Holger Chen

Chen Chih-han (; born March 12, 1979), also known by his English name Holger Chen, is a Taiwanese internet celebrity, entrepreneur, political activist, body builder and mixed martial artist. He is also known popularly by the nickname ''Kuan Chang'' (; literally "gym manager") in Taiwan, being the founder and CEO of G. K. Fitness Club (). As an actor, Chen made his first appearance as a cameo in the 2008 film ''Parking''. He is referred by some as the Joe Rogan of Taiwan.

Early life

Born Chen Szu-han () in Luzhou Township, Taipei County, Chen was raised by a single mother and has an elder sister. His father, born to a wealthy family in Yilan, was a businessman who settled in the United States. Chen's mother was his father's mistress, and she raised her children by herself in Taiwan. His father died when he was in first grade.

Hailing from a poor single parent family, Chen was often beaten and bullied by his schoolmates in his youth. The fathers of his bullies would sometimes join the abuse. When Chen was fifteen years old, he dropped out of school and began working to support his family.

Chen served in the Republic of China Marine Corps from 1998 to 2001. During his military service, he was involved in the relief operation of the 1999 Jiji earthquake.

After he was discharged from Marine Corps service, Chen worked odd jobs such as porter, deliveryman and salesman. He later joined the United Bamboo Gang for two years and had more than 100 men under him at one point. To support his men, Chen had to take on credit card loans. After he quit the triad, he became a restaurateur with the help of friends to pay off his debt. Chen often warns his audience against the dangers of working in organized crime.

Fitness center CEO

In 2014, Chen opened his first fitness center, G.K. Fitness Club. It was one of the first gyms in Taiwan to popularize and offer mixed martial arts training to the public. He now leads six fitness centers in New Taipei City and Taoyuan City.

As an internet celebrity and blogger, he often expresses his opinions on current affairs and politics through live streaming and social media platforms.

On 17 December 2023, it was revealed Chen has taken up Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he competed in a tournament in Okinawa hosted by the Asian Sport Jiu Jitsu Federation
ASJJF
as an ultra heavyweight white belt and won gold in the white belt gi competition and bronze in no-gi.

On 11 January 2025, he competed in a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Taipei again as a white belt, showing that he has taken an active role in promoting the sport in Taiwan.

Political activist

In 2019, Chen and New Power Party legislator Huang Kuo-chang organized a protest in Taipei against pro-China media such as CTV, CTi TV and ''China Times'', all owned by the Want Want Holdings Limited. The rally was attended by tens of thousands of people.

In June 2025, Chen took a six-day trip with ten other Taiwanese people to Shanghai, intending to give Taiwanese audiences an "unfiltered" view of mainland Chinese society. The group visited locations such as shopping malls, high-speed rail, and other sites characteristic of modernity in China. Chen compared Taipei negatively to Shanghai, and claimed that his view of the mainland had previously been clouded by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) propaganda, although he said that his visit was motivated by curiosity rather than ideology. Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office applauded the visit, while Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council reminded Chen to observe Taiwanese and Chinese laws during the trip. However, some Chinese netizens responded negatively to Chen's on-stream assertion that he was from "the Republic of China". During this trip, he was announced as a founding member of the "Opposition Alliance", a party founded by former Kuomintang legislator Cheng Li-wun intended to "revive the spirit" of the Tangwai movement and combat the DPP's "Green Terror".

Personal life

Chen is married, and he has a son and a stepdaughter from his wife's previous marriage. Chen has a pet Caucasian Shepherd dog named Ta-hsiung and a few cats, including most notably, a Maine Coon named Rich, which often appears on his YouTube livestreams. Chen regularly trains and is titled a specialist in Muay Thai, Sanda, and kickboxing. He more recently trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which as of 2025, he is a white belt.

Assassination attempt (2020)

On 28 August 2020 at 2a.m., Chen was shot three times by an unknown assailant at his New Taipei City gym. According to witnesses, bullets hit his right arm, thigh and ankle. Despite the pain caused by the bullets, Chen managed to host a live stream on Facebook regarding the incident. He said, "I was shot twice. I hope that if I die this time, please everyone carry on my spirit, you must carry on my spirit. Please everyone take care of my wife and child, I beg everyone. Also, my mother, I beg everyone. Argh, my right thigh was hit." Chen was then escorted to a nearby hospital. According to local media, a man known by his surname "Liu" turned himself in to the police. It was believed that he encountered Chen several times and allegedly sexually harassed him.

References

External links

Holger Chen's channel on YouTube
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Living people
1979 births
Mixed martial arts people
People from New Taipei
Taiwanese YouTubers