THE UNLIKELY YANK

John T. L. Lu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and moved to the United States in 1979 as a direct result of the US One China Policy. After graduating Moanalua High School in Hawaii in 1982, he earned his degree in Fine Art, with Cum Laude honors, from Denver University in 1986.  Lu embarked on a career in international tourism that ultimately placed him in China during the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square unrest. As an entrepreneur, he produced a series of events benefiting earthquake victims of Kobe, Japan, featuring talents from the original Beverly Hills 90210 show. He later created A Weekend of Heroes and Operation Lion Claws Military Simulation Series, events that both honored US military heroes, benefited service members, their orphans and families.  

Under the spot light of the June 1989 Tiananmen Square unrest, my sixteen American tour members and I fled from one city to another, by plane and by train, away from the emotionally charged protesters. When rumors of a civil war permeated amongst regional Chinese tour guides, I decided to extract my frightened tourists, under restrictive travel circumstances, to the British colonial Hong Kong, by any means possible.  I was the group’s 25-year-old fearless tour leader, and this is my story.