Marionette Theatre

New Year Greetings from Marionette Theatre Blog

2012-01-23T16:42:00.002+08:00

Time has passed and Marionette Theatre Blog has been establishied for almost 3 years. Hereby wish everyone a smooth sailing Dragon Year!

Dragon tales and shadow puppets

2012-01-21T16:58:00.001+08:00

For this coming lunar new year, it will be the year of Dragon (龙) and there have been many Chinese tales regarding the mythical being Dragon. In conjunction with the upcoming Dragon Year, the Esplanade had exhibited works on "Dragon Tales". One of them was a shadow play created and performed by the Singapore Girls' Home and conceived by the Finger Players, a Singapore puppet group. The Finger Players have also put up some shadow puppets made in the form of dragons.

The shadow play, titled "Awakening the Dragon from Within" was set in a cosmopolitan and bustling city. A little girl is trapped in despair in this city because no one seems to care or listen to her. A mythical dragon suddenly appears and encourages her to discover her courage and capability.

Inspired by the dragon, the little girl started making shadow puppets from cutouts and shared her skills with others.

This story is meaningful in that it is a reflection of the lives of city dwellers. Many children and youths tend to feel neglected as their parents are often busy making a living or have little time to spare for them. If there is someone who is willing to lend a helping hand or guide them, there will be hope and future for them. Just like how the Finger Players have discovered the talents of the children from Singapore Girls' Home and give them a chance to take part in this shadow play.

The Dragon's parting words to the little girl was, "Believe in yourself and happiness will ensue."

Puppet performance to mark the opening of new Chong Yee temple

2011-11-13T18:32:00.004+08:00

Was finally at Chong Yee temple on 12 November although the actual puppet performance started one day before. Here are some pictures of the puppet performance by "Ri Yue Xing" (日月星, popularly known as "Ji Gua Seng" in Hokkien).

Marionette performance by Ri Yue Xing

Close up of the puppet

The origins of "Ri Yue Xing" could be traced back to its previous owner and famous Hokkien puppeteer Lee Chye Ee. See my post on the late Mr. Lee Chye Ee:　http://marionettetheatre.blogspot.com/search?q=lee+chye+ee&x=1&y=3

Entrance of the Chong Yee temple but the sign writes "Jalan Kayu United temple"

Was initially confused by the address as there was almost no information providing the specific address of the new Chong Yee temple (万国山忠义庙) until I visited their facebook page. I shall include the address here:

Jalan Kayu Buangkok (Hill) Chong Yee Temple

72 Sengkang West Avenue

Singapore 797652

Talks on Chinese puppets and opera at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

2011-10-19T23:07:00.010+08:00

Wan Qing Yuan (晚晴园), formerly known as Sun Yat-Sen villa, is now known as the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall. It was closed for redevelopment last year and reopened this month which happened to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution of China.

Statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen outside the Memorial Hall

Photo courtesy of Derrick See

There will be a cultural festival (9-30 October) which is already ongoing. What is of interest to me is the upcoming talks on Chinese puppets and opera.

27 October "Puppetry in Chinese Opera", 2-4pm

29 October "Puppetry in Chinese Opera", 10am-12pm

The English and Chinese titles on the programme sheet are a little confusing but according to a friend, both talks will be on Chinese puppetry and the content is the same on both days (so don't worry about missing out anything if you cannot attend the Thursday talk).

Details of the programme can be found here: http://www.wanqingyuan.com.sg/culturefest/

Will update soon on the talks!

Who says puppets are unrealistic?

2011-10-12T01:31:00.001+08:00

Was very delighted to see puppet display at the Esplanade walkway last month. These puppets are actually depictions of real-life people who are usually neglected by the mainstream society, like the utensil collector, street performer, cardboard collector and gardener, etc.

Mr Ali, the gardener

Uncle Fong, the cardboard collector

Auntie selling noodles

Mr. Tan, can collector

Uncle Tan, construction worker

Cleaner

Indeed these are the various occupations held by some of the middle-aged and elderly people in modern day Singapore. They belong to one of the lowest strata of society and can barely afford 3 meals a day. I like the details of the puppets and the way the creators bring out an interesting aspect of these people's lives through the use of puppets. The expressions on the puppets are usually gloomy or sad which can be interpreted as a kind of social stigma these people have to overcome in life.

The puppets have strings attached to them which mean they can be categorized as "marionettes". However, the creators and manipulators of these puppets also cleverly perform these puppets in real-life situations, e.g. on a walking street, near the garden etc.

This puppet project titled "Circus of Life" is created by the Papermoon Puppet (Indonesia) and the School of Design and Media, ITE (Singapore). More details of the Papermoon Puppet can be found here: http://www.papermoonpuppet.com/.

Sun Yat Sen and Cantonese opera

2011-09-26T14:43:00.001+08:00

Chinese revolutionist Sun Yat Sen is known for his founding of modern China. But do you know that he has a brief contact with Cantonese opera before? Does this picture serve as a hint? More information to be revealed later...

Italian aria + Southern Chinese music (Nanguan) = Glove Puppet show "Marco Polo"

2011-08-31T17:04:00.003+08:00

"Marco Polo" by Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company
Friday 26 August, Saturday 27 August, 7.15pm & 11.30pm
Glass Atrium, Level 2, National Museum of Singapore

Adapted from taovictor's writeup:

Hi folks,

If you missed the Tai Yuan Puppet Theatre Company’s performance of Marco Polo, you missed one of the best potehi (glove puppet) shows! Imagine how many are there in the world, maybe only this one, where there is a puppet show where Italian Aria and Nanyin are sung! (^^) What a hoot! And I wonder how many in the world would be able to understand both languages? Maybe some Taiwanese … well, some Nanyang Chinese who are Aria singers. (^^)

And trying to do a duet?? Must be challenging to put the music and lyrics .. but what fun! I cannot understand Italian and so would need Stefano to tell us. Maybe give us the subtitle. The Hokkien was hilarious. Imagine what the maid said about this strange guy who looks like a pig! (^^) Much of the dialogues are not displayed … it would be a mammoth task to do that subtitling at the speed which the dialog goes. I looked around and wondered, how many in the audience could understand Chinese. Not many local children I think, but many foreign ones!! And look at the crowd! Yes, this is Saturday night. But one could count by the two hands on potehi in Singapore! At, but perhaps, it is because the local potehi is meant for the Gods and so the stories are very serious, often sobby, and difficult to follow. Marco Polo? Fun, comic and certainly poking fun at the cross-cultural understanding, or misunderstanding. Is it true that Marco Polo stole the diary from his brother Matteo? (^^)

The scenes were many and the story moved very fast .. climax after climax, the audience had no time to rest. Never mind that they did not understand all the dialog, the actions were enough to keep them glued to that tiny audience.

I noticed that there was a video recording of the show. Hope this is made available to the public, especially, the schools. Add in the subtitling, and it would be a great piece. Certainly an interesting way to get the students to learn about Marco Polo! (^^)

Videos as well:

Seeing 'stars': a plot to save Marco Polo from death

Marco Polo confessing his love

Hokkien Nanyin (Nanguan, Southern music) VS Italian aria

The only dalang of Chinese descent in Malaysia

2011-08-31T16:48:00.001+08:00

A Peranakan cina (Chinese Peranakan) of Chinese, Malay and Thai descent working hard to preserve his multicultural tradition and also to preserve the art of shadow puppetry (wayang kulit in Malay) in Malaysia (the Chinese also has shadow puppetry but I have not seen it in Singapore or Malaysia yet).

Being an avid fan of her father's wayang kulit shows, the tok dalang's daughter also wrote a thesis on the topic when she was studying in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM, 国民大学). I am trying to gain access to her thesis and will share later.

Here's also a Chinese report on the daughter's wish to help her father promote wayang kulit even though the art can only be passed down to sons and not daughters.

http://chsbp.net.my/show.php?contentid=8101

Guangdong puppet in early Singapore?

2011-07-27T02:11:00.001+08:00

I have previously mentioned that there are a few puppet types in Singapore during the early twentieth century:

1. Hokkien (Nanguan 南管) glove puppet/string puppet
2. Teochew iron stick puppet
3. Hainanese rod puppet
4. Henghwa string puppet
5. Waijiang (外江) string puppet

However, to my surprise, I have recently gathered some information which may hint at the existence of Guangdong traditional puppet in early Singapore. The advertisement below is one of them, even though it might not fall into the category of 'traditional' as I suspect that it is only a one-time kind of performance where the Merry Opera Company employed puppeteers who can perform in Cantonese. The puppet type is unknown.

Source: The Singapore Free Press, 22 October 1924, Page 2

Thanks to a friend who kindly shared with me a Chinese article on the various puppet/opera types in Malaya (and later Malaysia and Singapore), the author also mentioned that in 1911, there was a Guangdong puppeteer by the name of Zheng Wan Kai (郑万楷) who performed in Malaya. His son later performed in Singapore during the years 1916-1922. As the article did not state the exact source, I have reservations on its credibility but it is nevertheless an important view to be made. I will also reserve the use of "Cantonese puppet" as Guangdong may refer to various dialects like Chaozhou (Teochew) and Hakka (客家话), both of which are existing dialect groups in Singapore.

