The following year, Mr. Chen again participated in the Joint College and University Entrance Examinations. This time, he ranked first among all students admitted into the NTU's department of law. During his junior year, he took the national bar examination and passed with the highest grade, becoming the nation's youngest lawyer at the time. Before he graduated from the university, Mr. Chen worked at a law office on international legal cases.

Later, he realized that the island of Taiwan had always maintained maritime contact with the outside world and relied on sea transportation to develop international trade and increase its strength. Therefore, Mr. Chen decided to become a specialist in maritime law. In 1975, Mr. Chen married Miss Wu Shu-chen, and he became a full-time lawyer. They have one daughter and one son.

In 1980, the "Kaohsiung Incident" resulted in the arrest of many activists, after a mass demonstration turned violent, with hundreds injured. The defendants were sent for trial under martial law. In effect, the arrests and trials consolidated the opposition's demands for changes in the government and focused world attention on the political situation in Taiwan. With the support of his wife, Mr. Chen became a member of the team of defense attorneys, acting as lawyer for Huang Hsin-chieh. Thus, Mr. Chen began to dedicate himself to politics.

Along with the other leaders of the opposition, Mr. Chen continued the work of the older generation in seeking freedom, human rights, and democracy for the people on Taiwan. He spread his opinions and theories on the parliamentary checks and balances, thus presenting the best defense in the "court of people's conscience" that freedom and human rights should be of the utmost importance, and democracy should be irreproachable.

In 1979, Mr. Chen ran for public office for the first time. He was elected as a member of the Fourth Taipei City Council with the highest number of votes. Adhering to his good conscience and viewing good and evil in terms of black and white, Mr. Chen became well-known for exposing injustice and incisively criticizing government administration.

In 1984, the libel case referred to as the "Formosa magazine incident" occurred. Since Mr. Chen was the director of the magazine, he was accused of libel. In 1985, after the court's decision in the first trial, Mr. Chen left his post as Taipei city councilman and returned to his hometown in Tainan County to run for county magistrate. He was defeated by a narrow margin, as a result of the KMT's concerted efforts.

On November 18, 1985, while Mr. Chen was thanking voters for their support, his wife was hit by an improvised tractor-truck. Although Mrs. Chen's life was saved, the lower part of her body became paralyzed even after several operations. The pain of the accident has since all the more strengthened his determination to support and assist the weak.

In 1986, Mr. Chen was sentenced to eight months in prison for criminal libel. On June 10, he began serving his sentence in the Tucheng Penitentiary along with Huang Tien-fu and Lee Yi-yang, two other defendants in the same case. This was the most difficult time for the Chen family. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Chen shared a very strong affection toward each other and continuously supported and encouraged each other.

At the end of 1986, Mrs. Chen was elected to the Legislative Yuan. After Mr. Chen was released from prison in 1987, he joined the Democratic Progressive Party and served as assistant to Mrs. Chen, while continuing to practice law.

In December 1989, Mr. Chen was elected to the Legislative Yuan under the call for justice, progress, and security, and he took the post as the first executive director of the DPP caucus. In December 1992, he was re-elected. During his term as a legislator, Mr. Chen urged replacing political struggle with policy debate, greatly changing the opposition party's attitude and opening additional opportunities for political participation.

Mr. Chen was the first to set up a legislator's office and concentrated his efforts on professionalism. He was also the first legislator from an opposition party to become the convener of the National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan.

Mr. Chen proposed placing the command of the armed forces directly under the nation, laying a legal foundation for intelligence units, unifying military administration and military command, and making military procurements public. Mr. Chen also dedicated his efforts to protecting the rights of servicemen and consequently received praise as the best legislator by many professional groups and journalists reporting on legislative affairs.

In the party, Mr. Chen moderated DPP statements on Taiwan independence. In 1988, the DPP released its policy statements on "Taiwan Independent Sovereignty" and "Self-determination by the People of Taiwan." Mr. Chen coordinated with party factions and advocated the "four if's," as the premise for DPP's advocacy of Taiwan independence in order to demonstrate the fundamental spirit of communication and dialogue among the entire citizenry.

The "four if's" were: If the KMT and the Chinese communists unilaterally carry out peace talks; if the KMT sells out the interests of the Taiwan people; if the Chinese communists annex Taiwan; and if the KMT does not truly implement constitutional democracy.

In 1991, based on the principle that sovereignty belongs to the people, the DPP was prepared to establish a Taiwan nation as its goal. Mr. Chen suggested adding in the procedures: "Based on the principle that sovereignty belongs to the people, the issue should be decided by the entire populace on Taiwan through a referendum."

Thus, the DPP independence platform was revised to include a plebiscite, which would accommodate dialogue among different ideological groups. This represents Mr. Chen's well-considered, rational, and pragmatic approach to cross-strait relations to open opportunities for historic dialogue and progress.

Mr. Chen has always abided by his motto "Do your best for whatever the job requires." This fully demonstrates his attitude that preparedness ensures success. In August 1993, in order to prepare for the first-term popularly elected provincial governor and city mayors scheduled for 1994, he set up the Chen Shui-bian Municipal Administration Center to host lectures and seminars to get acquainted with city administration and planning.

When he was nominated by the DPP, Mr. Chen proposed the idea of "Happy Citizenry and City of Hope," emphasizing citizenship and the cooperation and coexistence of the four ethnic groups. He was elected and became the first popularly elected Taipei mayor, after the city was elevated to the status of a special municipality in 1967.

