Ma Ying-jeou
A Harvard-educated leader who guided Taiwan through a period of historic détente with mainland China, prioritizing economic links over political confrontation.
Born 1950 (age 76)·President of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016·Birthday: July 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ma Ying-jeou, born in Hong Kong in 1950 to Taiwanese parents, rose to become the president who fundamentally recalibrated Taiwan's relationship with China. A sharp legal mind educated at Harvard Law School, he built a reputation in Taipei as a clean, technocratic administrator, first as justice minister and then as mayor. His 2008 presidential victory was a landslide, fueled by a desire for stability and economic revitalization. In office, Ma pursued a doctrine he called 'flexible diplomacy,' signing a landmark trade pact with Beijing and overseeing a dramatic increase in cross-strait travel and investment. This 'golden era' of relations, however, sparked significant domestic protest from those who feared it eroded Taiwan's sovereignty. Leaving office in 2016, his legacy remains deeply contested: a architect of unprecedented peace or a steward of risky dependence, a debate that continues to define the island's politics.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ma was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ma Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Ma's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2008 to 2016, winning election with a record-high popular vote margin.
- Oversaw the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China in 2010, a major cross-strait trade pact.
- Presided over a significant warming of relations with mainland China, including the first meeting between sitting leaders from both sides in 2015.
- Previously served two terms as the Mayor of Taipei, where he improved the city's public transportation and waste management systems.
Did You Know?
He holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School.
Ma is known for his daily habit of jogging several miles, even while serving as president.
During his tenure as justice minister, he led a high-profile anti-corruption campaign called the 'White Terror'.
He is the first president of the Republic of China born after the government relocated to Taiwan in 1949.
“Stability across the Strait serves the fundamental interests of our people.”