More discovery on the way!

Century-old temple at Port Klang due to be demolished soon!

2011-07-15T13:01:00.001+08:00

Just learnt from a friend who lives in Klang that she recently encountered a century-old temple by the name of Cheng Neong Teng (清凉亭) in Port Klang, Malaysia. The sad thing is it is going to be demolished soon! Looking at the pictures and the supposed date of establishment, both of us felt that perhaps UNESCO should do something about it.

Here are some of the pictures which are not of high quality, but nevertheless clear enough to see the fine details of the architecture:

One of the more prominent effigies inside the temple: the 18 arhats

No strings attached: Hainanese rod puppet performance at Mazu temple

2011-04-26T17:36:00.006+08:00

I have read about Hainanese rod puppets but it was my first encounter with them yesterday at the Mazu temple located at Beach Road.

Venue: 47 Beach Road
Time: 2pm, 7.30pm (Day and night performances)
Troupe: Xin Xing Gang Qiongnan Theatrical Company (新兴港琼南剧社)

A photo to keep your brain cells moving first: what exactly are these holes used for?

Answer revealed: the thick rod used for holding the puppet (indicated by red arrow) will be placed in these holes in a scene when there are too many puppets for the puppeteers to handle

A better picture: if there are a number of puppets appearing on stage, they will be placed in these "holes"

It was definitely an eye-opener especially when you see puppets that were often likened to woodblocks but these puppets have the ability to move their eyes!

Marionette performance at an industrial site

2011-04-21T01:08:00.002+08:00

A rather unusual sight to see a marionette performance being staged at an industrial site..

Venue: Blk 31 Defu Lane 10
Time: 2pm, 8pm (Day and night performances)
Troupe: Sin Hoe Ping 新和平

From my observation for the past few hours, I guess it's a Henghwa manufacturer dealing with woodcraft who employed the troupe to perform for the deity Liu Gong Yuan Shuai (刘公元帅)

A peep inside..they have an altar ready and the stage was situated right opposite as it always should.

Marionette performance "Chen Wen Long" (陈文龙) at night which started at 8pm

View from afar..it was like a tiny yet lively Henghwa community enclave tucked in a remote part of Singapore

Remembering Mr. Lee Chye Ee (b. 1919)

2011-03-03T00:24:00.004+08:00

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150114226493607&id=585226875

Reading the old articles of the late Mr. Lee Chye Ee (b. 1919) reminds me of what it is meant to be "人才被埋没" (a talent gone to waste). He was a remarkable puppeteer, priest and carver from Yongchun, Fujian. During his darkest times, he never gave up and carved more than 100 puppets, including those where the eyes, mouth could move. I hope, in the near future, I will be able to do something to commemorate this remarkable man of talents.

Some information about Mr. Lee:

Learnt the puppetry art at the age of 15

Learnt the art of carving at the age of 17

Set up his own troupe "Ri Yue Xing" (日月星) in Yongchun, Fujian

Came to Singapore (Nanyang) in 1947 and established his troupe "Ri Yue Xing" here

"Ri Yue Xing" performed in the Nanguan (南管) style

In the 1950s, due to lack of popularity of Nanguan music, he founded "Shi Ye Fei" (是也非) and sang in the Gezai style

1960s: the semi-retired Mr. Lee shifted his operations to Malaysia

1970s: Came back but business was worse than before, stayed at home to carve puppets; over 100 marionette heads were carved over the 3 years but sadly, they were never really put to good use

Puppets carved by Mr. Lee Chye Ee (photo from Sin Ming)

Mr. Lee Chye Ee with his marionettes

Mr. Lee Chye Ee as a dan actor

Mr. Lee Chye Ee with his glove puppets

Singapore's very own puppeteers: The Yeos

2011-02-17T16:50:00.003+08:00

There have been far too many backlogs until I'm not sure which one to post first. I will start with a brief outline of some of the happenings of my puppet encounters early this year, there were many 'firsts':

1. Interaction between Singapore's very own puppeteers: Mr. Yeo Lai Hoe and Frankie (Yeo) Malachi
2. Encounters with 2 Teochew puppet troupes left in Singapore: Lao Sai Poh Hong (老赛宝丰) & Sin Sai
Poh Hong (新赛宝丰)
3. 1st trip to Kiew Lee Tong 九鲤洞
4. 1st encounter with Zhangzhou glove puppet performance @ Esplanade
5. 1st puppet writeup in the media

7 January 2011, a day before the actual performance @ Bukit Merah Library

It was a heartwarming experience for the elderly folks who probably had not watched puppet performances for a long time. A day before the performance, I witnessed the interaction between two Singapore's very own puppeteers: Mr. Yeo from Sin Hoe Ping and Frankie from "Mascots and Puppets". Both were interested in each other's arts and Mr. Yeo even played with Frankie's self-created "Modern Monkey King" complete with retro clothes and eye-catching boots.

