Ong Toh (1920–1999), whose real name was Wang Du Gong, was born in Xiamen, China and studied at the local Anglo-Chinese College there.

In 1945, he married Li Xiu Hua (birth and death years unknown), and the couple later followed Li’s younger brother, Li Qiang, to Singapore. Soon after that, Ong took up a teaching position in Terengganu, Malaysia.

Rise to fame

After leaving his position in Terengganu and returning to Singapore, he became a teacher at The Chinese Kindergarten & Primary School and later served as its principal. His wife found a job managing records at the privately-owned Rediffusion, Singapore’s first cable radio service. Ong later joined Rediffusion as well to perform Hokkien plays. Impressed by his Xiamen accent and sonorous voice, the head of Rediffusion’s Chinese media department Li Xiaoyin (1918–2015) hired him as a storyteller in 1953. He was then holding two jobs — as principal of a kindergarten and storyteller at Rediffusion. His impeccable Hokkien and the pleasing cadence of his delivery made him a hit with listeners. Ong Toh soon became a household name.

Ong was known for narrating Hokkien folklore as well as martial arts and chapter novels. He was also the first local storyteller to feature martial arts novels by famed writer Louis Cha, better known by the pen name Jin Yong. Ong also acted in detective plays and radio plays for children. Experts praised his knack for captivating audiences with the climatic ending of his stories, a skill which they said surpassed that of his predecessors in Hokkien storytelling. He was especially adept at selecting the right stories and making them more exciting and intense.

Ong Toh’s family photo, Lianhe Zaobao, 14 May 1989. Reproduced with permission from SPH Media Limited.
Ong Toh and his book collection, 1989. From Lianhe Zaobao, reproduced with permission from SPH Media Limited.
Evening storytelling time with Singapore’s pioneer storytellers, 1955. Reproduced with permission from SPH Media Limited.
Storytelling event at the Singapore River, 1960. Courtesy of National Archives Singapore.

Following the launch of the Speak Mandarin Campaign in 1979, programmes in dialects gradually ceased broadcasting after 1982. On 31 December 1982, Rediffusion officially stopped airing programmes in dialects, spelling the end of Ong’s storytelling career. That same year, he retired from The Chinese Kindergarten & Primary School. Switching gears, he became a car and property agent. Though no longer involved in storytelling, he still kept some of the story materials he had used in his broadcasts, such as Bi xue jian (Sword of the Hero’s Blood); Bingshuang jian hua lu (Chronicle of the Frosted Sword); Baoqi yudi (Sacred Banner and Jade Flute) and Qi long ling (Decree of the Seven Dragons).1

In 1992, Ong and his wife emigrated to the Philippines, where his sister lived. He died from illness in 1999, and his ashes were brought back to Singapore. A memorial service held at the Jubilee Church in Outram Road was attended by many of his former colleagues from Rediffusion. Among other tributes, they praised him as a rare talent, a first-rate storyteller, and an honourable and loyal friend.

At the height of its popularity in the 1980s, Rediffusion, which charged a monthly subscription of $5, had close to 100,000 listeners. Besides Ong, Lee Dai Soh and Ng Chia Kheng, who narrated tales in Cantonese and Teochew respectively, were also master storytellers in Singapore’s broadcasting history.