Former Pop Idol Hou Hsiang-ting Reappears After 19 Years as a School Parents’ Leader

Hou Hsiang-ting, once known as a fresh-faced “Jade Girl” singer in Taiwan, has returned to public attention in an unexpected role: protecting children outside an elementary school in Taichung.

The 44-year-old has stayed away from the entertainment industry for 19 years. She is now a mother of two and chairs the parents’ association at Nantun Elementary School, where she has taken part in school affairs since becoming a parent member. Her appearance on the first day of school prompted renewed interest in a singer who rarely appears in public.

Hou first gained notice in 1998 after appearing on MTV’s “New Voice Competition.” She then starred as the character Angel in a telecommunications commercial with Richie Jen and Chien Wei-shan. Her clean, sweet image quickly made her widely known, particularly among Taiwanese audiences who came of age in the 1990s and 2000s.

Music producer Kevin Lin later signed her to a record label. She released songs including “Don’t Come in Autumn,” “Tears I Shed for You” and “Two Winters,” and also acted in television productions including “Spicy Teacher” and “Love of Sweet Lemon.” After nearly a decade in entertainment, she left the spotlight to study design in New York, where she met Yang Meng-hsueh. They married in 2013. Yang is the grandson of Giant founder King Liu, and his father, Yang Huai-ching, is an ear, nose and throat physician. The family later settled in Taichung, where Hou shifted her focus to family life and school service.