Lu Shiow-yen
Taiwanese politician and television presenter
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Lu Shiow-yen (Chinese: 盧秀燕; pinyin: Lú Xiùyàn; born 31 August 1961) is a Taiwanese politician and former television presenter. She is the incumbent mayor of Taichung since 25 December 2018.[1]
- Bruce Linghu
Chen Zi-jing
Huang Guo-rong
Lu Shiow-yen | |
|---|---|
盧秀燕 | |
Official portrait, 2018 | |
| 3rd Mayor of Taichung | |
| Assumed office 25 December 2018 | |
| Deputy | See list
|
| Preceded by | Lin Chia-lung |
| Member of the Legislative Yuan | |
| In office 1 February 2008 – 20 November 2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Shen Chih-hwei |
| Constituency | Taichung 2→Taichung 5 |
| In office 1 February 1999 – 20 November 2008 | |
| Constituency | Taichung |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 August 1961 |
| Party | Kuomintang |
| Spouse | Liao Shu-chia |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | National Chengchi University (BA) Tamkang University (MA) |
Early life and education
Lu was born on August 31, 1961, in Keelung. Her father was a soldier from Shandong, China, and her mother was from a prominent Taiwanese family in Hsinchu. Her mother, along with her maternal grandparents, lived for eight years in Japan, where her maternal grandfather studied at the Japanese Central Railway School.[2]
After high school, Lu graduated from National Chengchi University with a bachelor's degree in land administration. In 2004, she earned a master's degree from Tamkang University in international affairs.[3] Her master's thesis was titled, "A study of national security and the Legislative Yuan's confidential budget review system" (國家安全與立法院機密預算審查制度).[4]
Early career
After college, Lu was a journalist for the Chinese Television System, where she became the director of its press center. She won a Golden Bell Award in 1990.[5][6]
Political career
Prior to winning her first election to the Legislative Yuan in 1998, Lu served a single term on the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council.[7][8]
2018 Taichung City mayor election
Lu resigned from the legislature in 20 November 2018 before the 2018 Taichung mayoral election,[9] in which she defeated incumbent Lin Chia-lung.[10]
Drumming Incident
On October 18, 2025, Lu Shiow-Yen played the conga drumat the opening ceremony of the 21st Taichung Jazz Festival. However, due to stage lighting issues, Lu's face was illuminated by an intense green spotlight, making her facial features almost unrecognizable, leaving only the outline and her smiling mouth, resulting in a bizarre visual effect.[11]
The Taichung City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau (Chinese: 台中市文化局) responded that the stage lighting was managed by professional technicians. Regarding the color deviation issue during the opening ceremony, the bureau required the organizers and lighting team to review and adjust their setup to prevent similar situations in future performances and ensure visual quality.[12]
Senior media figure Wen Langdong revealed that the organizer of the festival was the Cultural Affairs Bureau itself, and the co-organizing contractor was the sole bidder in the government tender. This makes the bureau's claim of shifting responsibility to the "organizers and lighting team" appear contradictory. Commentator Clara Chou reacted, calling it "supernatural."[13]
Democratic Progressive Party Taichung City Councilormembers also criticized the incident. Councilor Chen Yu-Rong stated that Lu's actions turned the festival into a "personal stage political show," and argued that the Taichung City Government's urban marketing strategy had long focused excessively on the mayor's personal image, resulting in public perception of "Lu Shiow-Yen everywhere" and causing public fatigue.[14]
| 2018 Kuomintang Taichung City mayoral primary results[15] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Place | Results | ||
| Lu Shiow-yen | Nominated | 50.308% | ||
| Johnny Chiang | 2nd | 49.692% | ||
| 2018 Taichung City mayoral results[16] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage | |
| 1 | Song Yuan-tong (宋原通) | .svg){kind=icon} Independent | 15,919 | 1.09% | |
| 2 | Lin Chia-lung | Democratic Progressive Party | 619,855 | 42.35% | |
| 3 | Lu Shiow-yen |  Kuomintang | 827,996 | 56.57% | .svg){kind=small} |
| Total voters | 2,213,789 | ||||
| Valid votes | 1,463,770 | ||||
| Invalid votes | |||||
| Voter turnout | 66.12% | ||||
