The Orphan of Asia
Dayou Luo, the music icon of the Chinese-speaking world Growing up in Taiwan, Dayou Luo was my idol. Like me, he was told to take piano lessons at a very young age. He also studied hard and went to good schools. However, soon after he became a doctor, he gave up his medical career, picked up the guitar and started writing songs. In 1982, he released his debut album which shook Taiwan with his political messages, poetic lyrics and beautiful melodies. In 1983, he released his second album including the song ‘The Orphan of Asia,’ which was written after American’s termination of its official relations with Taiwan. The song was later sung in Tian An Men Square by thousands of students during the protest in 1989. This song is still banned in China. Many of his songs were so political that he later had to move to Hong Kong. In 2004, He relinquished his US citizenship to protest the American government’s resolution regarding the deployment of Taiwanese marines to Iraq. I admire his ta
