Chyi Chin was born in
Taichung,
Taiwan. When he was young, his father had a strict daily regimen 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 landed in jail for three years as a result. During his incarceration, Chyi learned to be introspective and kept a diary. While in prison, he earned an appreciation for music. The prison had a guitar in the courtyard for the "juvenile delinquents" recreation, and Chyi taught himself how to play on it. After his release, Chyi and his older sister,
Chyi Yu, often sang together at home, but his father again placed him in home detention for a year. Chyi Yu, by then already a famous singer, gave Chyi 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 with every day, and after their father died from cancer, Chyi did not want to inherit any property, but kept all the books he had to read. ==Career==