Kuo Yao-chi

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Kuo Yao-chi (Chinese: 郭瑤琪; pinyin: Guō Yáoqí; born 13 March 1956) is a Taiwanese administrative official who served as former Minister of Transportation and Communications.^[1]

Kuo Yao-chi was fascinated in music since childhood and had won the first place of Taoyuan County Junior Piano Competition. Kuo graduated from National Cheng Kung University's Department of Urban Planning; she went to England where she earned her master's degree in Urban Development and the New Town Development from the University of London. Kuo passed the National Higher Examination for Urban Planning and was one of the few excellent female executives from the grassroots in Taiwan.

Kuo started her occupation as an assistant researcher at the Urban Design and Environmental Planning Lab in Tamkang University, a planner in the Taiwan Housing and Urban Development Bureau, senior planner in the Taipei Urban Planning Committee, section chief of the Public Works Bureau, and Information Team Leader. Kuo once handled a major urban planning project, saved more than 260 million NT dollar of public funds for the Taipei City Government and had been awarded an excellent performance by the Taipei City Government. Because of her devotion to work, she was appreciated by colleagues and the major. Kuo was promoted as a secretary general of the Public Works Bureau and after that the first female director general of the Public Housing Department in the Taipei City Government. Kuo had successfully solved sea sand houses, slanted houses, and radiation houses problems. She was reforming public housing rental management system, abolishing unfair manner priority waiting roster, and the first to create leasehold housing for low-income families. In year 2000, Kuo served as a director of Public Affairs of the Presidential Office, minister without portfolio, and chair of the Public Construction Commission of the Executive Yuan in 2002. Meanwhile, she also served as the CEO of the 921 Post-earthquake Disaster Recovery Commission to accelerate the reconstruction works in the aftermath of the 1999 Jiji earthquake (known as the "921 earthquake" in Taiwan). For Kuo's great achievement in recovering and revitalizing the 1999 earthquake disaster areas, she was elected as the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award of the National Cheng Kung University in 2004.

In year 2006, Kuo served as a minister of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Republic of China. One of her great achievement was to complete and officially open the 12.9 km Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) -- Asia's longest and the world's fourth-longest.^[2] However, she resigned her commission being responsible for the policy of electronic toll collection system (ETC).

Kuo Yao-chi is a devout Buddhist, often participates in the religious and social welfare activities, such as continuing to care the Xiao-lin Village reconstruction, assist surviving families’ livelihoods, initiated "School Nest” volunteer activities, and involving herself as a volunteer teacher. She brings the community together to care for children of low-income families in Tataocheng (大稻埕) area. Currently she is also caring for elderly parents with dementia..