From the presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party to the first female president of Taiwan, how does Tsai Ing-wen build a strong mindset to face challenges after eight years in power, lead Taiwan to compete to unity, and welcome a better future?
In 2015, women fans invited Tsai Ing-wen, who was still the presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party at the time, to participate in the "Women's Power Era Lecture" for women fans and talk to us about Taiwan's vision.
Now, nine years later, we are honored to once again invite President Tsai Ing-wen, the most influential female power representative in Taiwan, to visit the "GWIS Women's Impact Forum", Taiwan's largest women's power event, on International Women's Day, to bring presidential-level women's power stories.
Echoing the theme of the forum "Together Stronger", we shared with us how to build women's influence on the road to becoming president, from competition to unity, to build a better future together.
(Gaying in the same scene: Tsai Ing-wen X young generation!8/26 Lecture Hall of the Female Power Era: Taiwan in My Eyes)
Under the warm applause of the audience, President Tsai Ing-wen calmly stepped onto the stage, and in the face of the audience's hot look full of anticipation, the president showed humor as soon as he spoke: "I want to explain one thing to you first, today's speech may not be as wonderful as the last one, because I was not president at that time. It seems to be a light-hearted joke, but it actually speaks to the pressure and challenges brought by the status of president.
President Tsai Ing-wen: Unity after competition is Taiwan's democratic value
Photo: President Tsai Ing-wen
Tsai Ing-wen admitted that being president has given him new thinking about many things, and he has to learn to accept "the fact that many people don't like or even hate you".
Recalling the eight-year presidential term, President Tsai Ing-wen specifically mentioned 2019, when the same-sex marriage law was passed, which not only reversed the "relatively conservative" image of Taiwanese society, but also let the world not only see that Taiwan has advanced technology and TSMC, but also see Taiwan's democratic and progressive ideas, and see a different Taiwan.
Following the president's review of the marriage process, some of the audience nodded in affirmation, some applauded and cheered, and perhaps some of the audience felt tears like the editor. No matter what way is used, the audience will feel the hardships of this road and the joy after the passage of the same-sex marriage law at this moment.
Speaking of the current situation of women in the workplace, President Tsai Ing-wen shared with us his observations after years of election campaigns, and unlike the "freshness" of female presidential candidates in 2015, he feels that Taiwanese society now maintains a positive attitude towards female political participants.
He also believes that Taiwan's workplace is more friendly to women, driven by years of gender equality issues, and even if there will still be fierce rhetoric with bias, he firmly believes that Taiwan's workplace will become more and more diverse, and encourages people of different genders to take responsibility together, whether in the workplace or at home.
Caring for children at home is a shared responsibility.
Echoing the theme of this year's forum, "Together Stronger", President Tsai Ing-wen talked about the world's perception of Taiwan in this year's (2024) presidential election. He mentioned that the characteristic of Taiwan's democracy is that even if there are different positions and even if there is tension in competition, when the results are out, the society can return to calm and unite again to face the future together.
There is no good or bad competition, we all have to face it, but to make sure that the rules of competition are fair.
President Tsai Ing-wen: Dark moments are always there, but turning points will open your eyes to more possibilities
Photo: Wen Ziyun, ambassador for common good
As Taiwan's most iconic female leader, President Tsai Ing-wen's journey of female power has inspired the audience, and we also grasp this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let more women's voices be heard, and we also look forward to taking presidential-level solutions from the dialogue.
Coming to the Q&A session of "Ask the President of Xiaoying", hosted by Zhang Weixuan, co-founder and CEO of Woman Fans, we invited Wen Ziyun, an ambassador for common good, and Peggy, a veteran user of Woman Fans, to participate in the Q&A.
Wen Ziyun, the GWIS ambassador for good this time, shined at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is an Olympic player who has attracted everyone's attention. However, behind the brilliance is the darkness that no one knows, Wen Ziyun took off the national team jersey in 2023, shocking the sports world, and he also revealed how he walked through the darkness and welcomed the second life on the day of the GWIS event. He is more curious, how will Tsai Ing-wen, as the leader of Taiwan, face the dark moments of her life?
