Chong Sau Lin (simplified Chinese:张少林; traditional Chinese:張少林; pinyin:Zhāng Shàolín, born 1946) is a Malaysian singer known for his extensive career singing mainly Hakka language songs, gaining the monikers "King of Hakka Songs" (客家歌王) and "God of Hakka Songs" (客家歌神).
Chong Sau Lin was born in Sungai Pelek, Selangor, Malaysia to a Malaysian ChineseHakka family with roots in Huizhou, Guangdong.[1][2] His father ran a Traditional Chinese medicine shop, but it went under and he had to work as a mason and a house painter at the age of 15 to support his family.[2] he began getting involved in music when he was 18, and in 1968 he joined and eventually led a band named "The Red Stars" (紅星樂隊), which was later disbanded.[2][3] In 1978, he wrote "Granny Buys Salted Vegetables" (Chinese:阿婆买咸菜, A Poh Mai Ham Choy), a Hakka version of Sam Hui's "Genius and Idiot" (天才与白痴, from the film The Last Message) with new lyrics about buying Malaysian fruits and vegetables at a market, for singer Chew Chin Yuin (邱清雲), and went on to sing his own version as well. This song became his breakout hit, with a grateful Chew getting him a position at Life Records and has been cited as a major boost for Hakka pop in Malaysia.[4] Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Chong continued staying popular with Hakka songs about Malaysian topics.[4][5]
Chong has acted in the Namewee-directed films Nasi Lemak 2.0, Nasi Lemak 1.0 and Kara King.[2] He later collaborated with Namewee to create a Hakka version of his song "Stranger in the North".[1]
Chong held a farewell concert in June 2024, but later clarified that he would continue making music and was merely stopping his performances on stage in the Genting Highlands.[6]