Dejian Hou

Independent activity 1956–

Taiwanese musician who joined the hunger strike and negotiated withdrawal

Taiwanese songwriter and singer known for Descendants of the Dragon. He moved to mainland China in 1983 and joined the 1989 protests. Fasting with Liu Xiaobo and others, he advocated nonviolence and negotiated with martial-law troops before dawn on 4 June to facilitate the students’ departure. As an eyewitness who remained in the square, he distinguished the negotiated evacuation from the shootings in surrounding streets. Deported to Taiwan in 1990, he continued his musical career abroad.