Woo Gwa

Hu Gua, whose birth name is unknown, was born in Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan. His father came from Yixing, Jiangsu, and his mother is a Hakka from Miaoli. Hu Gua’s family was relatively well-off in his early years, but during his junior high school years the family experienced a setback and gradually declined economically. After graduating high school, Hu Gua enlisted in the military; during his service he served in an arts/performance unit and later entered the entertainment industry.

Hu Gua’s showbusiness career began in the 1980s as a television host in Taiwan. He first worked as an assistant host on the program hosted by pop singer Shen Yan, Yan Zai Linshao (雁在林梢), then moved to CTS where he hosted a number of variety shows including Diamond Stage (钻石舞台), Lianhuan Pao (连环泡), Ever-Victorious (百战百胜), and Golden Melody Tiger-Dragon Chart (金曲龙虎榜). With a relaxed yet exaggerated and comic hosting style, Hu Gua gradually gained wide attention in the Taiwanese entertainment world and reached the peak of his hosting career.

In 1994, Hu Gua was involved in the “Li Xuan incident,” which had some impact on his career. Despite this, he did not give up; with the support of his wife Xiuxiu he slowly returned to work and gradually adjusted his hosting style to be more restrained and mature. Afterwards he hosted programs such as All the Way Smooth (一路顺风), The World Is Very Strange (世界非常奇妙), Victory Flag (旗开得胜) and Men & Women (非常男女), among which Men & Women drew significant attention across Greater China (Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong).

In the early 2000s Hu Gua’s career faced a crisis. New-generation hosts such as Jacky Wu (Wu Zongxian) became mainstream, and Hu Gua’s traditional “stagewise sharp-tongued” style was gradually marginalized. Many shows he previously hosted were replaced by new hosts, and his position in the hosting field was challenged. In 2003 he resigned from several programs and began hosting shows produced by Huang Yixiong, including Variety Grand Winner (综艺大赢家) and Variety Collection (综艺大集合). These two programs incorporated travel, food, and games into everyday life and achieved steadily rising ratings.

Hu Gua has also been involved in music and acting. In 2002 he released the album True Feelings (真情相对), produced by Singaporean musician Cao Junhong. His film and TV roles include the 1988 films All-Purpose Athlete (万能运动员) and Genius Little Soldier (天才小兵). In the TV series Liu Piaozi (流漂子) he played Officer Cai.

In his personal life, Hu Gua married Xiuxiu and they have a son and a daughter; his daughter Hu Yingzhen is an entertainer. His current girlfriend is Ding Rou’an, a member of the Taiwanese girl group Red Lips Girls (红唇少女). His daughter Hu Shi’an was born in 1995 and is currently studying abroad. Other family members include his son-in-law Li Jinliang, a cosmetic surgeon, and a granddaughter named EMMA (Li Manwei), born in 2007. Hu Gua’s career has received industry recognition several times, including the Best Variety Show Host award at the 44th Golden Bell Awards in 2009 and the Variety Program Host award at the 53rd Golden Bell Awards in 2018.

Hu Gua is known in the Taiwanese entertainment industry for his extensive hosting experience and varied hosting styles, and he is considered one of the important figures in Taiwanese variety show hosting.