Kao Chin Su-mei

Kao Chin Su-mei
MLY

at a March 2008 protest
Member of the Legislative Yuan
Assumed office
1 February 2002
Constituency Highland Aborigines
Personal details
Born 21 September 1965 (1965-09-21) (age 51)
Heping, Taichung County
Nationality  Republic of China
Political party Non-Partisan Solidarity Union
Alma mater Minzu University of China
Kao Chin Su-mei
Chinese 高金素梅
Ciwas Ali
Traditional Chinese 吉娃斯·阿麗
Simplified Chinese 吉娃斯·阿丽
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Kao Chin (or Chin).

Kao Chin Su-mei (born September 21, 1965), also known as Chin Su-mei and May Chin, is a Taiwanese politician and retired actress and singer. She is of Manchu and Atayal descent, and her Atayal name is Ciwas Ali.

In the 1980s and 1990s, she starred in many popular TV series and films including Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet (1993). She also released several Mandopop albums. She retired from showbiz in 1999 following her diagnosis of liver cancer which she recovered from.

Chin was elected into the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in December 2001, and re-elected in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, all in the Highland Aborigines electoral district. Representing the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, she is currently the only party member in the Legislative Yuan, and a strong advocate of aboriginal rights. She is also associated with the Pan-Blue Coalition and harbors pro-Chinese unification and anti-Japan views.

Early life

Chin Su-mei was born in Heping Township, Taichung County (now part of Taichung City). Her father was an ethnic Manchu from mainland China, and her mother was a Taiwanese Aborigine of the Atayal tribe. In the mid-1980s, she stood for election to be a representative of Taiwanese Aborigines within the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan), during which she took on the Chinese surname of her Taiwanese Aborigine mother, hence becoming Kao Chin Su-mei. Her Ayatal name is Ciwas Ali and May Chin remains her stage name.

Filmography

Films

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
1987May Jane梅珍May Jane
1988Hero of Tomorrow江湖接班人Yeung Lai-ling
Human, Sentiment, Law情與法
1993The Wedding Banquet喜宴Gu Weiwei
Magic Sword將邪神劍Mo Ye
1999Woman Soup女湯Faye

Television

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
1987Porters挑伕Yu'er
1989Endless Love不了情Zeng Jiayu
1990Wan-chun婉君Yanhong
Three Flowers三朵花Zhang Nianchen
Love愛Ding Yuenü
1992Fate緣sequel of Love
1993Terracotta Warriors秦俑Fan Dong'er
1999The Mute and the Bride啞巴與新娘Xu Huimeionly first few episodes due to cancer diagnosis

Chin also published at least 8 Mandopop albums and showed up in various local commercials. Besides acting, in mid-1990s May Chin ran a wedding photography service shop in Taipei. However this shop burned down in 1996 and the fire claimed six lives.

Political career

Since entering the Legislative Yuan after elected in the 2001 Republic of China legislative election, Chin has been noted for her outspoken views, traditional Atayal costume and face paint in the shape of traditional Atayal tattoo work reserved for married women. Chin has also been tightly associated with the Pan-Blue Coalition, especially in close cooperation with the People First Party. She is also noted for her anti-Japan and China-friendly standpoints, and even protested in front of the Yasukuni Shrine in an effort to remove the enshrined spirits of Taiwanese Aboriginal soldiers who died fighting for the Japanese army during World War II, as well as sued Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for visiting Yasukuni Shrine. (These events were retold in the 2007 documentary film Yasukuni.)

She was elected again as the member of Legislative Yuan after the 2008 Republic of China legislative election held on 12 January 2008.

On 19 August 2009, Chin met with the President of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao.[1] At the meeting, President Hu expressed his deep sorrow and condolences for the typhoon victims in Taiwan to an actor-turned-politician Kao who led a delegation of her fellow ethnic minorities in Taiwan to visit the mainland. Hu added that "People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of one family and Chinese people have a long tradition of lending a hand to those in danger and difficulties."[2]

As a parliament member, Chin is dedicated to the benefits of Taiwanese Aborigines, hence receiving strong support from her constituents. [3]

