Holger Chen or Chen Chih-han (traditional Chinese: 陳之漢; simplified Chinese: 陈之汉; pinyin: Chén Zhīhàn; born March 12, 1979), is a Taiwanese internet celebrity, entrepreneur, political activist and mixed martial artist.[2][3] He is also known popularly as Kuan Chang (Chinese: 館長; pinyin: Guǎnzhǎng; literally "gym manager") in Taiwan,[4] being the founder and CEO of G.K. Fitness Club (成吉思汗健身俱樂部), named after Genghis Khan.[5] As an actor, Chen had his first appearance as a cameo in the 2008 film Parking. He is referred by some as the Joe Rogan of Taiwan.[6]
Holger Chen Chen Chih-han | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Chen Szu-han March 12, 1979 Luzhou Township, Taipei County |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Occupation | YouTuber, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Mixed martial artist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Republic of China |
| Branch/service |  Republic of China Marine Corps (1998–2001) |
| Years of service | 1998–2001 |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
| Holger Chen | ||||||||||
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| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Location | Taiwan | |||||||||
| Years active | 2007–present | |||||||||
| Genres | ||||||||||
| Subscribers | 1.08 million[1] | |||||||||
| Total views | 246.96 million[1] | |||||||||
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Last updated: 14 Jul 2022 | ||||||||||
Early life
editBorn Chen Szu-han (traditional Chinese: 陳思翰; simplified Chinese: 陈思翰; pinyin: Chén Sīhàn) 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. However, Chen's mother was his father's mistress, and she was largely left to fend for herself and her children in Taiwan. His father died when he was a first-grader in elementary school.[7]
Hailing from a poor single 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 15, he dropped out of school and began working to support his family.[8]
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.[9]
After discharge from Marine Corps service, Chen was working 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.[7]
Fitness center CEO
editIn 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.
Being an internet celebrity and blogger, he often expresses his opinion on current affairs and politics through live streaming and social media platforms.[8]
Chen is also a philanthropist concerned with the welfare of underprivileged Taiwanese people.
Political activist
editIn 2019, Chen and New Power Party legislator Huang Kuo-chang organized a protest in Taipei against pro-China media. The rally was attended by tens of thousands of people.[10]
Assassination attempt
editOn August 28, 2020 at 2 A.M, Chen was shot at his New Taipei City gym by an unknown assailant three times. According to witnesses at the scene, the 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 reports, a man known by his surname "Liu" turned himself to the police. It was believed that he encountered Chen several times and allegedly sexually harassed him.[11]
Personal life
editChen is married, and he has a son and a stepdaughter from his wife's previous marriage.[12] Chen has a pet Caucasian Shepherd dog named Ta-hsiung and also has a few cats,[13] including most notably, a Maine Coon named Rich, which often appears on his YouTube livestreams.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "About 館長成吉思汗". YouTube.
- ^ Lai talks independence, reforms in online broadcast
- ^ Ko chided over robber analogy
- ^ Popular Taiwan YouTuber apologizes for supporting Han Kuo-yu
- ^ Taiwan fitness manager hands out 800 coffees to Universiade volunteers
- ^ "Holger Chen, "Taiwan's Joe Rogan", Shot and Wounded 3 Times in Linkou". 28 August 2020.
- ^ a b Yang, Hsiang-lin (2018-02-27). 霸氣館長爆：自小被霸凌 學搏擊找到人生目標 變身網紅擁70萬粉絲. Apple Daily (Taiwan).
- ^ a b 館長陳之漢 2019.06.30 Taiwan History. YouTube. Formosa TV.
- ^ 健身「館長」背景遭起底 沒想到他「這些紀錄」超驚人. EBC News. 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
- ^ Thousands protest pro-China media
- ^ "Taiwanese Youtuber Holger Chen shot twice". taiwannews.com.tw. 28 August 2020.
- ^ 館長女兒遭霸凌事件 on YouTube.館長成吉思汗頻道. 2016-12-02
- ^ 館長曝光「大雄尺寸」如神獸！ 網驚：美編只斷手很幸運. ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). February 2018.
- ^ 新養緬因貓罹患白內障！館長心疼「小小年紀受苦」：我會把牠照顧好. pets.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). 30 March 2020.
External links
edit- Holger Chen's channel on YouTube
- Holger Chen on Facebook (in Chinese)