He only served as Taitung County Magistrate and disappeared for 21 years! "He" suddenly appeared to support Chen Ying, the daughter of his former political enemy

Taitung County Magistrate Xu Qingyuan, who was at the height of his political power 21 years ago, suddenly announced that he would not run for re-election, and immediately disappeared after leaving office. He has not appeared in public again, and his whereabouts are a mystery. Yesterday, he suddenly appeared at Chen Ying's campaign headquarters to visit his former political opponent Chen Jiannian, who he almost defeated. He supported his daughter Chen Ying's election as county magistrate, hoping that Chen Ying would "take the next step in Taitung" and make Taitung continue to progress and move forward steadily.

Xu Qingyuan is a figure that is almost forgotten, but he made a name for himself in the political arena 20 to 30 years ago. He was elected as a county councilor from the secretary of the Dawu Township Office, and became the deputy speaker of the current term. He was then elected as a provincial councilor and then a legislator. He quickly climbed to the top of the local political arena and directly challenged Chen Jiannian, the then county magistrate. In the Taitung County Magistrate election in 1997, Xu Qingyuan and Chen Jiannian competed fiercely. Despite the high expectations of all parties, Chen Jiannian lost the election by only 1,025 votes.

Four years later, he made a comeback, defeated Wu Junli and Lai Kuncheng, and was elected county magistrate. He recruited the then judge Liu Dahao as deputy county magistrate. He governed the county across party lines and his political achievements were well received. However, another four years later, he failed to register for the county magistrate election. On the afternoon of the last day, he suddenly dropped the bombshell "I will not vote"! Instead, Liu Chuhao registered to run. After leaving office, he immediately disappeared from public places, waving his sleeves without taking away a single cloud, which made his close associates dumbfounded. He once again achieved the chic style of only taking on various positions once. He disappeared from the political world for more than 20 years and only kept in touch with some old friends.

Xu Qingyuan returned to Taitung yesterday and went to Chen Ying's campaign headquarters to meet Chen Jiannian and Chen Ying's father and daughter. Chen Ying quoted Xu Teqi as saying, "There is no need to worry about the past. The competition in the past is in the past, and Taitung's future should be given priority. He hopes that Taitung will not retreat and develop more normally and steadily, and is therefore willing to fully support it."

What Chen Ying admires even more is that during his tenure as Taitung County Magistrate, Xu Qingyuan adhered to the concept of "Taitung First, Putting Political Parties aside" and transcended political party barriers. He appointed Liu Tiehao, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, as deputy county magistrate, demonstrating the governance spirit of prioritizing local development with practical actions. From the joint support of Liu Chuhao and Lai Kuncheng to the joint support of two former county magistrates, Chen Jiannian and Xu Qingyuan, the forces of different generations and different political backgrounds have been brought together. Everyone is willing to transcend past competition and differences because they care more about the future of Taitung. What they have demonstrated is the mind-set of "putting the future of their hometown before their personal past."

Chen Ying also thanked Xu Qingyuan’s wife, Chen Sici, for making a special trip back to Taiwan from Canada, taking the initiative to visit old friends, assisting her in the election, canvassing votes, and turning her support into concrete actions. From sharing governance experiences to personally visiting friends and striving for recognition, the senior couple made her feel their deep affection for their hometown and their ardent expectations for Taitung's next great success.