From 1978 to 1986, he was a member of the
Hsinchu County Council. In 1986, Fan was elected to the
National Assembly and served until 1990. He ran for the magistracy of Hsinchu County as an independent in 1989, and joined the
Democratic Progressive Party shortly after winning the office. In 1993, Fan won a second term. He was succeeded as magistrate by
Lin Kuang-hua. Fan was subsequently appointed to Lin's vacant seat on the
Legislative Yuan, taking office on 26 January 1998. Fan was elected speaker of the
Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council, and left that position to assume leadership of the
Council of Agriculture in 2002. as farmers and fishermen's collectives protested attempts to reform credit unions related to those industries. Premier
Yu Shyi-kun accepted Fan's resignation two days later, and Fan officially left office on 2 December. In July 2009, Fan and
Hsu Jung-shu were invited to the
Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum. Though the Democratic Progressive Party advised both not to go, both made the trip, resulting in the suspension of Fan and Hsu's party membership. Before he could be formally expelled, Fan withdrew from the DPP. In 2010, Fan again visited China with a group of
Pan-Blue politicians. Later that year, Fan resigned his post as adviser to President
Ma Ying-jeou after the Hsinchu District Court convicted Fan on corruption charges dating back to Fan's tenure as
Hsinchu County Magistrate. ==References==