This is a real fact that the small and sleepy township right near the Kenting National Park – Fenggang (Wind Harbour) is actually where the current Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen’s family roots in Taiwan are located. In fact, there is a real fishing harbor right in the Fenggang, called Fenggang Fishing Port.
Fenggang township- with a Fenggang Charcoal & Chaste Tree Brooms
At the time when Tsai Ing-wen was just elected as president, many people in Taiwan became curious about her family history, especially the story of her father, Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生), who was successful in business in Taipei, and has been talked about in the streets since Tsai emerged in the political arena.
However, as a matter of fact, the Tsai family is actually from the small town of Fenggang, Pingtung, southern Taiwan, and this is why it is especially interesting for our project, which is all about Kenting and surrounding areas.
The local people are very fond of the historical origin and development process of the Tsai family.
Tsai Chieh-Sheng – father of President Tsai Ing-Wen
Tsai Ing-wen’s grandfather came from a Hakka school in Meixian County (梅縣), Guangdong Province, and moved to Taiwan to settle in Fenggang, Pingtung.
He also married a Paiwan aboriginal woman. After marriage, they gave birth to five children, Tsai Ing-wen’s father, Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生) was the third.
At the age of 18, Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生) went to Manchuria to learn mechanical maintenance with the help of relatives and friends to avoid the Japanese conscription in World War II.
After the war, he returned to Taiwan to start a business. After that, he went north to Taipei for further development in car repairs and real estate purchases to build amazing wealth fast.
However, Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生), who is nostalgic for this family roots, not only often provides opportunities for young people in Fenggang to go north to work in the Taipei, but he would bring Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生) back to Fenggang to visit graves every year on Qingming Festival. He is a rich man with a low-key personality and a simple life.
Tsai Chieh-Sheng, who attributes great importance to the education of his children, especially regards “books” as a family heirloom when rebuilding his ancestral tomb.
As early as 1979, he donated 800,000 yuan to his alma mater Fenggang Elementary School to build a library, and his spirit of giving back to his hometown was praised by relatives and friends in his hometown. The villagers hope that after Tsai Ing-wen is elected president, she can give back to her hometown and honor the hometown of the first female president of Taiwan.
Fenggang villagers are seen sitting near just another election ad in the township where president’s family roots in Taiwan are located.
Tsai Chieh-Sheng (蔡潔生), president’s father is in the middle in the back row in this family photo.
Besides being the first female president of Taiwan’s hometown, Fenggang is also known for its charcoal and brooms made from Chinese Chaste Tree, which we separately discussed in this article.
Other places to visit while you are in Fenggang – Lilong Mountain Trails, and Fenggang Wave Point.