List of presidents of the Republic of China

Not to be confused with the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China.

Not to be confused with the List of leaders of the Republic of China which implies self-proclaimed governments presidents of the Republic of China and warlords.

This is a list of the presidents of the Republic of China.

• Top left: Sun Yat-sen was the first President of the Provisional Government.
• Top right: Chiang Kai-shek was the first President under the 1947 Constitution.
• Bottom left: Lee Teng-hui was the first President directly elected by popular vote.
• Bottom right: Tsai Ing-wen was the first female President.

The Republic of China controlled Mainland China before 1949. In the fall of 1949, the ROC government retreated to Taiwan and surrounding islands as a result of the takeover of the mainland by the Chinese Communist Party and founding of the People's Republic of China. Since 1949, the Republic of China, now commonly known as "Taiwan", has only controlled Taiwan and nearby islands. Martial law ended in Taiwan in the 1980s and direct elections were introduced in 1996.

The official name of the office in Chinese has changed several times.

Year	Chinese	Mandarin Pinyin	Taiwanese Pe̍h-ōe-jī	Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ	English Translation
1912–1928	大總統	Dàzǒngtǒng	Tōa-chóng-thóng	Thai-chúng-thúng	Great President
1928–1947	國民政府主席	Guómín Zhèngfǔ Zhǔxí	Kok-bîn Chèng-hú Chú-se̍k	Koet-mìn Chṳn-fú Chú-si̍t	Chairman of the Nationalist Government[note 1]
1947–present	總統	Zǒngtǒng	Chóng-thóng	Chúng-thúng	President

List

Provisional Government:
  Tongmenghui
  Beiyang clique, etc.
Beiyang Government:
  Beiyang clique, etc.   Progressive Party/Research Clique   Communications Clique
Nationalist to Constitutional Government:
  Kuomintang   Democratic Progressive Party