This was the first time the position of Taipei mayor was held by an opposition political party. Talent and ability, rather than ethnic origins or party affiliation, were the basic requirements of Mr. Chen's city administration. He transformed the Taipei City Government into a new team by realizing the conceptual revolution of administering city government with entrepreneurship, professionalism, resolve, and task orientation.

In his inaugural speech as Taipei mayor, he outlined three points as the focus of his administration: establishing a clean government, promoting efficiency, and conveniently serving the public. His administration also consistently emphasized the principles of citizenry, strengthening social welfare and cultural leisure activities, and reforming transportation and communications, education, and urban development.

During Mr. Chen's term of office as Taipei mayor, Taipei citizens generally praised his achievements and efforts. Significant progress was made in such areas as supervising the schedules of large-scale construction works, improving Taipei's traffic and opening the Taipei Rapid Transit Systems (TRTS), expanding the city's sewage system, promoting the Taipei Art Festival and Lantern Festival, and eliminating electronic game arcades and other specially licensed businesses.

The improvement of Taipei's civil administration and the quality services provided by the Mucha line of the TRTS were awarded the ISO 9002 certificate. Taipei City was ranked as the fifth-best city in Asia for quality of life in 1998 by Asian Week magazine (formerly ranked below ten). Mr. Chen was selected as one of the one hundred top world leaders of the new century by Time magazine and one of the top fifty future Asian leaders by Asian Week magazine.

Mr. Chen advocates "letting Taipei go out and the world come in," as a part of his concept of promoting city-state diplomacy and enhancing national consciousness to prevent Taiwan from vanishing from the international scene. During his term of office as mayor, Taipei established 14 sister-city relationships and one partner-city relationship. In 1998, Taipei hosted the first World Capitals Forum, with 58 countries and 67 cities participating, thus expanding Taiwan's diplomacy and increasing its international visibility.

In December 1998, Mr. Chen stated, after losing his re-election bid for the mayor's office, "Indifference to a progressive team is a phenomenon of a great city." The people urged him to run for the presidency instead. Although defeated, he did not give up. On the contrary, he clearly realizes that politicians need to make continuous progress in order to fulfill the high expectations of the people and win their confidence.

After his departure from the mayor's office, Mr. Chen has engaged in quiet study and sought advice from many sectors of society. In 1999, he began a fact-finding journey throughout the island, listening to what people say and considering the country's future. He also visited Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia to discuss the establishment of a collective security system in the Asia-Pacific region.

He also traveled to the United States and held talks with outstanding research institutes and leading policy-makers, claiming that the security of Taiwan was essential to international stability. Even as a private citizen when out of office, Mr. Chen showed his concern for Taiwan's development and security under the impact of globalization.

In view of Taiwan's many differences in ethnic identity and ideology, Mr. Chen advocated a "New Middle Road," focusing on national security during his campaign for the second direct presidential election of the Republic of China. He supported the ideals of forgiving wrongs, transcending differences, and elevating political thought. While emphasizing clear and firm concepts, he insisted on tolerant and pragmatic approaches to policy implementation.

In July 1999, Mr. Chen accepted the nomination of the Democratic Progressive Party as its candidate for the 2000 presidential election. In his speech "New Politics is the Good Foundation for Taiwan's Next Century," he urged the people to cooperate in terminating the "black gold system" (money politics) and to implement a change of ruling parties. Subsequently, he advocated establishing a "Young Taiwan and Energetic Government" to sustain Taiwan's vitality.

During the campaign, Mr. Chen asserted that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should uphold the principles of "Goodwill Reconciliation, Active Cooperation, and Permanent Peace," thereby initiating the normalization of their bilateral relationship. Since permanent peace is not only the most rational and highest goal, but is also the ethical duty of a head-of-state, Mr. Chen has continuously expressed his goodwill to the Chinese mainland and opened the possibility of holding dialogue and conducting cooperation, under the premise of maintaining sovereignty, dignity, and security.

On March 18, 2000, Mr. Chen Shui-bian and Ms. Hsiu-lien Annette Lu were elected as the tenth-term president and vice president of the Republic of China. With their inauguration on May 20, 2000, the peaceful transfer of presidential power to another political party is an constant reminder that the democratic process is rapidly maturing in Taiwan and is an outstanding example for developing democracies around the world, as well as the Chinese mainland.

Shortly after he was elected, Mr. Chen invited the Minister of National Defense Mr. Tang Fei, a member of the KMT, to form a "Government for all People," with a balanced representation of both men and women. Mr. Chen considers honesty and professionalism in the new government as essential for the overall benefit of the economy, politics, and cross-strait relations. Developing Taiwan into a high-tech "Green Silicon Island," promoting permanent peace in the Taiwan Strait through a consensus on the island, and dedicating the national spirit and achievements to the world are the major themes of the Chen administration.

Mr. Chen is the author of The Son of Taiwan and other books. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws and an Honorary Doctorate in Political Science by Kyungnam University and Yong-In University, respectively, in Korea, and an Honorary Doctorate in Economics by Plekhanov Academy of Economics in Russia.

In December 1999, at the invitation of Professor Anthony Giddens, the Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science, he delivered a speech titled "The New Middle Road for Taiwan: A New Political Perspective" and explained his political philosophy.