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Top 10 Most Famous Taiwanese Women

Before the 1600s, Taiwan was a self-governing nation. It operated with no central ruling authority. In the mid-17^th century, Taiwan was a Netherlands colony for nearly four decades. It was later independent for two decades. Taiwan gained independence and became a colony in 1895 after the first Sino-Japanese War. Before this, China had taken control of Taiwan towards the end of the 17^th century. This led to the Chinese ruling Taiwan for two centuries.

After the 1945 defeat of Japan in World War II, Taiwan returned to the control of the Nationalist Chinese. In 1949 however, the Nationalist forces on the mainland lost to the Chinese communist armies. The communists then established the People’s Republic of China (ROC). After the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan, China separated from Taiwan.

The ROC claimed jurisdiction of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland in the years that followed. The Taiwan government however dropped the claim on China in the early 1900s. A one-China policy is still in place though. This is because the Chinese government in Beijing continues to state that it has jurisdiction over Taiwan. Few countries across the globe dispute this claim. At the moment, there is no indication of when or how the two will be reunited.

Below are descriptions of ten fantastic Taiwanese women.

1. Shu Qi is a model, actress and she is also known for her films

Shu Qi at the 2015 Cannes film festival. Photo by Georges Biard/

Shu Qi is a Taiwnese-Hong Kong model and actress born on 16 April 1976 in the Xindian District in Taipei, Taiwan. She has appeared in several movies such as Three Times, Viva Erotica and The Eye 2.

Shu Qi is well known for her 2015 movie The Assassin. She was awarded the esteemed Asian Film Award for her role in the movie. Shu Qi ranks amongst the top-paid Taiwanese-Hong Kong actresses. The Forbes China Celebrity 100 lists included Shu Qi their list three times.

2. Tsai Ing-wen is a politician who served as the first female president

Official portrait of Ms Tsai Ing-wen, 14th Taiwanese President of the Republic of China. Photo by The Office of the President of the Republic of China/

Tsai Ing-wen is a Taiwanese politician. A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member, Tsai also served as president. She was the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) serving the nation since 2016.

Born on 31 August 1956, Tsai was Taiwan’s first female president. She previously served as the DPP’s chair on different terms. She was chair from 2008 to 2012, from 2014 to 2018 and once again since 2020.

In 2010 during the municipal elections, Tsai vied for mayor of New Taipei City but lost to Eric Chu the KMT candidate. Things turned around for her in 2011 when she became the first female to be nominated by a major party. This came after she defeated her former superior Su Tseng-chang, in the DPP’s primary.

In 2012, Tsai lost the presidential election to Ma Ying-jeou, who was Taiwan’s president at the time. She however won the presidential election by a landslide in 2016. She was re-elected once again as president in 2020.

In Taiwan’s history, only two presidents have come from the Democratic Progressive Party. Tsai was the second president. She is also the first president who never previously served as mayor of Taipei.

3. Lin Feng-Jiao is a former actress and the wife of a world-known actor

Lin Fen-Jiao was previously a Taiwanese actress. Born in Taipei, Taiwan on June 30, 1953, Lin is not just an actress. She is well-known as the wife of Jackie Chan, a Hong Kong martial artist.

Lin came from a poor family which caused her to drop out of school at the age of 12. Nonetheless, from her acting, she received the Golden Horse Award for her role in The Story of a Small Town.

4. Chou Tzu-yu is a member of the Taiwanese girl group Twice

2015 image of Chou Tzu-yu. Photo by den_oppa/

A Taiwanese Singer, Chou Tzu-yu is a member of the Girl Group Twice. Born on June 14, 1999, in the East District of Taiwan, Chou is the youngest member of the girl group.

She was recognized as one of the most famous idols in South Korea in 2016. According to a 2019 survey, Chou was voted as the second-most popular female K-pop idol.

5. Ariel Lin is one of Taiwan’s most popular celebrities

Actress Ariel Lin at a 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition. Photo by Rico Shen/

Amongst Taiwanese women, Ariel Lin is one of only two women who have received multiple Best Actress awards. She was recognized at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards.

Lin is known as Taiwan’s Queen of Zero Scandals. She is not known for any gossip and earns a lot of money from Asia’s endorsement deals.

Lin is best known for her roles in In Time with You and They Kiss Again. Of the two, In Time with You, provided a breakthrough for her and generally for the Taiwanese drama.