Presidents of the Provisional Government
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Vice President		Assembly (elected)
1		Sun Yat-sen 孫中山 (1866–1925)	1 January 1912	10 March 1912	Tongmenghui		Li Yuanhong (Independent)	Provisional (1911)
2		Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 (1859–1916)	10 March 1912	10 October 1913	Beiyang clique		Li Yuanhong (Independent)	Provisional (1912)
Presidents of the Beiyang Government
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Vice President		Assembly (elected)
1		Yuan Shikai 袁世凱 (1859–1916)	10 October 1913	6 June 1916[note 2][note 3]	Beiyang clique		Li Yuanhong (Progressive)	1st (1913)
2		Li Yuanhong 黎元洪 (1864–1928)	7 June 1916	17 July 1917[note 4][note 5]	Progressive Party		Feng Guozhang (Zhili clique)
—		Feng Guozhang 馮國璋 (1859–1919) (acting)[note 6]	17 July 1917	10 October 1918	Zhili clique	Vacant
3		Xu Shichang 徐世昌 (1855–1939)	10 October 1918	2 June 1922[note 5]	Anhui clique	Vacant		2nd (1918)
—		Zhou Ziqi 周自齊 (1871–1923) (acting)[note 7]	2 June 1922	11 June 1922	Communications Clique	Vacant
(2)		Li Yuanhong 黎元洪 (1864–1928)	11 June 1922	13 June 1923[note 5]	Research Clique	Vacant
—		Gao Lingwei 高凌霨 (1868–1939) (acting)[note 8]	14 June 1923	10 October 1923	Zhili clique	Vacant
4		Cao Kun 曹錕 (1862–1938)	10 October 1923	2 November 1924[note 5]	Zhili clique	Vacant		(1923)
—		Huang Fu 黃郛 (1883–1936) (acting)[note 7]	2 November 1924	24 November 1924	Nonpartisan	Vacant
5		Duan Qirui[note 9] 段祺瑞 (1865–1936)	24 November 1924	20 April 1926[note 5]	Anhui clique	Vacant
								Vacant
—		Hu Weide[note 10] 胡惟德 (1863–1933) (acting)[note 7]	20 April 1926	13 May 1926	Zhili clique	Vacant
—		Yan Huiqing (W.W. Yan) 顏惠慶 (1877–1950) (acting)[note 8]	13 May 1926	22 June 1926	Nonpartisan	Vacant
—		Du Xigui 杜錫珪 (1875–1933) (acting)[note 7]	22 June 1926	1 October 1926	Zhili clique	Vacant
—		V.K. Wellington Koo 顧維鈞 (1888–1985) (acting)[note 8]	1 October 1926	17 June 1927[note 11]	Nonpartisan	Vacant
6		Zhang Zuolin[note 12] 張作霖 (1875–1928)	18 June 1927	4 June 1928[note 13]	Fengtian clique	Vacant
Chairman of the Nationalist Government[note 1]
No.	Portrait	Name[note 14] (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Assembly (elected)
1		Tan Yankai 譚延闓 (1880–1930)	7 February 1928	10 October 1928	Kuomintang		2nd National Congress of Kuomintang (4th plenum)
2		Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975)	10 October 1928	15 December 1931[note 11]	Kuomintang		2nd National Congress of Kuomintang (5th plenum)
—		Lin Sen 林森 (1868–1943)	15 December 1931[note 15]	1 August 1943[note 3]	Kuomintang
3							4th National Congress of Kuomintang (1st plenum)
—		Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975)	1 August 1943[note 16]	20 May 1948	Kuomintang
4							5th National Congress of Kuomintang (11th plenum)
Presidents after the 1947 Constitution
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Vice President		Term (elected)
1		Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975)	20 May 1948	21 January 1949[note 17]	Kuomintang		Li Zongren (Kuomintang)	1 (1948)
—		Li Zongren 李宗仁 (1890–1969) (acting)[note 6]	21 January 1949	20 November 1949	Kuomintang	Vacant
—		Yan Xishan 閻錫山 (1883–1960) (acting)[note 8]	20 November 1949	1 March 1950	Kuomintang	Vacant
(1)		Chiang Kai-shek 蔣中正 (1887–1975)	1 March 1950	5 April 1975[note 3]	Kuomintang		Li Zongren[note 18] (Kuomintang)
						Vacant
							Chen Cheng[note 19] (Kuomintang)	2 (1954)
								3 (1960)
						Vacant
							Yen Chia-kan (Kuomintang)	4 (1966)
								5 (1972)
2		Yen Chia-kan (C. K. Yen) 嚴家淦 (1905–1993)	5 April 1975	20 May 1978	Kuomintang	Vacant
3		Chiang Ching-kuo 蔣經國 (1910–1988)	20 May 1978	13 January 1988[note 3]	Kuomintang		Hsieh Tung-min (Kuomintang)	6 (1978)
							Lee Teng-hui (Kuomintang)	7 (1984)
4		Lee Teng-hui 李登輝 (1923–2020)	13 January 1988	20 May 2000	Kuomintang	Vacant
							Lee Yuan-tsu (Kuomintang)	8 (1990)
							Lien Chan (Kuomintang)	9 (1996)
5		Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 (born 1950)	20 May 2000	20 May 2008	Democratic Progressive		Annette Lu (DPP)	10 (2000)
								11 (2004)
6		Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 (born 1950)	20 May 2008	20 May 2016	Kuomintang		Vincent Siew (Kuomintang)	12 (2008)
							Wu Den-yih (Kuomintang)	13 (2012)
7		Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 (born 1956)	20 May 2016	20 May 2024	Democratic Progressive		Chen Chien-jen (Independent)	14 (2016)
							Lai Ching-te (DPP)	15 (2020)
8		Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (born 1959)	20 May 2024	Incumbent	Democratic Progressive		Hsiao Bi-khim (DPP)	16 (2024)

Timeline

Presidential age-related data (post-1947 Constitution)

Key:

