Chang Yung-fa CBE (6 October 1927 – 20 January 2016) was a Taiwanese businessman. He founded and chaired the Evergreen Group.
Biography
Chang was born in Su'ao,[1] while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. When he was seven, the family moved to Keelung.[2] After graduating from Taipei Commercial High School at the age of 18, he went to work in the Taiwan office of a Japanese shipping line. He continued his education by taking night classes at a vocational school in Taiwan.[3]
After World War II, he joined the seagoing staff of a local shipping company as third officer. His subsequent career was spent with various local companies and he progressed through the ranks to captain.
In 1961, Chang and some friends jointly established a shipping company and, having helped this company to develop, he decided to branch out on his own, establishing Evergreen Marine Corporation on 1 September 1968 with just one secondhand 15,000-ton vessel, Central Trust.