from a rural district in southern Taiwan, Su earned his LL.B. degree from National Taiwan University, successfully passed the bar examination in 1986, and commenced his professional journey as an attorney.

Beginning his political career during the 1990s, Su secured election to the legislature for three straight terms between 1992 and 2001. Utilizing the knowledge gained from his legislative tenure, he captured the Tainan County magistrate seat in 2001 with a vote share exceeding 51%, becoming only the second individual from the Democratic Progressive Party to assume this role.

Early life and career

Born on July 20, 1956, in Cigu, Tainan County, Su Huan-chih was raised in an agriculturally focused township. Initially enrolling at National Taiwan University to study physics, he shifted his academic focus to law in 1977. After passing the bar examination, Su practiced law and subsequently served as a patent attorney at IBM Taiwan. He resigned from IBM to pursue a legislative seat and was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1992. Across three terms, Su concentrated on issues such as senior citizen welfare, environmental protection, and addressing economic imbalances between northern and southern Taiwan.

Tainan magistracy

Winning election as magistrate of Tainan County in December 2001, Su emphasized environmental conservation, partnering with global ecologists to safeguard the habitat of the black-faced spoonbill. Under his leadership, the local technology sector experienced substantial growth; the valuation of the Tainan Science Park expanded from NT$50.1 billion in 2001 to NT$451.6 billion by 2006. He facilitated the creation of new industrial zones, aiding Tainan’s transition from an agricultural region into a technology-driven economy. Concurrently, Su supported agricultural development through projects such as the Taiwan Orchid Plantation (), which hosted international exhibitions drawing over 600,000 attendees and generating export contracts worth NT$400 million.

Later political career

In March 2018, Su initiated an independent bid for Taipei mayor but withdrew by July to instead seek election as Tainan mayor. In the 2018 Tainan City mayoral race, he garnered 4.11% of votes cast.

On August 24, 2019, Su established the , assuming its leadership role as convenor. He once again ran for Taipei mayor during the 2022 local elections representing this party.

External links

• Taiwan Orchid Plantation