  Dead

  Living

  Incumbent

#	President	Born	Age at start of presidency	Age at end of presidency	Post-presidency timespan	Lifespan
						Died	Age
01	Chiang Kai-shek	Oct 31, 1887	60 years, 202 days May 20, 1948	87 years, 156 days Apr 5, 1975	(died in office)	Apr 5, 1975	87 years, 156 days
02	Yen Chia-kan	Oct 23, 1905	69 years, 165 days Apr 6, 1975	72 years, 209 days May 20, 1978	15 years, 218 days	Dec 24, 1993	88 years, 62 days
03	Chiang Ching-kuo	Apr 27, 1910	68 years, 23 days May 20, 1978	77 years, 261 days Jan 13, 1988	(died in office)	Jan 13, 1988	77 years, 261 days
04	Lee Teng-hui	Jan 15, 1923	64 years, 363 days Jan 13, 1988	77 years, 126 days May 20, 2000	21 years, 71 days	Jul 30, 2020	97 years, 197 days
05	Chen Shui-bian	Oct 12, 1950	49 years, 221 days May 20, 2000	57 years, 221 days May 20, 2008	16 years, 362 days	2025-05-17(living)	74 years, 217 days
06	Ma Ying-jeou	Jul 13, 1950	57 years, 312 days May 20, 2008	65 years, 312 days May 20, 2016	8 years, 362 days	2025-05-17(living)	74 years, 308 days
07	Tsai Ing-wen	Aug 31, 1956	59 years, 263 days May 20, 2016	67 years, 263 days May 20, 2024	362 days	2025-05-17(living)	68 years, 259 days
08	Lai Ching-te	Oct 6, 1959	64 years, 227 days May 20, 2024	65 years, 223 days(incumbent)	(incumbent)	2025-05-17(living)	65 years, 223 days

Oldest living

Green text and an asterisk mark the inauguration date of a president older than any living ex-president. Other dates are the deaths of the then-oldest president.

President	Date range	Age at start	Age at end	Time span
Chiang Kai-shek	May 20, 1948* – April 5, 1975	60 years, 202 days	87 years, 156 days	26 years, 320 days
Yen Chia-kan	April 6, 1975* – December 24, 1993	69 years, 165 days	88 years, 62 days	18 years, 262 days
Lee Teng-hui	December 24, 1993 – July 30, 2020	70 years, 343 days	97 years, 197 days	26 years, 219 days
Ma Ying-jeou	July 30, 2020 – present	70 years, 17 days	74 years, 308 days(living)	4 years, 291 days

Graphical representation

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the presidents of the Republic of China (post-1947 Constitution) and they are listed in order of office.

The following chart shows presidents by their age (living presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue.

Gallery

• 
  Presidential Office of the Beiyang government (1912–1928) in Beijing
• 
  Presidential Office (occ. 1928–1937, 1946–1949) of the Nationalist government (1928–1948) and the Government of the Republic of China (1948–current) in Nanjing
• 
  Presidential Office (occ. 1950–current) of the Government of the Republic of China (1948–current) in Taipei

See also

• China portal
• Taiwan portal
• Politics portal

• List of presidents of the Republic of China by other offices held
• List of vice presidents of the Republic of China
• List of premiers of the Republic of China
• President of the Legislative Yuan
• List of presidents of the Judicial Yuan
• List of presidents of the Control Yuan
• List of presidents of the Examination Yuan
• List of rulers of Taiwan
• List of political office-holders of the Republic of China by age

Notes

1. Alternatively translated as "President of the National Government" on occasions of formality in various historical sources.
2. Proclaimed a new empire from 12 December 1915 to 22 March 1916.
3. Died in office.
4. Zhang Xun briefly restored the Qing Empire from 1 July to 12 July in 1917.
5. Forced out of office.
6. As Vice President.
7. As Acting Premier.
8. As Premier.
9. Provisional Chief Executive instead of President.
10. Acting Provisional Chief Executive instead of Acting President.
11. Resigned.
12. Zhang was the Generalissimo of the Beiyang Military Government instead of President.
13. Assassinated.
14. The Chairman of the Nationalist Government (國民政府) was the head of state in this period (political tutelage [zh]; 訓政時期). There was no office of Vice Chairman.
15. Assumed office as acting chairman from 15 December 1931 to 1 January 1932.
16. Assumed office as acting chairman from 1 June to 1o October 1943.
17. Declared incapacity.
18. Vice-President from 1948 to 1954; impeached and recalled in 1954.
19. Died on 5 March 1965.

External links

• Media related to Presidents of the Republic of China at Wikimedia Commons