[1] His dissertation, The Influence of Equivalent Sand Roughness on the Dispersion Coefficient in Laboratory and Natural Watercourses, was completed in 1976.
[citation needed] He joined the Kuomintang,[4] and worked successively for the Taiwan Provincial Government,[1] where he was affiliated with the Institute of Harbor and Marine Technology,[5][6] the Ministry of Transportation and Communications,[1] where he became head of the Transportation Engineering Department,[7][8] and Kaohsiung City Government,[1] serving as deputy mayor under Frank Hsieh.
[4] While serving as deputy mayor of Kaohsiung, Hou was an adjunct professor at National Sun Yat-Sen University.
[11][12] In October 2007, legislator Sun Ta-chien [zh] alleged that Hou and Chen Che-nan suggested that work on 29 missile boats worth NT$15 billion for the Ministry of National Defense be shared between China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) and Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company, despite the fact that CSBC had won the bid and reached an agreement with the defense ministry on 24 June 2007.
[13] In August 2007, the Nantou District Court detained Hou on charges of influence peddling and bribery, suspecting him of involvement in seven flood control-related construction projects.