My Family History

Chyi Chin 齊秦was born on January 12, 1960 in Taichung,Taiwan. When he was young, his father had a strict daily regimented routine of study that started at 5 am. His studies varied from English music and literature to classical Chinese literature and Tang Dynasty poetry. Chyi, however, did not enjoy reading. When he became a teenager, his father's push for education caused a strain on their relationship. Chyi joined a local gang in defiance of his father, and ended up in a rehabilitation home for three years. During his incarceration, Chyi Chin learned to be introspective and kept a diary. He also learned to appreciate music. The rehabilitation home also had a guitar in the courtyard for the "juvenile delinquents’" recreation, and Chyi taught himself how to play on it. He kept on practicing even during his days of military service.

He often mentions that he owes his success to his elder sister. Chyi Yu helped her troubled young brother onto the path of music. They formed a very strong bond over the years. He also has a sister called Chyi Lu. After his release, Chyi Chin and his older sister, Chyi Yu, often sang together at home. Chyi Yu, by then already a famous singer, gave Chin his start in the field. Whenever she performed "The Olive Tree" (橄欖樹), she would tell the audience that her brother could sing it even better than she could. Following a duet in Hong Kong with her brother, she gave him an expensive guitar, which he practiced on every day.

He started his career in 1981 with the album 又见溜溜的她 (See her Slip Away Again) In 1985, he released the smash hit "Wolf" and the title song off the album featuring unrestrained singing and raw energy. He once said this wolf song sings out his loneliness back then and his expectations for the future, but to always be positive like the wolf in the song. Chyi Chin has put out more than 20 albums.  He is highly respected in the Chinese pop music scene. "I will continue my efforts with music. I want to create new styles of songs. I like R&B, Hip-pop as well as the blues. Music is an experimental thing and needs creation. I'd like to try to blend folk songs of Chinese ethnicities with pop music."

Chyi groups his music career into two periods: the "wolf period" (pre-1992) and the "deer period" (after he converted to Buddhism in 1992). He attributes the titles of the two periods to "Wolf", the hit single he released in 1985, and a poem that a fortune-teller told him. "The deer bleated/gently towards the hunter’s rifle muzzle it walked/gently it toppled/still, with gentle eyes at the hunter it gazed." ("鹿哨呦呦/ 溫柔地走近獵人的槍口/ 溫柔地倒下/ 依然用溫柔的眼神看著獵人")