鄭麗文的成長背景具有鮮明的戲劇性與韌性。她於1969年11月12日出生於臺灣雲林縣一個典型的農業家庭，家中長女，父親為小農，母親操持家務，家境平凡但充滿人情味。她的祖籍在中國大陸的雲南，這段血脈背景在她後來的兩岸論述中起到了潛在的底色。從小，她就展現出與鄉野生活格格不入的倔強與好奇心，經常在田間奔跑，聽長輩講述祖國大陸的故事，這些經歷在她幼小的心靈中播下政治關懷的種子。

就讀小學時，鄭麗文展現強烈正義感，擔任班長，喜歡組織同學討論公平與規則。高中階段，她轉入彰化女中，在嚴格管教下學會自律，也培養出叛逆與獨立精神。1980年代的臺灣正值解嚴前夕，社會運動興起，鄭麗文私下閱讀禁書，關注野百合學運前身的街頭抗議，並親身參與學生運動，曾因抗議而被警方短暫拘留。這些經歷讓她深刻理解政治不僅是書本上的知識，而是需要行動與勇氣。她後來回憶道：“雲林的泥土教會我堅韌，街頭讓我懂得聲音的力量。”這份草根背景使她在政壇中容易與選民拉近距離，也獲得國民黨基層共鳴。

在學歷方面，鄭麗文的求學歷程充滿國際視野與專業深度。1987年，她考入臺灣大學法律系，主修憲法與行政法，並擔任學生會幹部，組織辯論賽，展現出政治敏銳度與領導能力。大學畢業後，她赴美攻讀費城天普大學法學碩士，專注國際法與人權議題，親身參與校園抗議，並撰寫關於少數族群權利的論文。隨後，她赴英國劍橋大學攻讀國際關係博士，研究兩岸關係的地緣政治，並訪談多位大陸學者，培養務實外交理念。她曾自述：“台大教我規則，天普讓我質疑，劍橋讓我遠眺。”這些學術歷練不僅是簡歷上的光環，更成為她政見和兩岸政策理念的理論支撐。

鄭麗文的當選被視為國民黨內部轉型的重要象徵，也標誌著臺灣政壇女性領導力的持續崛起。她將如何在低迷時期帶領這個百年老店重振旗鼓、拓展政治影響力，成為各界高度關注的焦點。

On October 18, 2025, the Kuomintang (KMT) held its party chair election, in which former legislator Cheng Liwen emerged victorious, becoming the second female chairperson in the party’s history, following Hung Hsiu-chu. Cheng’s election marked not only her personal success but also symbolized the KMT’s effort to reinvent itself amid political challenges. She garnered widespread support from the party’s grassroots with her outspoken personality, cross-party political experience, and pragmatic stance on cross-strait relations. One of her stated goals is “to let all Taiwanese proudly and confidently say ‘I am Chinese,’” reflecting her intention to establish a new direction both within the party and in its external positioning.

Cheng Liwen’s upbringing and personal story are marked by resilience and determination. She was born on November 12, 1969, in Yunlin County, Taiwan, to a typical agricultural family as the eldest daughter. Her father was a small-scale farmer, and her mother managed household affairs. Her ancestral roots trace back to Yunnan in mainland China, a background that subtly informs her cross-strait perspective. From a young age, Cheng exhibited curiosity and tenacity, often running through the fields and listening to elders recount stories of the mainland, planting early seeds of political awareness in her mind.

In elementary school, she showed a strong sense of justice, serving as class monitor and organizing discussions on fairness. During high school at Changhua Girls’ High School, strict discipline fostered her self-discipline while nurturing her independent and rebellious spirit. Growing up in the politically charged environment of 1980s Taiwan, Cheng secretly read banned books and followed student movements such as the precursor to the Wild Lily Student Movement. She actively participated in street protests and was briefly detained by police, experiences that taught her that politics is about action as much as knowledge. She later reflected, “The soil of Yunlin taught me resilience; the streets taught me the power of voice.” This grassroots background helped her connect with voters and earned her resonance among KMT rank-and-file members.

Academically, Cheng pursued an internationally oriented and rigorous path. In 1987, she entered the National Taiwan University Law Department, majoring in constitutional and administrative law, while serving in the student council and organizing debate competitions. After her undergraduate studies, she pursued a Master’s in Law at Temple University in Philadelphia, focusing on international law and human rights, participating in campus activism, and researching minority rights. She later attended Cambridge University in the United Kingdom as a doctoral candidate in International Relations, studying the geopolitics of cross-strait relations and interviewing mainland scholars, cultivating a pragmatic approach to diplomacy. She described her educational journey as: “NTU taught me rules, Temple taught me to question, and Cambridge taught me to look afar.” These academic experiences provided not only prestige but also the theoretical foundation for her political views and policy positions.

Cheng Liwen’s election is widely seen as a symbol of internal transformation within the KMT and the continuing rise of female leadership in Taiwanese politics. How she will guide the century-old party through a period of decline and expand its political influence remains a focal point for observers across Taiwan and beyond.