Tsai Ing-wen – Taiwanese Politician

Right now, Tsai Ing-wen is serving as the President of the Republic of China, or Taiwan, and is the very first woman elected to office. Not to mention the fact that Tsai is also the first president to be an aboriginal descendant, or Hakka, as well as, unmarried and to never have been an elected executive before becoming president.

As the new president of Taiwan, she will have to rely on her inner strength and calm demeanor. One of the biggest challenges that she faces is to spark the economy, which is restricted by the isolation that China imposes on the island. It will not be easy, as the small island of about 23 million people must go up against the world’s largest nation.

However, Tsai may have an advantage that no other leader has had – a public mandate. She has proven that democracy in a Chinese society can happen and be achieved peacefully. In fact, TIME magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.

Tsai was born and raised in Zhongshan District located in Taipei, Taiwan. She attended many different universities and obtained a masters in law and a degree in economics.

Ing-wen is a given name that could be translated to mean “English language” or “heroic literature”. The surname Tsai is a derivative of the Chinese surname Cai, which comes from the name of an ancient Cai state. The name is common in China, but more popular in Taiwan where it was romanized as Tsai.