Isle of Time
Chen Bin

Chen Bin

Incorruptible Magistrate

Era

Early Qing

Lifespan

1656–1718

Biography

Chen Bin was a Qing official from Guangdong who served as magistrate of Taiwan County from 1704, earning widespread admiration for his incorruptibility in an era when frontier corruption was endemic. He refused bribes, abolished extortionate customary levies, promoted agricultural settlement, and established charity schools. His administration of Taiwan's southern plains helped stabilize the early Qing colonial society. Promoted to the Taiwan-Xiamen Circuit intendant, he maintained his reformist standards. After his death in 1718, grateful Taiwanese residents built a temple in his honor — a rare tribute to a mainland-appointed official — cementing his legacy as the model of honest governance in early Qing Taiwan.

Key Events
  • Appointed Taiwan County magistrate in 1704, renowned for integrity and reform

  • Honored with a temple by Taiwanese residents after his death