[1][2] The term refers to the obtaining of money (the "gold") through a dark, secretive, and corrupt method ("black", an adjective in Chinese that also means illegal or illicit).
The party has had a long association with underground societies, and its founder Sun Yat-sen had joined the Triads to gain support for the Republican Revolution.
As a result, the party made concessions to local "crime bosses", such as the notorious Du Yuesheng in Shanghai, who were well-connected with its longtime leader, Chiang Kai-shek.
However, Chen's presidential administration has been criticized, including by former colleagues and supporters, for exploiting their control of government for personal wealth in, a typical black-gold manner.
Campaigning on a "save Taiwan from corruption" platform, the KMT-led pan-blue coalition won 16 of 23 county and town offices and became the majority party at the local level.