Tsai Chieh-sheng

Cai Jiesheng, born in Fenggang Village, Fangshan Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan, has both Taiwanese and Hakka ancestry. Within his ethnic background, he no longer speaks Hakka but uses Taiwanese (Hokkien), belonging to the "Fujian-Hokkien Hakka" group. Details regarding his birth year and specific early education experiences are not publicly documented.

During World War II, Cai Jiesheng was introduced by friends to work in Northeast China in the pseudo-Manchukuo as a mechanical maintenance technician, avoiding conscription as a "Taiwanese Japanese soldier" and not participating in military campaigns in Southeast Asia. Reports indicate that while in Northeast China, he studied aircraft maintenance at a technical school. Subsequently, he worked on repairing Japanese aircraft in Manchukuo. Some sources suggest he was responsible for maintaining Zero fighters, which were mainly used in Japan’s invasion of China. Hong Kong media claimed that Cai Jiesheng was a "Imperial Subject" and served in the Japanese Kwantung Army. As one of the few young pilots sent to Japan to learn aircraft maintenance, after the war, he returned to Taiwan and engaged in car repair and freight businesses, accumulating capital.

After the war, Cai Jiesheng started a business in Pintung, establishing freight and automobile repair shops, mainly serving U.S. military personnel stationed in Taiwan. Through investments in land, real estate, and hotels, he became an important local real estate magnate. It is also known that he supported domestic political movements outside of established parties and served as a behind-the-scenes benefactor.

Family-wise, Cai Jiesheng had a daughter, Cai Yueying, with his first wife Liu Shengzai. With his second wife Liang Yuzhan, he had eldest son Cai Yingnan. With his third wife Yang Aguai, he fathered five children: Cai Fengjiao, Cai Yingren, Cai Yingjun, Cai Yingru, and Cai Yingzheng. Additionally, with his fourth wife Zhang Jinfeng, he had four children: Cai Yingling, Cai Yingyang, Cai Yingming, and the well-known Cai Ing-wen. Zhang Jinfeng also brought in a son, Zhang Bonian.

Regarding Cai Jiesheng’s ancestral origin, existing Taiwanese records state Fenggang Village, Fangshan Township, Pingtung County, but research indicates his ancestors migrated from Zhaoan, Zhangzhou area in Fujian Province approximately 200 years ago. They moved from Zhangzhou to Tainan and later spread throughout Pingtung. There are also rumors claiming his ancestors were Cai Panlong, a second-rank general credited with pacifying Taiwan during the Qing Dynasty, but no definite evidence supports this.

In his personal life, Cai Jiesheng fathered eleven children, lived in a luxurious residence, and possessed considerable wealth. His nickname “Dahgou” (Big Dog) was well-known among local villagers. Coming from a family that adhered to traditional Hakka values emphasizing education, Cai Jiesheng placed great importance on his children’s schooling, with most achieving higher education. He died in July 2006 at the age of 88 and was buried in Xindian District, New Taipei City.

In public affairs, in March 2018, the Xindian Police Department in Taiwan dispatched personnel to patrol his family’s ancestral tomb and nearby intersections, conducting traffic and drunk-driving checks, reflecting that his family’s influence still maintained a certain presence in society.