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John Chang

John Hsiao-yen Chang (sometimes styled John H. Chiang 章孝嚴, pinyin: Zhāng Xiàoyán; born May 2, 1941) is a politician in the Republic of China on Taiwan and one of the leading figures in the Kuomintang.

He and his twin brother, Winston Chang (Chang Hsiao-tzu; 孝慈 Xiaoci; later president of Soochow University in Taipei), were born the sons of Chiang Ching-kuo and Chang Ya-juo (章亞若) in Guilin, but took their mother's surname as they were born out of wedlock. They have no wish to change their surname, although they both were born with the Chiang generation name of Hsiao shared by all children of Chiang Ching-kuo. Recently he took the style of John H. Chiang in English [1]. Most Chiangs nowadays do not wish to see the Changs going to Fenghua, the ancestral home town of the Chiangs, to worship the Chiang ancestors.

Chang Ya-juo died when the brothers were one in August 1942, and they were raised by his Chang Ya-juo's younger brother, Chang Hau-juo (章浩若) and his wife Chi Chen (紀琛). Their uncles and aunts were listed as their birth parents on official documents until December 2002. Chou Chin-hua (周錦華), the boys' maternal grandmother, and the 7-year-old brothers moved to Taiwan to escape the warring Mainland. The Chang Brothers went to Soochow University at the same time. Hsiao-tsu, who also joined Kuomintang, became a relatively minor official.

He formerly served as foreign minister, vice premier, and secretary-general (both in the KMT and of the presidential office in 1990s under Lee Teng-hui. He is currently a member of the Legislative Yuan since 2001.

He has two daughters and a son, all surnamed Chang, with Helen H. Huang (黃美倫). The daughters are Hui-lan (惠蘭) and Hui-yun (惠筠). The son is Wan-an (萬安).

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