Chinese Name: 王昭華
Born: 1971
Birthplace: Pingtung County (Southern Taiwan)
Did You Know That… ?
Ong Chiau-hoa is a renowned lyricist in Taiwan. She wrote the lyrics of “To Have, or Not To Have (有無),” the ending song of the film “The Great Buddha + (大佛普拉斯),” which received Best Original Film Song of the 2017 Golden Horse Awards. In the following year, she was nominated again for Best Lyricist at the Golden Melody Awards.
Ong Chiau-hoa was born in the Chaozhou Township (潮州鎮), Pingtung County, in 1971. She acquired mastery of the Taiwanese Hokkien language through the influence of her parents, who cannot speak Chinese Mandarin but only Taiwanese Hokkien. She developed the ability to express herself freely using the language, which significantly shaped her life.
In 1990, Ong enrolled in the Department of Chinese Literature at Tamkang University (淡江大學). One day, she encountered musician Lim Giong (林強), who was performing on campus and singing his hit song “Marching Forward (向前行).” This song, composed in Taiwan Hokkien, inspired Ong to write creatively in the language.
Throughout her university years, she began using Taiwanese Hokkien to create song lyrics, participate in public speaking competitions, and compose prose. Following her graduation, she took part in the writing and editing of Taiwanese Hokkien textbooks, along with translation projects for films, documentaries, and various publications. In 2011, she won the prestigious Taiwan Literature Award, where the judging panel commended her for being “creative, witty, and having a great command of Taiwanese Hokkien.”
Ong’s works serve as a testament to her commitment to her cultural heritage and the beauty of Taiwanese Hokkien. Despite Taiwanese Hokkien writing being outside the mainstream, she demonstrates that dedication and effort can transform dreams into reality.