Electoral history

No. Candidate Party Votes Ratio Elected
2001 (5th)
1Kao Chin Su-meiIndependent8,90910.42%Yes
2Lee Wen-lai (李文來) People First Party8,2599.66%
3Ho Hsin-chun (何信軍) Kuomintang8,5309.97%
4Yu Meng-tyieh (余夢蝶) Democratic Progressive Party5,1326.00%
5Yisao Ludao (伊掃·魯刀)Independent7900.92%
6Chuan Wen-sheng (全文盛) Kuomintang6,3187.39%
7Walis PerinTaiwan Number One Party9,19410.75%Yes
8Kao Yang-sheng (高揚昇) Kuomintang7,1048.31%
9Lin Wen-sheng (林文生) Taiwan Solidarity Union4,0924.78%
10Lin Chun-te (林春德) People First Party8,64710.11%Yes
11Bayan Dalu (巴燕·達魯) Democratic Progressive Party4,5675.34%
12Tseng Hua-te (曾華德) Kuomintang13,98216.35%Yes
2004 (6th)
1Walis Perin Non-Partisan Solidarity Union9,41511.54%
2Tseng Hua-te Kuomintang13,53616.59%Yes
3Lee Hsiu-chin (李秀琴)Independent2160.26%
4Wu Hsin-kuo (伍新國)Independent3,1453.85%
5Kao Chin Su-meiIndependent16,28419.96%Yes
6Chen Tao-ming (陳道明) Democratic Progressive Party5,7857.09%
7Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉) Kuomintang17,30721.21%Yes
8Lin Wen-sheng Taiwan Solidarity Union3,7194.56%
9Lin Chun-te People First Party12,17914.93%Yes
2008 (7th)
1Syue Yi-jhen (薛宜蓁)Civil Party4430.53%
2Kung Wen-chi Kuomintang22,39126.54%Yes
3Chien Tung-ming Kuomintang22,65926.86%Yes
4Hou Jin-jhu (侯金助) Democratic Progressive Party4,4205.24%
5Kao Chin Su-mei Non-Partisan Solidarity Union20,01223.72%Yes
6Lin Chun-te People First Party14,26516.91%
7Sung Jen-ho (宋仁和) Taiwan Constitution Association1680.20%
2012 (8th)
1Tseng Chih-yung (曾智勇) Democratic Progressive Party9,9688.54%
2Kao Chin Su-mei Non-Partisan Solidarity Union29,52025.29%Yes
3Chiu Wen-sheng (邱文生)Independent1,4811.26%
4Kung Wen-chi Kuomintang31,62927.10%Yes
5Walis Perin People First Party15,53313.30%
6Chien Tung-ming Kuomintang28,58124.48%Yes
2016 (9th)
1Lin Shih-wei (林世偉)Independent2,2471.99%
2Yumin Suyang (尤命·蘇樣)China Production Party5680.50%
3Tseng Hua-teIndependent5,3264.71%
4Walis Perin People First Party16,65814.75%
5Yilan Mingjinuan (伊藍·明基努安)Faith and Hope League7,7506.86%
6Kung Wen-chi Kuomintang20,10517.80%Yes
7Chien Tung-ming Kuomintang25,94022.96%Yes
8Chuan Cheng-wei (全承威)Taiwan Independence Party4960.44%
9Lin Hsin-yi (林信義)Faith and Hope League6,1855.48%
10Kao Chin Su-mei Non-Partisan Solidarity Union27,69024.51%Yes

Personal life

Never married, she was in a relationship with Hong Kong actor Kenny Ho in early 1990s.[4] She also had a long and lasting extramarital affair with the Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan between mid-2000s and early 2010s.[5] In 1998, Chin was diagnosed with liver cancer. She recovered after a surgery.

References

  1. ↑ http://english.gov.cn/2009-08/19/content_1396500.htm
  2. ↑ http://english.gov.cn/2009-08/19/content_1396500.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.worldjournal.com/view/full_entertainment/7797100/article-%E8%97%9D%E4%BA%BA%E5%BE%9E%E6%94%BF-%E6%88%90%E7%B8%BE%E6%AF%94%E4%B8%80%E6%AF%94?instance=en_bull_tw
  4. ↑ http://mag.udn.com/mag/people/storypage.jsp?f_MAIN_ID=159&f_SUB_ID=4057&f_ART_ID=185092
  5. ↑
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