Peggy, who has participated in the GWIS Women's Power Forum for five consecutive years, wants to know: At the end of his eight-year term, what does the president want to say to himself eight years ago, and how to maintain a good attitude to face challenges?
(Gaying in the same scene: Attacked appearance, Tsai Ing-wen responded: Questioning ability with gender, just blurring the focus)
In response to questions, President Tsai Ing-wen believes that the biggest challenge in life may be the struggle for what to do in the next stage of life when changing careers, but these transitions will bring new insights. He shared that after stepping down from the chairmanship of the Mainland Affairs Council, he had more time to spend with his family, and only then did he realize that his relatives still needed to be accompanied on the road of hard work.
Tsai Ing-wen also shared her secret to maintaining a positive attitude, that is, to eat well, sleep well, and to be able to withstand pressure and take care of Taiwan, you must take care of yourself first. He also wanted to say to himself eight years ago, "Learn to make a lot of people hate you. 」
In the face of criticism, President Tsai Ing-wen believes that the most important thing is to "understand what others are thinking", and as a president, he must cultivate "the courage to be hated" and be able to work with his staff to see the core issues behind emotions from criticism.
I think it's the hardest thing to learn about what the people who scold you are thinking, so I'll tell me eight years ago to be mentally ready.
President Tsai Ing-wen: If you don't have resources, you still have yourself
Photo: President Tsai Ing-wen
Another highlight of the forum was the wonderful Q&A between President Tsai Ing-wen and the youngest participant in the audience, Zhihan.
Actively participating in volunteer and women's activities, 14-year-old Zhihan hopes to exert her influence and promote the concept of diversity and inclusion. What he wants to know is: how to integrate personal resources and strengths to cultivate leadership in the absence of resources?
Develop the ability to observe people and build complementary relationships with those around you, and you will be a good leader, so resources are not important, you are the most important.
In the face of Zhihan's question, President Tsai Ing-wen showed a relieved look and said gently: "There are no more resources, you still have yourself." 」
President Tsai Ing-wen believes that as a leader, it is not necessarily the smartest and most resourceful person. A good leader is the one who is best at getting along with people and can combine the strengths of everyone to maximize the effectiveness of the team.
The President also encouraged Zhihan to develop the ability to "observe people", and to be a good leader when she can fully understand the personality, strengths and weaknesses of her team members, and complement others.
President Tsai Ing-wen's warmth, Zhihan's firm enthusiasm, mixed with warm applause and the audience's admiration, we have witnessed the inheritance of women's power from generation to generation. If the editor sees stability in President Tsai Ing-wen, then Zhihan gives us hope.
President Tsai Ing-wen: People don't necessarily win the day, but many people can be together
Photo: President Tsai Ing-wen, Women Fan and Founder and CEO Zhang Weixuan
In addition to on-site questions, before the event, we collected users' curiosity about President Tsai Ing-wen through question coupons, and Wei Xuan also asked what everyone wanted to know the most: As the first female president of Taiwan, she has created an unprecedented record.
Returning to the theme of "inclusion is more sustainable than competition", President Tsai Ing-wen believes that the key to breaking through the limitations is "unity", and he believes that it is not easy to change society by relying on the power of individuals, but if a group of people work together, there is a chance to win.
If a person wants to change the times, he needs many people to complete it with you, and Taiwan has indeed encountered more difficulties, so it is stronger than others, which is a gift from God.
President Tsai Ing-wen mentioned that to create a critical moment in history, we cannot rely on one person, but we need all people to work together and sincerely unite, and when everyone has the same understanding, the same mission, and the same mood of life and death, we can continue to move towards the target world, and he also believes that Taiwan is already on that path.
This is a special report of the 7th GWIS Tsai Ing-wen, for more exciting content of the event, please see: