Ms. Lai Meiching is a descendant of Chiu Fengjia, a famous Taiwanese gentry who resisted Japanese rule at the end of the 19th century. (her grandmother is the granddaughter of Chiu Fengjia).
She was born on November 26, 1933 in Taichung, Taiwan to Lai Jenjie (father) and Lin Yuehying (mother). She is the eldest daughter. She has three sisters: Shiujen, Huijen, Peijen, and their younger brother Chienchiu. Her education and growth were affected by World War II. She first attended Nippon Saiwai Elementary School in Taichung, and then transferred to Junggong Elementary School. After the war, she continued to attend Taichung Provincial No. 2 Middle School (junior high school), and the then one-year Taichung Home Economics School.
(High School), she has been good at mathematical logic since she was a child. She was pretty and smart, and was particularly loved by her elders and teachers. After graduation, she worked at the Central Bookstore in Taichung City. At the age of 28, she was introduced to Mr. Pan Tejen by the American missionary Rev.Glen Daniel Graber.
They married and raised three children, Aihua, Eddy and Yahui (Laurie). She was diligent in taking care of the house, honoring her parents-in-law and helping her husband’s relatives with their financial needs. When her children were young, she would find time to hand-make a highly profitable hook-type tie to help with the household finances. When her children were older and her expenses increased, she would use her summer vacation to work part-time at a holiday resort in Japan to help the family.