Independent candidate Yang Baozhen finds campaign office, visits local leaders

Yang Baozhen, a former spokesperson for the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), has launched an independent bid for a city council seat in Taichung's East-South District. Having left the TPP, Yang is now navigating the campaign trail without the support of a political party, a significant challenge in Taiwanese politics.

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I have found a campaign office, located at the border of the East and South districts.

Yang has secured a campaign office located at the border of the East and South districts. She is focusing her efforts on a grassroots approach, visiting village chiefs one by one to solicit opinions on improving municipal services. While acknowledging that some village chiefs may be hesitant due to existing relationships with incumbent councilors, Yang remains determined to connect with them.

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Now, all I can do is visit village chiefs one by one to solicit opinions on municipal affairs.

Without the endorsement of the TPP or the ability to campaign alongside prominent figures like former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je, Yang faces the challenge of generating public attention. She plans to compensate for this lack of party backing by actively engaging with residents and leveraging social media platforms to showcase local culinary offerings, aiming to garner support.

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Although some village chiefs find it difficult to meet with me due to their relationships with current city councilors, I will continue to work hard.

Yang recently met with Luo Wen-fu, the village chief of Quanyuan in the East District. Although Luo did not explicitly endorse her campaign, he allowed Yang to post a photo of their meeting on her Facebook page, an act that Yang found encouraging. She expressed her commitment to continuing her outreach efforts to village chiefs across the district.

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I was very moved that he agreed to let me post a photo of our meeting on Facebook.