 Wu Pak Chiu was born in Guangzhou, China, and graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1937 where he studied voice under Professor Lu Cha Zhi.During the Sino-Japanese War he earned fame for his singing of the anthem 'Defend China' by Ho An-Tung.In December 1946, he left China and enrolled as a fourth year student at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.