Both ministers gave the late singer posthumous commendations, including the Hakka Affairs Professional Medal and certificate for his contribution to Hakka culture as well as the Ministry of Culture’s official commendation for his devotion to Taiwanese pop music and his commitment to social movements in the country.
HAC Minister Yiong said that before becoming a social activist, Chiu was a renowned songwriter who formed a rock band called “Chiu Chiu (丘丘合唱團)” and gained notable success in the world of pop music during the 1980s. What impressed the Minister the most was that Chiu wrote a Hakka song for Dongshi as he moved back to his hometown after the Sept. 21, 1999 Earthquake which heavily struck the Hakka settlement, putting in considerable effort to rebuild the place where he was born.
Born in 1949, Chiu Chen, whose real name is Chiu Hsien-jung (邱憲榮), created many popular campus folk songs when he was in college. After he graduated from National Chengchi University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Chiu worked at a newspaper. Later, he quit his job and became a member of the band “Chiu Chiu” in 1981. In addition to “It’s Tonight,” Chiu’s representative works include “Little Jasmine (小茉莉),” “The Wind Tells Me Something (風告訴我),” and “Why I’ve a Dream of Him (為何夢見他).”