The setup by Mr. Yeo before the arrival of Frankie, characters from "Journey to the West"

Frankie with his monkey marionette playing with the peaches

(the peaches were said to be stolen by the Monkey King from Queen Mother of the West)

The actual performance was on 8 January. Basically, the performers were trying to tell the story about the Monkey King and his encounter with Queen Mother of the West. The interesting part was the transition from glove puppet to opera actor to modern marionette in which all of them are renditions of the Monkey King.

Here are the mini (glove puppet), traditional (opera) and modern (marionette) versions of Monkey King. Interesting indeed!

Marionette performance at Ann Ren Gong retreat 2 Dec-6 Dec 2010

2010-12-27T17:48:00.004+08:00

Apologies for the backlog of updates.

There was a major event held at Ann Ren Gong (安仁宫) from December 1 to 6 and the Tangkis came out from their retreat on Dec 5. I wasn't there to witness the whole retreat but thanks to Raymond from API, he managed to take shots of the post-retreat procession and marionette performance.

According to Raymond, the retreat started on December 1 at around 3-5pm. Doors would be sealed during the retreat.

On Dec 5 around 5am, there were already crowds of people/devotees visiting the temple. The Sin Hoe Ping puppet troupe members were on standby and taking a short nap as they would be performing soon for the deities.

Photo courtesies of Raymond

Note the couplets on both sides of the stage, especially the right one. It indicated that the retreat session was over (持戒功完).

I went over the next day on Dec 6 and here are some more pictures of the marionette performance.

At the gate entrance of Ann Ren Gong, the backstage of Sin Hoe Ping could be seen and the stage was facing the temple.

A glimpse of Ann Ren Gong after the retreat: devotees and temple members mingle

Shadow puppets and wayang kulit in modern Singapore

2010-11-11T22:38:00.004+08:00

Listening to Malaysia Aifm 104.9FM DJ Ji An's program who was talking about the oldest shadow puppet troupe in Taiwan, I was prompted to find out more about the history of shadow puppets and wayang kulit in Singapore but I apologize for not being able to find much information for now.

First, talking about wayang kulit and according to Infopedia:

One of Singapore's last Dalangs (dhalang in Javanese means puppeteer) was Wak Taslim Harjosanajo who passed away in 1985. Does it mean that wayang kulit had disappeared from the Singapore scene for 25 years?! I tried searching for more information on Wak Taslim Harjosanajo on the web but to no avail. A little disappointing indeed but I will try to fill this blank when I come across any related information.

As for whether Chinese shadow puppet ever exist in Singapore, I am afraid I do not have a definite answer for now.

Shadow puppet, Messenger from Hell dating from the 19th Century
Picture taken from Asian Theatre Puppets: creativity, culture and craftsmanship (from the collection of Paul Lin)

Marionette performance at Xuan Jiang Dian

2010-11-02T14:12:00.004+08:00

Just to share a video put up by chinatownboy...

Performance venue: Xuan Jiang Dian 玄江殿, Bukit Merah View

Troupe: Possibly by the Feng Huang puppet troupe

The video is focused on the performance of the puppeteers rather than on the puppets. Note the facial expression and singing, performers are somewhat very accustomed and unaffected by the noisy environment they are in. Also take note of the electronic keyboard used during this performance. This is rather common in Hokkien opera and marionette performances, judging from what I have observed in recent years.

Look around you and discover treasure!

2010-10-20T13:45:00.005+08:00

Another overdue post on a talk held at Bukit Merah Library on "Old Chinese Dialect Songs and rhymes" on October 9, 2010.

The speaker is a renowned DJ from Malaysia. Better known for his Chinese name Ji An 吉安 (Chong Keat Aun, 张吉安), he spent a few years going around the country to collect and record dialect songs and rhymes. He has published a book titled 乡音考古 (literally translated as "archaeological findings of the village music" but it will be more appropriate to translate "village music" as "folk songs/ballads"). Here is his website: http://jiankaogudidai.blogspot.com/

He mentioned a few key points which I have noted and shared the same sentiments.
1. Everyone, not just researchers, can play a part in recording voices/songs around us (especially in the context where generations of overseas Chinese have migrated, settled down, localized but to some extent, preserve their tradition). We never know if this may be of value and become an important heritage in future.

2. Doing such collection/research is a race against time. We never know when these people will leave us. Personally, I was much saddened by the recent demise of this lady puppeteer and I hope in time to come, I will be able to put my collection into writing and documentation as well.

Some pictures that I took during the talk, pardon for the poor quality because the speaker preferred to talk in the dark. Even so, many of us were attentively listening to him for almost 3 hours. A natural speaker with a great passion indeed.

Minnan song with a local flavour

Tongan nursery rhymes well-remembered by an elderly lady

Hainan lullaby songs

There are a few more others like Nanyin, Guangxi mountain songs, Yongchun proverbs etc etc. Ji An was saying that in China you will never get to find so many dialect groups all "cramped" together in one area. The existence of a multi-dialectal Chinese community is something unique about Singapore and Malaysia, perhaps existing in some parts of Southeast Asia and other places with overseas Chinese communities.

Look around you and you may find treasure!

Marionette performance and event in honour of Xuan Tian Shang Di

2010-10-20T13:05:00.002+08:00

I apologize for the late post on this event held on 11 October (4th day, 9th month of the lunar calendar) in honour of Xuan Tian Shang Di 玄天上帝(Supreme Lord of the Mysterious Heavens).

Troupe performing: Feng Huang Puppet Troupe

If you observe closely enough, the puppets look brand new and the puppet stage brightly lit. (I wrote about Feng Huang puppet troupe in my previous entries but it seemed like the puppets then weren't as new as these) I happened to have the opportunity to meet up with this man who claimed that he could perform with 36 strings of the marionette. He commented that the brightly lit stage was more eye-catching than those he have seen in Malaysia. Anyway, if I ever get the chance to let him demonstrate his skills, I will post it here.

Here are some marionette pictures:

Photo courtesy of Chan

Sky Bird Puppet Troupe

2010-10-07T22:48:00.001+08:00

I have read this book 《香港传统木偶戏探源》(translation: Examining the origins of traditional puppetry in HK) some time ago but little did I realize the author of this book Mr. Yang Qingyi 杨清意 is the founding leader of the Sky Bird Puppet Troupe in HK! Although the title suggests that the book is on traditional puppetry in HK, it provides rather useful information on the origins of puppets in China.

Sky Bird Puppet Troupe's website: http://skybirdpuppet.com/%E9%A6%96%E9%A0%81

Cover of the book:

Retrieved from: http://skybirdpuppet.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/book1.62105005_std.jpg

Chancing upon more puppet troupes

2010-10-04T19:12:00.003+08:00

Happen to chance upon more puppet troupes of Singapore on Flickr but I have yet to find out if they are still extant. Here's a glimpse:

Name of troupe: Sen Wen Neng 森文能

Picture taken: 23 November 2007

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imedagoze/2222723378/

Name of troupe: Xin Bao Feng 新宝凤

Picture taken: 14 June 2008

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenmoo2005/2578131708/in/photostream/

Name of troupe: Xin Yan Ling 新燕玲

Picture taken: 23 Dec 2008

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48321252@N00/3130461323/

Name of troupe: Yu Zhu Feng 玉珠凤

Picture taken: 29 Aug 2009

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iluvkelly/3867602380/

Female makeup artists for the dead

2010-09-30T13:46:00.010+08:00

Read on the news about a talk on death and inspired me to write this piece.

Several years ago, I read about a story 《像我这样的一个女子》("A Woman Like Me") by the renowned HK writer Xi Xi (real name: Zhang Ai Lun/ Zhang Yan 张彦、张爱伦) and till now, it still leaves a deep impression on me. The story is about this funeral makeup artist who was discriminated and looked down upon by society. When her boyfriend found out about her job, he left her. She was devastated but knew that someone like her would never find true love. Even though this is just a story, I think it reflects something about society and human beings: the fear of death and anything to do with the dead. I have not come across any of this makeup artist who can share stories with me but in this male-dominated industry, the spirit and determination of these ladies are worth mentioning:

A very short writeup about the Ang sisters of Ang Yew Seng funeral parlour:

http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/CorpComms2/Documents/2010/May/ST_100529_B18%20Old%20ways,%20new%20blood.pdf

A more detailed one in Chinese:

http://news.omy.sg/News/Local%2BNews/Story/OMYStory201004091526-142424.html

你怕死吗？我不能说我不怕...
但想到那些女性殡仪化妆师/礼仪师必须面对社会的种种歧视、冷眼看待，死还真的那么可怕吗？

Picture: http://www.eslite.com/product.aspx?pgid=1001110891708735

Video on Kim Giak Low Choon Puppet Troupe

2010-09-28T18:33:00.005+08:00

Indeed a family of talents! 非看不可！

马来西亚槟城的金玉楼楼春木偶剧团 Kim Giak Low Choon Puppet Troupe from Penang, Malaysia
更多有关该剧团的讯息，More information about the troupe: http://www.puppetpg.com/

An imposing glove puppet stage

2010-09-21T14:36:00.008+08:00

Was trying to dig out more photos on puppets/marionette and I managed to find a picture of a glove puppet stage taken in mid-2009 at the Singapore History Museum.

Pardon for the poor quality of the picture:

The quality here is probably better but details of the stage are still rather blur.

Description provided by the museum:

Glove puppet theatre

Fujian, China

1950s-60s

Painted Wood

Chinese puppetry was a popular form of street entertainment that shared stage conventions and story selections with Chinese opera. It was not unusual for retiring opera artists to continue their career behind the scenes as puppeteers (still the case today).

This glove puppet stage belonged to Sin Sai Lok, a troupe that arrived from Fujian, China in the 1930s. As a portable theatre, the stage could be assembled or dismantled by the troupe within an hour. Installed with over 1,000 electric light bulbs, the stage was a sight to behold when it was lit up in a dark open space.

The imposing structure has a traditional Chinese roof. The name of the troupe appears above the stage, which is flanked by pillars adorned with dragons. At the far ends are boards where the title of the performance would be written.

Below the stage are six colourful panels depicting scenes from an episode in Journey to the West, a literary classic based on folk mythology. The contact details and the range of services provided by the troupe are advertised above the six panels. The illustration by Xuanhua studio, is also acknowledged on the...right.

From the description above, we can tell that some of the traditional practices (e.g. name of troupe above the stage, title of performance written on a board etc.) are still continued today.

P.S. Although the Chinese name written on the stage cannot be seen very clearly, I think it says 老新春乐班.

Photos of Marionette spotted

2010-09-21T01:31:00.013+08:00

Happen to chance upon these marionette photos put up by SNAP (Singapore National Album of Pictures) some time back. Shall have the link posted here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapsg/sets/72157624278229290/

Troupe featured: Xin Feng Zhu (新凤珠木偶班)
Venue: Bedok area
Photo taken: October 2009 (Hungry Ghost Festival)

The marionettes look almost brand-new. What caught my attention was that these marionettes have round faces and a more well-rounded appearance as compared to other marionettes that usually have elongated faces and slimmer appearance. It will be interesting to find out where these various puppets originated from and why they look different. E.g. Quanzhou marionettes are usually characterized by the protruding earlobe and double chin, believed to have a distinct Buddhist origin. These characteristics set them apart from other marionettes in Fujian (Marionette Theatre in Quanzhou, 2006, pp. 117-119).

Photo credit: snapshot of website taken from the link above

Mulian performance (marionette) at Hin Ann Thain Hiaw Keng

2010-09-01T16:43:00.001+08:00

A clip on the first part of the Mulian performance (28 August 2010, 19th day of the Seventh lunar month) by chinatownboy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQb0bg80FZU

As some of us have already known, there are numerous characters in the Mulian performance. There are some which I cannot recognize but interesting enough, Dua Ya Pek (大爷伯 White Guard of Impermanence) also appeared for a short while in the performance. Others who were present included King of Hades (阎罗王).

When the main performance had ended, families of the dead took part in the redemption ritual (超度) via the marionette performance.

Marionettes involved in the redemption ritual, including a monk (目连尊者) carrying a 4 or 5 coloured cloth, anyone knows what is the significance of this?

Upcoming marionette performances

2010-08-23T17:04:00.003+08:00

This blog is having some problems loading Twitter updates, shall post it here:

-Marionette performance (Hokkien) at Geylang Lor 33 for the whole of the seventh lunar month.
-Sin Hoe Ping performance (Henghwa) on 25 & 26 Aug @ 280A Changi Road temple.
-There may be some events going on at Kiew Lee Tong 九鲤洞 (Jalan Tambur), to be confirmed.

