Liu Chao-shiuan (; born 10 May 1943) is a Taiwanese chemist and politician. He is a former president of the
National Tsing Hua University (1987–1993) and
Soochow University (2004–2008) and a former
Premier of the Republic of China (2008–2009).
Early life and education
Liu was born in
Changsha
Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...
,
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
, in 1943. His family moved to Taiwan during the
Great Retreat. After graduating from the
Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, he studied chemistry at
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...
and graduated with his
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
(B.S.) in 1965. Liu then completed graduate studies in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, where he earned a
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
(M.S.) in chemistry from the
Université de Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS; Quebec English, English: ''University of Sherbrooke'') is a French-language Public university, public research university in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, with a second campus in Longueuil, a suburb on the Mont ...
in 1968 and his
Ph.D. from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in the field in 1971.
Liu is also an author, and, together with two of his brothers, has published novels of ancient Chinese rovers practicing martial arts under a
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
called "Shangguan Ding" ().
Liu started to receive public attention when he was the President of National Tsing-hua University in Hsinchu before 1993. At that time, he and his school had just successfully hosted the annual unified college entrance
examinations in Taiwan. He became the President of
Soochow University in 2004.
Liu's nephew is Citizen University founder
Eric Liu, who was a White House speechwriter and policy adviser for President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
of the United States.
ROC Transportation Ministry
Liu was subsequently served as
Minister of Transportation and Communications from 1993 to 1996.
ROC Vice Premiership
Liu next served as the Vice Premier from 1997 to 2000.
ROC Premiership
In April 2008, Liu was asked by current President
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...
to serve as the
Premier of the Republic of China. He accepted the post and his term as Premier took effect with Ma's incoming administration on 20 May 2008.
Liu and his Cabinet resigned en masse on 10 September 2009, with
Wu Den-yih succeeding the post of Premiership.
Liu had suffered mounting criticism over the aftermath of
Typhoon Morakot, and had initially tendered his resignation to President Ma in mid-August. Liu, however, was asked by President Ma to remain and oversee initial relief efforts as they were carried out. Liu said, during his resignation announcement, that 90% of subsidies have been distributed and 92% of those displaced have been temporarily relocated.
See also
*
Politics of the Republic of China
*
Elections in the Republic of China
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Chao-Shiuan
1943 births
National Taiwan University alumni
Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University alumni
Premiers of the Republic of China on Taiwan
Vice premiers of the Republic of China on Taiwan
Taiwanese educators
University of Toronto alumni
Academic staff of Soochow University (Taiwan)
Living people
Politicians from Chengdu
Ministers of transportation and communications of Taiwan
Republic of China politicians from Hunan
Université de Sherbrooke alumni
Presidents of National Tsing Hua University
Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star
Recipients of the Order of Chiang Chung-Cheng
Taiwanese people from Hunan
Ministers of science and technology of Taiwan
People from Liuyang