Rao Ying-chi, former deputy speaker of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, has died at the age of 93. Former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lai Kun-cheng publicly recalled the electoral contests between the two men in Taitung years ago, marking the end of an era for both the Kuomintang and Taitung's local political scene.

• Rao Ying-chi was a KMT elder who went undefeated for years in Taitung politics, serving as the party caucus secretary-general and deputy speaker of the Legislative Yuan.
• Lai Kun-cheng was drafted by the DPP twice, in 1993 and 1996, to challenge Rao Ying-chi. He lost both races, but the vote gap narrowed each time.
• In the early years, Taitung's local pan-blue camp was split between the Rao faction and the Cheng Lieh faction, and it was through this crack that the DPP gained a foothold.
• Though they stood on opposite political sides, the two men bore no grudge, with Lai Kun-cheng describing Rao Ying-chi as having the bearing of a traditional local gentleman.

Outlook: As this generation of local faction figures passes from the scene, Taitung's pan-blue landscape faces a fresh round of realignment.