Tradition VS Puppet performance

2010-08-13T10:48:00.001+08:00

This month (Gregorian month from 10 August to 7 September) is a traditional Chinese Festival known as the Lunar Seventh Month (aka Hungry Ghosts Festivals or in Chinese, better known as 鬼节). On the 14th (Southern Chinese belief) or 15th day of the Seventh Month, this day is known as Zhongyuan Jie 中元节 by the Taoists or Yulanpen Jie 盂兰盆节 (Ullambana) by the Buddhists. As had been reported earlier, the Teochew rod puppet performance had already begun since the first day of the Seventh Month, so be sure to expect more performances (Hokkien and Henghua marionette) for the whole of this month! Stay tuned for more updates...

Source: http://pic.pimg.tw/miqlin66/1188071878.jpg

Teochew Rod Puppet performance at Chee Chung Huay

2010-08-11T15:49:00.024+08:00

Chinatownboy informed me that there would be a Teochew Rod puppet performance at Chee Chung Huay on 10 August (first day of the Seventh Lunar month). As I have never seen one in real life, I decided to have a look.

The performance by Sin Sai Bao Feng troupe (新赛宝丰班):

A closeup of the rod puppets (dan and sheng):

Notice that the puppeteers manipulating the puppets were not singing. Like some of the glove puppet performances that I had seen, 'voices' of the puppets are created by other performers backstage. This is different from the string puppet performances that we have seen so far.

A glimpse on the backstage (an ensemble of performers and musicians is less seen in street performances):

A video clip of the performance (note the fast rhythmic beatat 00:00:30 and see comment below):

A followup of the glove puppet performance at Central's River Promenade

2010-07-26T16:13:00.000+08:00

A followup of the glove puppet performance (in Teochew) at Central's River Promenade last Wednesday (21 July) that did attract some curious crowd, including tourists who took a few snapshots as well. Here are some pictures:

A closeup on the glove puppets:

Initially thought there were subtitles, but it was more of a synopsis of the performance:

Puppet performance in conjunction with Singapore Food Festival

2010-07-21T11:57:00.000+08:00

In conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival 2010 (16-25 July), there will be string and glove puppet performances. Visitors can munch to their hearts' content while enjoying the puppet performances.

String Puppets 提线木偶
Venue: Merlion Park
Time: -7.30pm to 8.00pm
-8.30pm to 9.00pm

Language:Hokkien, with English synopsis

Hand Puppets 布袋戏
Venue: Central's River Promenade
Time: -8.00pm to 8.30pm
-9.00pm to 9.30pm
Language:Teochew, with English synopsis

Information and pictures from http://singaporefoodfestival.com.sg/streetsnacks.php

Marionette Performance in celebration of Zhang Tianshi's birthday

2010-06-24T00:30:00.005+08:00

Was a little worried that the performance would be affected by the heavy downpour earlier but fortunately, the rain stopped when the performance began at 5pm. It was staged in front of a house (along Hougang St 21) where the owner had requested for the marionette performance and religious ritual in celebration of Zhang Tianshi's (张天师) birthday.

Notice the ritual conducted by Taoist priests behind the stage

A closer look at the ritual

Worship of Marshall Tian (田都元帅) near entrance of the house

During the break, I met Master Li of Hian Eng Daoist (显应道坛) for the first time. Master Li is actively involved in the Taoist scene in Singapore as well as China, UK. The performance ended at about 9pm when the ritual had also come to an end.

The Legend of Tian Du Yuan Shuai 田都元帅

2010-05-23T01:20:00.000+08:00

Perhaps, the one Deity who comes to mind when we talk about Chinese Marionette Theatre, it must be Tian Du Yuan Shuai 田都元帅. There are many different threads and tales about Tian Du Yuan Shuai and his involvement with the Chinese Opera and Marionette.

Professor Kenneth Dean did a detailed study on the Chinese temples in the Putian Plains, Fujian, China, and with them, the Chinese Marionette Theatre. Below is a teaser to his full length DVD that tells a little about Tian Du Yuan Shuai.

Bored in Heaven teaser from Image Fatale on Vimeo.

Mosquito bites leg? You are wrong..

2010-05-18T15:03:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks, I know I have not been updating..but had a good chat with Singapore's very own historian painter Marcus Lim http://www.marcuslim.com/ and he corrected my (and a lot of people) misconception of the term "Mang Ga Ka"(referring to the Balestier area, including Bendemeer area).

