Ziya Tong

Ziya Tong is a Canadian television personality and producer, currently the co-host of Discovery Channel's long-running primetime science magazine, Daily Planet.

Early life and education

Tong was born in London, England of Chinese and Macedonian descent, and later lived in Hong Kong. She moved from Hong Kong to Canada when she was 11.

She received her B.A. degree from the University of British Columbia in psychology and sociology. At McGill University, she graduated with an M.S. in communications and also majored in psychology.

Career

After university, she worked as a reporter, and as a senior producer for the news-portal Orientation Global Networks in New York.

Tong began hosting the CBC Television series ZeD in the 2004-05 season, succeeding Sharon Lewis. For this, she was nominated for a Gemini Award for Viewer's Choice for Lifestyle Host in 2005.

After ZeD, Tong was hired by CTV to host the television series Island Escapes, which premiered on January 6, 2006. Critic Denise Duguay called her a "lively and game travel host". In this position, she visited many exotic island locations, and highlighted the attractions of places such as New Caledonia, Bedarra Island and Fiji.