Mandopop singer Jam Hsiao (蕭敬騰) was yesterday recognized as the nation’s most outstanding young person in the field of culture and the arts for this year.
The 28-year-old star was named one of Ten Outstanding Young Persons at an annual award event in recognition of exceptional achievements in 10 fields.
In his acceptance speech, Hsiao said he used to be a troubled young man who joined gangs, but music changed his life and he can now contribute to society.
Hsiao, who is known for his explosive high notes, rose to fame after his appearance on a local talent show in 2007. He won the Best Mandarin Male Singer award at the 2013 Golden Melody Awards.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who headed the jury, praised Hsiao for his hard work and for overcoming his learning disabilities to become an exceptional musician.
More importantly, he is a caring person who gives to charity, Wang said.
The other winners this year include Lin Tzu-chi (林子琦), a gold medalist in the women’s 63kg weightlifting category in last year’s Asian Games and Yang Cheng-ta (楊政達), an associate professor of psychology at National Cheng Kung University.
Included on the list were Lin Yung-hsiang (林詠翔), general manager of dietary supplements maker TCI CO; Tseng Mei-ling (曾梅玲), head of the Hualien branch of Good Shepherd Social Welfare Services; Nieh Chung (聶眾), head prosecutor at the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office; Ho Hsuan-ching (何宣慶), an associate researcher at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium; and Kuo Wei-chi (郭韋齊), a member of the Disabled Performing Arts Group.
There were no awards this year for medical research or labor education.
Pianist Huang Kai-ying (黃凱盈), won the Chinese youth special award.
The Ten Outstanding Young Persons awards were started in 1963 by the Taiwan chapter of the Junior Chamber International, a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs.
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