Wong Jinglun finds success in Taiwan the hard way with hosting gigs

Dennis Uncovers featuring Wong Jinglun, or read on for a recap of from his heart-to-heart sharing session.


His dad was angry he gave up his degree education for an unknown future

Jinglun was halfway through his university education at SIM (Singapore Institute of Management) when he was offered a chance to participate in Taiwan’s One Million Star. The dream-come-true offer came at an awkward timing as he had examinations when the competition was ongoing in Taiwan and should he skip it, he’d have wasted the money spent on his studies so far, said Jinglun. “My dad was so angry because it was a waste of money, plus there was no guarantee that I could release an album or be signed as an artiste…”

There were only two possibilities on his mind: get kicked out of the competition early so that he could still come home for the exams, or perform well enough to stay on in the competition and halt his studies completely.

“That was probably why I was so focused during the contest and why I really put my heart into it,” he chuckled.

He eventually finished 6th in the competition which is a pretty good ranking considering the career paths that opened up for him after.

WATCH: Jinglun's words were once misappropriated by the media. What happened?

become a host [because] you really cannot afford to be ‘slow’ when you host,” he shared with Dennis on the programme.

(Continued on next page: What did he do to make himself 'relevant' in Taiwan?)



Transforming himself into a ‘variety artiste’

In Taiwan, entertainment personalities who frequent variety shows as guest stars are placed on a lower pedestal as compared to full-time actors and singers, and it was not easy for Jinglun to embrace the change in his portfolio as a ‘variety artiste’.

He couldn’t get over his ‘ego’ as a singer and like other fellow singers, was initially “stressed” by the thought of it as he felt like he was “lowering” his standards too.

“They (singers) think of it as a different ‘class’ but it really depends on how you adjust your mentality. It’s like a chef who sells chicken rice in a hotel suddenly finds himself selling the dish at a hawker centre – how do you change yourself and put your pride aside?

“A lot of people have this burden as idols and cannot bring themselves to do it,” he shared from experience.

He soon realised the folly of his ways after receiving a piece of advice from Kuo Tzu-Chien, veteran theatre actor and host. “He said you can be persistent but don’t be stubborn in your mindset; when you are stubborn you start to hit hard corners ‘cos you’re walking blindfolded. And I thought his words made sense,” he said.