Lin Tsung-hsien or Lin Tsong-shyan (Chinese: 林聰賢; pinyin: Lín Cōngxián; born 22 February 1962) is a Taiwanese politician. He was elected Yilan County Magistrate in 2009 and served until 2017, when he was appointed to lead the Council of Agriculture.

Lin Tsung-hsien
林聰賢
Minister of the Council of Agriculture
In office
8 February 2017 – 1 December 2018
Prime MinisterLin Chuan
William Lai
DeputyChen Chi-chung, Huang Jin-cheng, Li Tui-zhi
Preceded byTsao Chi-hung
Succeeded byChen Chi-chung
Magistrate of Yilan County
In office
20 December 2009 – 8 February 2017
DeputyWu Tze-cheng
Preceded byLu Kuo-hua
Succeeded byWu Tze-cheng (acting)[1]
Chen Chin-te (acting)
Lin Zi-miao
Personal details
Born (1962-02-22) 22 February 1962 (age 62)
Luodong, Yilan County, Taiwan
Political party Democratic Progressive Party (since 1998)
Alma materChiayi Agricultural College
Fo Guang University

Education and early career edit

Lin was born in Luodong to a family of farmers, and received his bachelor's degree from Chiayi Agricultural College and master's degree from Fo Guang University.[2] Upon completion of mandatory military service, Lin became an insurance agent.[3]

Political career edit

Lin became active in Luodong Township's local politics in 1988, having worked his way up to the position of district secretary-general by 1994. In 1998, Lin joined the Democratic Progressive Party.[3] In February 2002, he became the mayor of Luodong Township, serving for two terms until December 2009.

Yilan County Magistracy edit

Lin assumed the magistracy of Yilan County on 20 December 2009 after winning the 2009 Republic of China local election on 5 December 2009 under the Democratic Progressive Party.[4][5]

2009 Yilan County Magistrate Election Result
No. Candidate Party Votes Percentage
1 Lin Tsung-hsien   DPP 133,394 54.26%  
2 Lu Kuo-hua   KMT 112,469 45.74%

During his first term as county magistrate, Lin improved the county's standing through reform. He also restored the annual Yilan International Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival which was suspended by his predecessor Lu Kuo-hua. Lin had also supported several agricultural policies, such as banning chemical herbicides in farms and ending the use of unprocessed manure as fertilizer. In terms of housing development, he had created regulations on farmhouses and reduced the number of residential buildings permitted on farmland.[6]

On 29 November 2014, Lin won the Yilan County magistrate election as the DPP candidate.[7]

2014 Yilan County Magistrate Election Result
No. Candidate Party Votes Percentage
1 Lin Tsung-hsien   DPP 160,253 63.95%  
2 Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞)   KMT 90,320 36.05%

In his second term, Lin supported Ko Wen-je's proposal to build a railway connecting Yilan and Taipei.[8] However, the project drew harsh criticism for its predicted negative effects on the environment.[9][10]

Minister of Agriculture edit

Lin was appointed the head of the Council of Agriculture in February 2017.[11] He resigned the position on 1 December 2018.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Incoming agriculture chief vows to protect farmlanda". The China Post. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Yilan County Government – 宜蘭縣政府全球資訊網". enwww.e-land.gov.tw.
  3. ^ a b Yu, Ming-chin; Chin, Jonathan (6 February 2017). "Minister of Agriculture's praises sung in Yilan". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  4. ^ Shan, Shelley (6 December 2009). "DPP regains Yilan County seat". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  5. ^ Hsu, Jenny W.; Mo, Yan-chih (6 December 2009). "KMT loses Yilan and Hualien". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  6. ^ Yu, Ming-chin; Wang, Yang-yu (3 September 2014). "INTERVIEW: Yilan County Commissioner Lin plants a 'green' future". Taipei Times. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  7. ^ Gerber, Abraham (30 November 2014). "Taitung provides rare victory for KMT". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  8. ^ Shan, Shelley (9 December 2014). "Taipei-Yilan railway proposal demands expert environmental review: minister". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  9. ^ Shan, Shelley; Lin, Sean (8 December 2014). "Ko's preferred rail line route criticized". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  10. ^ Loa, Iok-sin (8 December 2014). "Ko backs discarded rail route". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  11. ^ Su, Fang-ho; Chiang, Chih-hsiung; Lee, Hsin-fang; Chung, Jake (4 February 2017). "Cabinet reshuffle sees four new names". Taipei Times. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  12. ^ Lin, Sean (2 December 2018). "Lai starts reforms, accepts resignations". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2 December 2018.