30-Second Overview: In 1979, Lu Hsiu-lien was sentenced to 12 years in prison due to the Formosa Incident; in 200/0, she became the first female Vice President in the Chinese-speaking world. This pioneer of Taiwan's women's rights movement took 20 years to journey from prison to the Presidential Office, witnessing Taiwan's complete transition from authoritarianism to democracy.
How did a felon sentenced to 12 years become Vice President?
The night of December 10, 1979, in the streets of Kaohsiung. Lu Hsiu-lien, Vice President of Formosa (《美麗島》) magazine, delivered a 20-minute speech at a human rights rally. Into the microphone, she declared: "Taiwanese people have never had the chance to shout our courage with such great voices as we do today." Three days later, she was arrested.
The military court verdict stated: "Lu Hsiu-lien intended to overthrow the government through illegal means," sentencing her to 12 years in prison.
Twenty-one years later, on May 20, 2000, the same Lu Hsiu-lien took the oath of office at the Presidential Office as Vice President, becoming the first female head of state in the Chinese-speaking world.
This was not merely a reversal of personal fortune, but a microcosm of Taiwan's democratization process.
The Awakening of the 1970s: New Feminism Shocks Society
In 1971, Lu Hsiu-lent returned to Taiwan after earning a Master of Laws in Comparative Law from the University of Illinois in the United States. That year, female university students in Taiwan accounted for one-third of the student body; voices emerged calling for "reserved quotas for men," fearing that men would have no universities left to attend.
Upon her return to serve on the Legal Affairs Committee of the Executive Yuan, Lu reacted fiercely to such rhetoric. She delivered a speech titled The Patriarchy Should End, proposing a "New Feminism" that shocked the era: "Be a human being first, then be a man or a woman," and "Holding a spatula in the left hand, and a pen in the right."
In 1974, she published New Feminism (《新女性主義》), the first feminist book written by a local author in the post-war era. In it, she proposed the slogan "Humanity first, womanhood second," which sparked massive controversy in a traditional society. At that time, female roles in Taiwan were still defined as "virtuous wife and good mother"; Lu's assertions acted like a shock grenade.
In 1976, she established the "Protect You" (保護妳) hotline and founded Pioneers Publishing (拓荒者出版社). These pioneering actions laid the foundation for the women's rights movement in Taiwan, earning her the title of the starting point of Taiwan's second-wave feminism.
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Lu Hsiu-lien emphasized that what she advocated was a "movement for female talent" (女才運動) rather than a "women's rights movement," viewing it as a "local homegrown product" rather than a Western import. She hoped Taiwanese women would develop their own talents, rather than merely fighting for power.
The Formosa Incident: From Feminist Fighter to Democratic Martyr
At the end of 1978, Lu Hsiu-lien abandoned the opportunity to pursue a PhD at Harvard University to return to Taiwan and engage in politics. With the severance of diplomatic ties between China and the U.S. imminent, she realized Taiwan was facing major shifts and decided to expand her scope from the women's movement to the democratic movement.
She joined the opposition magazine Formosa (《美麗島》) as Vice President. On December 10, 1979, World Human Rights Day, the Formosa magazine office held a rally in Kaohsiung to call for democracy and freedom. Lu spoke at the scene:
"Dear compatriots, conscientious Taiwanese compatriots... today is a great day. I hope everyone uses the most enthusiastic applause to save our very existence."
This speech became the turning point of her life. After the outbreak of the Formosa Incident, Lu Hsiu-lien was arrested alongside other democratic leaders such as Shih Ming-te, Lin Yi-chu, and Chen Chu. During the military trial, she was sentenced to 12 years in prison, serving an actual term of 5 years and 8 months.
During her years of imprisonment in the Jingmei and Tucheng detention centers, Lu Hsiu-lien was not broken. She read and reflected in prison; she even wrote a novel, These Three Women (《這三個女人》), on toilet paper, using a washbasin as a desk to evade the surveillance of prison guards.
📝 Curator's Note
The fates of the "Formosa Eight" varied after their release: except for Lin Hung-hsuan, the other seven served as Chairpersons or Acting Chairpersons of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Lu Hsiu-lien was the only one among them to become Vice President, and the only woman.
Return to Politics: From County Magistrate to Vice President
In 1985, Lu Hsiu-lien was released early from prison due to a special amnesty granted by Chiang Ching-kuo. Upon her return, she continued to promote the democratic movement and became a founding elder of the DPP in 1986.
In 1992, she was elected to the Legislative Yuan, focusing her political inquiries on foreign affairs. In 1996, following the assassination of the family of Taoyuan County Magistrate Liu Pang-yu, the DPP mobilized Lu Hsiu-lien to run in the by-election for County Magistrate.
