Taiwan’s Motorcycle Daredevil: Lu Ch’ing-an (呂慶安) – S5-E46

From “Muddy Ditch” in Chiayi County, Lu Ch’ing-an (1944–2011) rose to national fame as Taiwan’s Father of Motorcycle Stunts. The story starts with an apprenticeship at a local scooter repair shop, where the mechanically gifted boy fell in love with motorbikes.

Still a teenager, he was inspired by the ROC Air Force’s Thunder Tigers aerobatics team to start flying on two wheels. Over the next few decades, he would amaze audiences and break records. His biggest triumph came in 1983, when he jumped over 14 large buses, surpassing the mark held by Evel Knievel.

Lu also undertook some punishing endurance rides, including the first motorcycle circumnavigation of Taiwan in under 24 hours. Behind the accolades and headlines, however, was the heavy physical and personal toll of crashes.