Tsai Chen-chou

Tsai Chen-chou
Born	(1946-09-13) 13 September 1946 Taiwan
Died	14 May 1987(1987-05-14) (aged 40)
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1979–1985
Known for	Leadership of Cathay Plastics Group; member of Legislative Yuan; involvement in 1985 financial scandal

Tsai Chen-chou (; born 13 September 1946 – died 14 May 1987) was a prominent Taiwanese entrepreneur and political figure.

Life and career

As the second son in the affluent Tsai family based in Miaoli, he was part of a notable lineage that included siblings such as Tsai Chen-nan, , and .

Following the division of the family’s assets in 1979, Tsai assumed leadership of the Cathay Plastics Group. Additionally, he managed the Tenth Credit Cooperative, an institution previously owned by his uncle Tsai Wan-lin. In December 1983, Tsai secured election to the Legislative Yuan representing Taipei under the Kuomintang banner. During his tenure, he co-established the Thirteen Brotherhood Club alongside other lawmakers including Wang Jin-pyng. This faction sought reforms to the Banking Law to permit investment trust companies to transition into banks.

The year 1985 marked a major financial controversy triggered by bank runs targeting both the Tenth Credit Cooperative and Cathay Investment and Trust Company. Tsai was subsequently detained on fraud charges, which led to the disbanding of the Thirteen Brotherhood Club. Investigations uncovered that he had obtained loans fraudulently using others’ identities, shifted deposits from the Tenth Cooperative to Cathay Plastics Group, and failed to pay employee salaries. Despite his affiliation with the Kuomintang, the Legislative Yuan revoked his legislative immunity to allow for his arrest. In March 1985, Thunder magazine revealed allegations that Tsai had bribed party officials to secure his nomination for legislature. He received a fifteen-year prison sentence for fraud in April 1985. Although his offenses could have warranted up to 1,582 years of imprisonment, this maximum was not imposed. The case attracted significant coverage from tangwai media outlets, prompting censorship attempts by Kuomintang authorities. During this period, his uncle Tsai Wan-lin provided a one-time loan of $7.5 million but refrained from further financial assistance. Tsai passed away in incarceration due to liver disease in 1987. Following the apprehension of David Chou in 2003, the Taipei Times highlighted that only Tsai and Huang Hsin-chieh had been imprisoned while serving as legislators during Taiwan’s authoritarian Kuomintang era.