Yu Tian (; born 18 February 1947), born Yu Tsing-yuan (), is a Taiwanese pop singer in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

and Hokkien. A member of the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalist and centre-left political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the Republic of China presidency and the unicameral Legislative Yuan, it is the majori ...

, Yu served as a member of the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...

from 2008 to 2012, and was reelected to the office in 2019.

Political career

Within the

, Yu Tian is allied with Yu Shyi-kun. He is also known for his support of Chen Shui-bian. Yu ran for New Taipei 3 in 2008, and defeated Kuomintang incumbent Chu Chun-hsiao by approximately 2,000 votes. Chu filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in an attempt to annul the election results. A separate case was brought against Yu supporter Wang Ying-lan, who was charged with making threats to the opposition. Wang was later released on bail. In November 2008, Yu and other DPP politicians publicly protested Ma Ying-jeou's meeting with Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman

Chen Yunlin Chen Yunlin (; born December 1941) was the chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), the body responsible for negotiations with Taiwan in the People's Republic of China in 2008–2013. Early life Chen was born ...

. The next year, Yu's DPP membership was suspended because he had failed to fulfill a fundraising quota. In 2010, Yu was named to Tsai Ing-wen's New Taipei mayoral campaign team. Though there was speculation that Yu would not receive DPP backing in a reelection bid, Yu was listed fourteenth on the Democratic Progressive Party's proportional representation party list, and expected to win. During the campaign, Kuomintang politicians accused Yu and others of gambling, and in response, Yu charged them with defamation. The Taiwan Competitiveness Forum regarded Yu Tian as a controversial figure prior to the start of his first legislative term. During his first term, Yu was ranked highly by the Citizen Congress Watch. In 2018, Yu was the only candidate to run in elections for the DPP chapter leadership in New Taipei. After

Gao Jyh-peng Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an imp ...

was removed from office, Yu Tian was named the DPP candidate for by-elections held in March 2019. Yu won 56,888 votes, and defeated Kuomintang candidate as well as independent Su Ching-yen. Yu took office on 21 March 2019. Yu was reelected to a full term in 2020.

Music career

Yu is best known for his 1977 release "Under the Banyan Tree", a Mandarin cover version of a Japanese song, and remained popular throughout the 1980s. In 2003, Yu founded the Taiwan Cultural Entertainment Development Association. Four years later, he launched a Kaohsiung-based entertainment labor union. Yu worked with

Chthonic The word chthonic (), or chthonian, is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''χθών, "khthon"'', meaning earth or soil. It translates more directly from χθόνιος or "in, under, or beneath the earth" which can be differentiated from Γῆ ...

on the 2011 album ''

Takasago Army ''Takasago Army'' is the sixth studio album by Taiwanese extreme metal band Chthonic, released in 2011. The title is a reference to the Takasago Volunteers in the Imperial Japanese Army, recruited from the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes during Worl ...

'' and formally announced a return to the entertainment industry upon losing the 2012 legislative elections.

Personal life

Yu is married to fellow entertainer . Yu and Lee have two daughters, Yu Shiao-ping and Yu Yuan-chi, and one son, . His family was the target of extortion by the Bamboo Union in 2005. Yu Tian's adopted younger brother was sentenced to death by Chinese authorities for attempting to smuggle heroin into the country in March 2005. Yu Tian's second daughter, Yu Yuan-chi, died of rectal cancer at Taipei Veterans General Hospital on August 21, 2022, aged 39.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Tian 1947 births Living people Taiwanese Hokkien pop singers Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriters Taiwanese actor-politicians Taiwanese Protestants Taiwanese people of Hoklo descent Converts to Protestantism from Buddhism Politicians of the Republic of China on Taiwan from Hsinchu New Taipei Members of the Legislative Yuan Members of the 7th Legislative Yuan Democratic Progressive Party Members of the Legislative Yuan Members of the 9th Legislative Yuan Members of the 10th Legislative Yuan