In March 1997, Lu Hsiu-lien was elected Taoyuan County Magistrate with a 55.31% vote share, becoming Taiwan's first popularly elected female county magistrate. During her term, she promoted policies such as "Creating a Golden Coast" and "Developing Taoyuan Silicon Valley," and actively pushed for environmental protection, earning her the title of Taiwan's "Godmother of Environmentalism."
In 2000, Chen Shui-bian invited Lu Hsiu-lien to run as his running mate for the presidency. This pairing was highly symbolic—both had been imprisoned because of the Formosa Incident, and now they were challenging the Kuomintang's 50-year rule.
The results on March 18: The "Chen-Lu ticket" won with a 39.30% vote share. Lu Hsiu-lien made history by becoming the first female Vice President in the Chinese-speaking world.
Eight Years as Vice President: Soft Diplomacy and Human Rights
During her term as Vice President from 2000 to 2008, Lu Hsiu-lien promoted "soft diplomacy," visiting friendly nations on multiple occasions. She served as the convener of the Presidential Office's Human Rights Advisory Group and pushed for the legislation of the Gender Equity Education Act, a major milestone for gender equality in Taiwan.
In 2001, she received the "World Peace Prize." Although this award sparked controversy in Taiwan, it was internationally recognized as an acknowledgment of her democratic struggle from prison to the pinnacle of power.
On March 19, 2004, one day before the election, Lu Hsiu-lien was shot in Tainan; a bullet struck her right knee, and Chen Shui-bian was also shot in the abdomen. The "319 Shooting Incident" remains controversial to this day, but the Chen-Lu ticket successfully won re-election the following day with a razor-thin margin of 0.228%.
⚠️ Controversial Perspectives
During her tenure, Lu Hsiu-lien made several controversial remarks, including comments regarding "AIDS as divine retribution" and "Indigenous people are not Taiwan's indigenous people," which drew social criticism. Her blunt personality earned her both steadfast supporters and fierce critics.
Environmental Philosophy: A Pioneer for Taiwan
Beyond her political achievements, Lu Hsiu-lien was a significant driver of the environmental movement in Taiwan. She recognized early on the balance between economic development and environmental protection, promoting waste sorting and river restoration during her time as Taoyuan County Magistrate.
She advocated for the concept of "sustainable development," promoting simple living and opposing excessive consumption. These environmental ideas were not widely accepted in the 1990s, but they have since become a social consensus.
Her "waste-free" (垃圾不落地) policy changed the environmental habits of Taiwanese people, an influence that persists to this day.
Political Legacy and Controversy
Lu Hsiu-lien's political career has been fraught with controversy. She participated in several DPP presidential primaries without success, and in 2018, she announced her "spiritual departure from the party," criticizing the DPP of the Tsai Ing-wen era as being different from the party of her youth.
She proposed the "96 Consensus" (九六共識), asserting that Taiwan has been a sovereign, independent nation since the direct presidential elections in 1996, using this to counter the KMT's "1992 Consensus." In her later years, she advocated for Taiwan's "peaceful neutrality," believing Taiwan should not take sides between China and the U.S.
Her blunt character and clear stances earned her both respect and criticism in politics. Apple Daily once commented: "Her academic and professional background is unparalleled among the DPP's 'Four Great Heavens,' but her personality and emotions are often difficult to praise... yet her frankness and courage to speak are precious in the deceitful world of politics."
📊 Data Source
Lu Hsiu-lien's political career: 1 term as Legislator (1993–1996), 2 terms as Taoyuan County Magistrate (1997–2000), 2 terms as Vice President (2000–2008); she is the only Vice President in Taiwan to have been re-elected since the lifting of martial law.
Historical Position: The Significance of a Trailblazer
Looking back at Lu Hsiu-lien's life, she is a microcosm of Taiwan's social transformation. In the 1970s, she drove the awakening of women's rights; in the 1980s, she threw herself into the democratic movement; in the 1990s, she participated in partisan politics; and in the 2000s, she ascended to the heights of power.
She paved the way for women's political participation in Taiwan. Following her, prominent female politicians such as Tsai Ing-wen emerged, and the proportion of women participating in politics in Taiwan ranks among the highest in Asia.
Her story tells us: social progress requires people who dare to challenge the status quo. From being sentenced for "insurrection" to becoming Vice President, she used 20 years to prove one belief—that the seeds of democracy will always sprout, and the high walls of autocracy will eventually fall.
As she wrote while in prison: "We do not fight for hate, but for love." This love is for freedom, for the land, and for the future.
This is not just a personal victory for Lu Hsiu-lien, but a victory for Taiwan's democracy.
References
- Lu Hsiu-lien - Wikipedia
- Annette Lu - Wikipedia
- 40th Anniversary of the Formosa Incident: Witnesses and former Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien lament the regression of Taiwan's democracy - BBC News Chinese
- Taiwanese Feminist Movement - Wikipedia
- Lu Hsiu-lien - National Human Rights Archives
- New Feminism - Books.com.tw