Cheng Chao-fang land conversion and political allegations

Allegations have emerged regarding the family of Cheng Chao-fang, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for Hsinchu County Magistrate, involving potential land conversion in Shenqu Village, Zhudong. Reports suggest an attempt to rezone approximately 180,000 pings of forest and recreational land for use as a funeral park and construction soil site, a move estimated to yield profits exceeding 25 billion TWD.

While the Hsinchu County Government stated there are no official records of such an application, media reports claim representatives of the Cheng family met with former Magistrate Yang Wen-ke in early 2023 to discuss the proposal. Cheng’s campaign has denied involvement in any secret meetings or land-use schemes, labeling the claims as “political smear tactics.” Additionally, commentator Wu Tzu-chia has accused the candidate’s brother of using Triad-linked individuals to intimidate whistleblowers.

The controversy has expanded into the broader Hsinchu County election. Political opponents, including Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hsu Hsin-ying and local representative candidate Huang Yu-wen, have criticized Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim for attending Cheng’s campaign events. Opponents have urged the Vice President to avoid validating what they describe as “family politics” and “black gold” controversies, while also accusing the campaign of masking its party affiliation in promotional materials.