Lu Shiow-yen
Lu Shiow-yen is a Taiwanese politician and former television presenter. She is the incumbent mayor of Taichung since 25 December 2018.
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.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. Her master's thesis was titled, "A study of national security and the Legislative Yuan's confidential budget review system".
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.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.2018 Taichung City mayor election
Lu resigned from the legislature in 20 November 2018 before the 2018 Taichung mayoral election, in which she defeated incumbent Lin Chia-lung.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.The Taichung City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau 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.
Senior media figure 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."
Democratic Progressive Party Taichung City Councilormembers also criticized the incident. Councilor 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.