Wang Tuoh
| Wang Tuoh 王拓 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party | |
|
In office 20 May 2008 – 20 May 2009 | |
| Chairperson | Tsai Ing-wen |
| Preceded by | Lee Ying-yuan |
| Succeeded by | Wu Nai-ren |
| Minister of Council for Cultural Affairs | |
|
In office 1 February 2008 – 19 May 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Wong Chin-chu |
| Succeeded by | Huang Pi-twan |
| Member of the Legislative Yuan | |
|
In office 1 February 1996 – 31 January 2008 | |
| Constituency | Keelung |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 January 1944 Kirin, Taihoku Prefecture, Empire of Japan |
| Died |
9 August 2016 (aged 72) Taipei, Taiwan |
| Political party | Democratic Progressive Party |
| Alma mater |
National Taiwan Normal University National Chengchi University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Writer, philologist |
Wang Tuoh (Chinese: 王拓; pinyin: Wáng Tuò; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ông Thok; 9 January 1944 – 9 August 2016) was a Taiwanese writer, public intellectual, literary critic, and politician. He was born in Badouzi (八斗子), then a small fishing village near the northern port city of Keelung. His name was originally Wang Hung-chiu (王紘久).
Writing career
Wang Tuoh published his first short story, The Hanging Tree in 1970, and went on to write a series of stories set in his home village of Badouzi that drew heavily on his own experiences in a small, insular village where everyone is part of a larger family that has been there for five generations. The most well-known of these stories is the novella Auntie Jinshui (金水嬸; published September 1976) which describes the story of the eponymous Auntie Jinshui. Auntie Jinshui is a street peddler who has successfully raised and educated six sons, but falls upon especially hard times after being swindled by a priest introduced to her by one of her sons. She then falls behind on her payments to her Hui (會), an informal village credit network, and finds herself gradually ostracized from her friends and family. This novella was also later made into a movie.
His novels are The Story of Cowbelly Harbor (牛肚港的故事; published 1982) and Taipei, Taipei! (台北，台北!; published 1983), both written while he was in jail as a political prisoner.
Political career
After being freed from prison in 1984, he joined the political opposition to the ruling Kuomintang and in 1995 was elected to Taiwan's Legislative Yuan as a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member for Keelung City.
Wang was nominated by the DPP to run for Keelung City mayor in 2005. The Pan-Green Coalition had two candidates in the election, with both the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union nominating their own candidate. Wang lost the election, getting only 2,771 votes. He got the least votes out of all four candidates.
| 2005 Keelung City Mayoralty Election Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | |||
| 1 | Chen Chien-ming |  TSU | 58,243 | |||
| 2 | Hsu Tsai-li |  KMT | 76,162 |  | ||
| 3 | Liu Wen-hsiung |  PFP | 47,932 | |||
| 4 | Wang Tuoh |  DPP | 2,771 | |||
Commenting on the 2007 summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Wang noted that their talks offered a model for negotiations between China and Taiwan held on an equal footing and based on mutual respect.[1] Lamenting that China refuses to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign, independent state, he urged China to support a bid for UN recognition for Taiwan also called for the removal of the 900 Chinese missiles deployed along its southeastern coast that threaten Taiwan militarily.[1]
After losing his seat in the legislature in January 2008, Wang was appointed chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs, a cabinet-level position.[2] From this position, Wang pushed for substantial increases to the culture budget.[3] In May 2008, Wang was appointed by chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen to serve as the Secretary General of the DPP. In taking on the position, Wang chose not to be paid. He helped the party out of a NT$150 million debt, while reducing its bureaucracy and infighting shortly after the 2008 elections.[4]
Wang died in Taipei on 9 August 2016 at the age of 72, due to complications of a heart attack.[5][6] His funeral was held on 6 September.[7]
References
- 1 2 "Wang Tuoh says Korean summit offers inspiration". Taipei Times. October 4, 2007. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- ↑ Hsiu-chuan, S. (February 1, 2008). "Former legislators who lost their seats recruited to Cabinet". Taipei Times. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- ↑ Lok-sin, L. (February 15, 2008). "Culture chief vows to push bill to help performing groups". Taipei Times. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
- ↑ Liao, George (9 August 2016). "Writer-turned-politician Wang Tuoh has died, 72". Taiwan News. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ↑ Chung, Li-hua; Chung, Jake (10 August 2016). "Writer, former legislator Wang Tuoh dies at 72". Taipei Times. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ↑ Lu, Hsin-hui; Cheng, Sabine; Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Liu, Claudia; Hou, Elaine (9 August 2016). "Renowned Taiwanese writer, politician Wang Tuoh dies at 72". Central News Agency. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ↑ Lu, Hsin-hui; Huang, Romulo (7 September 2016). "President Tsai pledges to strive for cross-party cooperation". Central News Agency. Retrieved 7 September 2016.