Chiang Ching-kuo

Chiang Ching-kuo
蔣經國
President of the Republic of China
In office 20 May 1978 – 13 January 1988
Vice President	Hsieh Tung-min Lee Teng-hui
Preceded by	Yen Chia-kan
Succeeded by	Lee Teng-hui
9th Premier of the Republic of China
In office 29 May 1972 – 20 May 1978
President	Chiang Kai-shek Yen Chia-kan
Preceded by	Yen Chia-kan
Succeeded by	Sun Yun-suan
Other positions 1st Chairman of the Kuomintang In office 5 April 1975 – 13 January 1988 Preceded by Chiang Kai-shek (Director-General of the Kuomintang) Succeeded by Lee Teng-hui 11th Vice Premier of the Republic of China In office 1 July 1969 – 1 June 1972 Premier Yen Chia-kan Preceded by Huang Shao-ku Succeeded by Hsu Ching-chung 10th Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China In office 14 January 1965 – 30 June 1969 Preceded by Yu Da-wei Succeeded by Huang Chieh Minister without Portfolio In office 15 July 1958 – 13 January 1965 Premier Chen Cheng Yen Chia-kan 2nd Minister of Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen of the Executive Yuan In office 25 April 1956 – 1 July 1964 Preceded by Yen Chia-kan Succeeded by Chau Chu-yue
Personal details
Born	(1910-04-27)27 April 1910 Fenghua, Zhejiang, Qing Dynasty
Died	13 January 1988(1988-01-13) (aged 77) Taipei, Taiwan
Nationality	Republic of China
Political party	Kuomintang
Spouse(s)	Chiang Fang-liang (m. 1935–1988)
Children	Chiang Hsiao-wen (1935–1989) Chiang Hsiao-chang (born 1938) Chang Hsiao-tzu (1941–1996) Chiang Hsiao-yen (born 1942) Chiang Hsiao-wu (1945–1991) Chiang Hsiao-yung (1948–1996)
Alma mater	Moscow Sun Yat-sen University
Occupation	Politician
Religion	Methodist
Military service
Allegiance	Republic of China
Service/branch	Republic of China Army

Chiang Ching-kuo
"Chiang Ching-kuo" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	蔣經國
Simplified Chinese	蒋经国
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jiǎng Jīngguó Wade–Giles Chiang3 Ching1-kuo2 IPA [tɕi̯àŋ tɕíŋ.ku̯ǒ] Wu Romanization [tɕiã tɕiŋ.koʔ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jéung Gīng-gwok Jyutping Zoeng2 Ging1-gwok3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Chiúⁿ Keng-kok Tâi-lô Tsiúnn King-kok

Chiang Ching-kuo (Shanghai/Ningbo dialect: [tɕiã.tɕiŋ.koʔ]) (April 27, 1910 – January 13, 1988), Kuomintang (KMT) politician and leader, was a Chinese politician and the son of Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek and held numerous posts in the government of the Republic of China (ROC). He succeeded his father to serve as Premier of the Republic of China between 1972 and 1978 and was the President of the Republic of China from 1978 until his death in 1988. Under his tenure, the government of the Republic of China, while authoritarian, became more open and tolerant of political dissent. Towards the end of his life, Chiang relaxed government controls on the media and speech and allowed native Taiwanese into positions of power, including his successor Lee Teng-hui.

The son of President Chiang Kai-shek and his first wife Mao Fumei, Chiang Ching-kuo was born in Fenghua, Zhejiang, with the courtesy name of Jiànfēng (建豐). He had an adopted brother, Chiang Wei-kuo. "Ching" literally means "longitude" while "kuo" means "nation"; in his brother's name, "wei" literally means "parallel (of latitude)". The names are inspired by the references in Chinese classics such as the Guoyu, in which "to draw the longitudes and latitudes of the world" is used as a metaphor for a person with great abilities, especially in managing a country.