As the widow of the late DPP legislator Lu Hsiu-yi  盧修一, the name Tchen Yu-chiou, the director of Taiwan Council for Cultural Planning and Development, is inextricably linked with her late husband's. Tchen hails from a family of artists and is herself a pianist. As an administrator, she has worked as director of the Institute of Arts at National Taiwan Normal University, and is currently the chairperson of the Snowy Egret Foundation for Culture and Education.

Influenced by her father, Tchen Yu-chiou fell in love with art from a young age, while also displaying her talents for the piano and distinguishing herself as a top student throughout her school years. After testing into Taipei First Girls' High School and winning admission to the accelerated class, she admitted to her father that she was interested in the field of music. Applauding her determination at such a young age, Chen Hui-kun encouraged her, and she won a Ministry of Education scholarship to go to Europe to immerse herself in piano studies.

"To study music, one must suffer. After just one day without practicing your hands get sluggish," says Tchen Yu-chiou. Tchen was deeply affected by her father's passion for painting. As a young girl, whenever her older sister and younger brother went out to play, Tchen stayed inside to practice piano. In 1975, Tchen was graduated from the National Institute of Music in Paris with highest honors. At the time, her dream was to become a world-class concert pianist. That is, until she met Lu Hsiu-yi, who had also gone to Europe for advanced study. Meeting Lu turned Tchen's life in a completely different direction. "Lu Hsiu-yi said France could do with or without me, but if we went back to Taiwan, as long as we worked hard our efforts would help our country," Tchen recalls.

Upon returning to Taiwan, Lu Hsiu-yi taught at university and was considered a future star among Kuomintang scholars. Yet before long Lu was imprisoned, a victim of the "White Terror". For three years, Tchen dragged her three children to the prison to visit her husband. For two years after his release from prison, Lu Hsiu-yi was unable to find employment, putting the burden on Tchen to bring home the family's bacon.

Lu Hsiu-yi became one of the founding members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 1986, commencing his political career. Tchen accompanied Lu everywhere, helping him with administrative work and contacts with the public, and helping take her out of the ivory tower of the arts. Applying her expertise.

Since accepting her new position as chairwoman of the Council for Cultural Affairs, Tchen has stressed in many interviews with the media that culture must ultimately take root.  Tchen believes the Council for Cultural Affairs should support the principle of cultural diversity, with equal attention to Taiwanese, aboriginal, Chinese, and Western cultures.

Explaining her belief in cultural diversity, she says, "The roots of Taiwanese culture were absorbed over several centuries of assimilation and accumulation from various diverse cultures. This has enriched it."

Citing the example of 19th-century France, Tchen says that the French had the breadth of mind to accept and assimilate different cultures, allowing foreign cultures to inspire local life and provide rich sustenance, resulting in a magnificent culture. Tchen's favorite 19th-century Impressionist composer, Claude Debussy, assimilated and incorporated Oriental colors into his music.

Despite having experienced political challenges after taking the office, Tchen remains firmly centered, perhaps due to her artistic cultivation. Lu Hsiu-yi never asked her to join the DPP, and neither she nor her husband ever tried to force their children to share their own ideology.

Other than performing music, Tchen Yu-chiou's plans never included being married to a politician, becoming director of a university arts institute, or heading the Council for Cultural Affairs. And although each step marks a major transition in her life, "It makes my life very rich." Surely, she has no regrets.

Information in this page was obtained from Sinorama website