6. Tai Tzu-Ying had held the women’s single Badminton title for the longest time

Tai Tzu-Ying at the semi-final of the 2016 Yonex Chinese Taipei Open. Photo by Chartlin/

Tai Tzu-Ying is a badminton player from Taiwan. In December 2016, Tai became the world’s number-one singles player at the age of 22. Born on 20 June 1994, Tai also held the number 1 title for the longest time in BWF history. As of May 2022, she had held the title for 213 weeks.

Tai has received several awards in her career. In 2017 and 2018, she received the gold medal at the 2017 Summer Universiade and the 2018 Asian Games respectively. She also received the silver medal in 2020 during the Tokyo Olympics.

In addition, Tai won the BWF Superseries/World Tour Finals the year-end tournament thrice. She has also won the Asian championship title back to back and thrice won the All-England Open. Her remarkable achievements have seen commentator Gillian Clark refer to Tai as one of the best players to watch in women’s singles.

7. Cheng Yen founded the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Image of Master Cheng Yen. Photo by Tzu Chi Foundation/

A Taiwanese Buddhist nun (bhikkhuni), Cheng Yen has several titles to her name. Born Chin-Yun Wong on 14 May 1937, Yen is also known as a philanthropist and teacher. She founded the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation commonly known as Tzu Chi.

Born during the Japanese occupation, the West refer to Yen as the Mother Teresa of Asia. In 1963, Yen was ordained as a Buddhist nun after she developed an interest as a young adult. She studied under master Yin Shun, a well-known proponent of humanistic Buddhism.

Yen met a poor woman who had a miscarriage. She then met Roman Catholic nuns who mentioned the works of charity of the Catholic church. These encounters led her to form the Tzu Chi Foundation in 1966. The foundation served as a Buddhist humanitarian organization.

The foundation initially ran by thirty housewives who saved money for less privileged families. It gradually grew over time to include environmental, medical and disaster relief work. Over the years, it has grown to be the largest Buddhist organization in Taiwan. It is also one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations.

8. Ruby Lin is well known for Her Role in the Successful TV Series My Fair Princess

Ruby Lin at the 57th Golden Bell Awards in October 2022. Photo by

Born in Taipei, Taiwan on January 27, 1976, Ruby Lin is a popular Taiwanese Actress. She is a pop singer and actress and is well known for her role in My Fair Princess a popular television series.

At the age of 17, Lin began her career as a model. She gained a lot of popularity that she when began taking up acting assignments. Her popularity as an actress led her to open her studio. Lin is also producing films and TV shows.

9. Hannah Quinlivan is a Taiwan-born actress and model

Also known as Jen Wu, Hannah Quinlivan is an actress and model. Her stage name is Kun Ling. The Taiwanese Australian was born on 12 August 1993 in Taiwan. Quinlivan was however raised in New South Wales, Australia by her Australian father and Chinese-Korean mother.

Quinlivan studied and graduated from Benowa State High School. Her career began in 2008 when she appeared in Blackie’s Teenage Club. In December 2011, Quinlivan was a guest host on I Love The Man.

Playing the role of Peng Kaili in 2012 in Ti Amo Chocolate was Quinlivan’s acting debut. Her first film role was in 2013. It was in Step Back to Glory as an uncredited appearance. She also appeared in Amour et Pâtisserie. This was a minor role for Lin Jiayi.

Over the years, Quinlivan starred in several movies and TV shows. She appeared in Moon River, The Lying Game, Heart of Steel and Twa-Tiu-Tiann. Quinlivan also appeared in the Skyfire and Nezha films in 2019 and 2021 respectively.

10. Teresa Teng is a Taiwanese Musician, actress and Philanthropist

Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng performing at a concert in Lincoln Center, New York. Photo by Teresa Teng Foundation/

Fondly referred to as the queen of pop in Asia, Teng Li-Chun was an actress, singer, musician and philanthropist. Born on 29 January 1953, Teng Li-Chun who is referred to as Teresa Teng was an icon.

Teng is said to have been one of Asia’s most successful artists. She recorded her first song at the age of 14 years. With a career that spans about three decades, Teng recorded over 1,700 songs over the years. 

Her songs were in several languages such as English, Cantonese, Italian, Japanese, Indonesian and Shanghainese. She is reported to have died from an asthma attack at the age of 42 years. She died while on holiday in Thailand.