Born in Hengchun , Pingtung County , in 1928 , when the area was still under Japanese rule , Chu began learning the music indigenous to the area on his own in 1945 . In 1951 , he entered his first singing competition , and , two years later , started formal training in Hengchun folk music . Chu Ting-shun was introduced to the piano by fellow musician Chu Hsien-chen . In 1993 , Chu Ting-shun gave his first lesson in Hengchun folk music . One of his most prominent students was Chen Ming-chang . Chu won the Best Concert Award at the 14th Golden Melody Awards . Five years later , he received the Lifetime Contribution Award . Chu was named a " living national treasure " by the Taiwanese government in September 2012 . He died on 26 December 2012 , and was posthumously presented with the citation in June 2013
14th Golden Melody Awards
14th Golden Melody Awards
Chu Ting-shun