Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
📖

Ma Ying-jeou

society Maturity 11-13 war conflict politics Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: war_conflict, politics. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Ma Ying-jeou is a famous leader from Taiwan.

Ma Ying-jeou in one year old
Ma Ying-jeou in one year old

He was born on July 13, 1950, in British Hong Kong. His family was very well known in the political world. They were part of a group called the waishengren. Ma was the fourth child and the only son. He grew up in a Catholic home. He even became the only Taiwanese president who was a member of the Catholic Church.

馬英九 NTU Graduation photo
馬英九 NTU Graduation photo

Ma worked very hard in school. He studied law at National Taiwan University. After he graduated in 1972, he served in the Marine Corps. He was a lieutenant in the navy. Then, he went to the United States to study even more. He earned a master's degree from New York University in 1976. Later, he earned a doctorate from Harvard University in 1981.

Langdell Hall, Harvard Law School
Langdell Hall, Harvard Law School

His studies focused on international law and the ocean.

His career in politics started with the President of Taiwan. He worked as an English translator for President Chiang Ching-kuo. At age 38, Ma became the youngest cabinet member ever. He led the Ministry of Justice starting in 1993. During this time, he worked hard to stop crime. He fought against corruption and illegal drugs.

2006INGTaipeiMarathon-078
2006INGTaipeiMarathon-078

Because he was so honest, people gave him a special nickname. They called him "Mr. Clean."

Ma held many important jobs in Taiwan. He was the mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006. In 2008, he won a huge majority in the presidential election. He served as the sixth president of the Republic of China. He was president from 2008 until 2016.

ROC 2008 Presidential Election Township level (2)
ROC 2008 Presidential Election Township level (2)

During his time as president, he helped Taiwan and mainland China talk more. He signed a big economic agreement in 2010. He also led the Kuomintang party for several years.

One of his most famous moments happened in 2015. He held a meeting in Singapore with leaders from mainland China.

2015 Ma–Xi Meeting 08
2015 Ma–Xi Meeting 08

This was the first time the leaders met since the Chinese Civil War. After he finished his time as president in 2016, Ma changed jobs again. He became a law professor at Soochow University. He still stays active in politics today. His life shows how a student can become a national leader.

363 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (27)
File:Taiwan-Marine-OF-1b (cropped horizontally2).svg
Taiwan-Marine-OF-1b (cropped horizontally2).svg
File:Ma Ying-jeou in one year old.gif
Ma Ying-jeou in one year old.gif
File:馬英九 NTU Graduation photo.jpg
馬英九 NTU Graduation photo.jpg
File:Langdell Hall, Harvard Law School.jpg
Langdell Hall, Harvard Law School.jpg
File:2006INGTaipeiMarathon-078.jpg
2006INGTaipeiMarathon-078.jpg
VOA專訪馬英九200603.webm
File:馬總統在士林夜市 - panoramio.jpg
馬總統在士林夜市 - panoramio.jpg
File:080321 - 馬英九 (2348700429).jpg
080321 - 馬英九 (2348700429).jpg
File:ROC 2008 Presidential Election Township level (2).svg
ROC 2008 Presidential Election Township...
File:YouTube 2024.svg
YouTube 2024.svg
File:Vice President Vincent Siew, President Ma Ying-jeou, and Premier Wu Den-yih at the press conference to mark second anniversary of inauguration 20100524.jpg
Vice President Vincent Siew, President Ma...
File:2015 Ma–Xi Meeting 08.jpg
2015 Ma–Xi Meeting 08.jpg

+ 15 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.