That's what Marcus said:
The name actually means "under the jackfruit tree". The Balestier area used to be home to Whampoa (Mr. Hoo Ah Kay) who owns Nam Seng Garden (南生花园) and it is in that villa where many fruit trees, especially jackfruit trees, were grown.

In the old days, the locals who are mostly illiterate would use physical landmarks as place names, thus this place (referring to Balestier/Bendemeer area) is named after that.

As explained by Marcus, "Mang ga" refers to jackfruit, so "Mang Ga ka" means "under the jackfruit tree" ("ka" means leg, so it has the connotation of below the jackfruit tree). This cleared my misconception of the term after so many years...argh..stop thinking Bendemeer/Balestier area is a place where people get bitten by mosquitoes ok..

Picture by Marcus of where the location of Whampoa Gardens is, later on identified as Bendemeer House:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2818155&id=60073512572

Marionette Performance in Celebration of the Monkey God's birthday

2010-04-11T23:30:00.002+08:00

Pardon me for the backdated entry..the Henghua marionette performance was held from 8-10 March at Kampong Kapor Road in celebration of the Monkey God's (齐天大圣) birthday

As the performance was staged at Kampong Kapor, a place frequented mostly by Indians and tourists, performance on the first night was especially swarmed with curious onlookers who stood there for quite a while, enjoying the rare sight. The tourists behind us were also busy clicking their cameras away.

Besides the performance, the Tian Xing Gong temple (天性宫) nearby also came 'alive'. Ronni told me the temple was usually closed (opened at night) when he visited it a few times. He sounded very excited when the temple was finally opened and I was also happy to 'discover' yet another Henghua temple.

The puppeteer bringing the puppet up to the temple after the Eight Immortals performance 八仙戏

Food for thought: Ronni suggested that I took a photo of the marionette performance from Tian Xing Gong to see the 'connection' between the temple and the performance..can you spot where it is?

Puppet troupes

2010-04-07T00:39:00.001+08:00

Was supposed to watch puppet performances in celebration of Guangze Zunwang's birthday but probably due to getai, both performances held at Hong San See and another one in the open space at Hougang Central ended early. They usually performed at 8pm but this time round, they performed from 5pm-7pm. Nevertheless, here are some of the pictures:

Xin Cai Yun puppet troupe's stage (新彩云木偶掌中班) at Hong San See (凤山寺)

A closer look at the puppet stage

Xin Xing Lai (Glove) Puppet troupe's (新兴来掌中班) stage at Hougang Central

The Classics

2010-04-02T15:26:00.006+08:00

Was quite into reading the classics though I don't deny that was done with some difficulty..the reading started partly for a better understanding of the philosophy and thoughts as an attempt to link to the present. First it was Daodejing (道德经) and while searching for the translated versions of Hanfeizi (韩非子), I found a good website that places both the Chinese and English versions side by side for easy reading and reference.

Here is the table of contents in English and Chinese (just the chapter name is hard to translate if you have not read or understood the Hanfeizi):

Book One

1. 初见秦 The First Interview with the King of Ch'in: A Memorial

2. 存韩 On the Preservation of Han: Issue Between Han Fei and Li Ssŭ

3. 难言On the Difficulty in Speaking: A Memorial

4. 爱臣On Favourite Vassals: A Memorial

5. 主道 The Tao of the Sovereign

Book Two

6. 有度 Having Regulations: A Memorial 7. 二柄 The Two Handles 8. 扬权 Wielding the Sceptre

9. 八姦 Eight Villainies

Book Three

10. 十过 Ten Faults

Book Four

11. 孤愤 Solitary Indignation 12. 说难 Difficulties in the Way of Persuasion

13. 和氏 The Difficulty of Pien Ho

14. 姦劫弑臣 Ministers Apt to Betray, Molest, or Murder the Ruler ('assassinate' is more appropriate?)

Book Five

15. 亡徵 Portents of Ruin 16. 三守 Three Precautions 17. 背内 Guarding Against the Interior 18. 南面 Facing the South 19. 饰邪 On Pretentions and Heresies: A Memorial

Book Six

20. 解老 Commentaries on Lao Tzŭ (Laozi)'s Teachings

Book Seven

21. 喻老 Illustrations of Lao Tzŭ (Laozi)'s Teachings 22. 说林上 Collected Persuasions, The Upper Series

Book Eight

23. 说林下 Collected Persuasions, The Lower Series 24. 观行 Observing Deeds 25. 安危 Safety and Danger 26. 守道 The Way to Maintain the State 27. 用人 How to Use Men: Problems of Personnel Administration 28. 功名 Achievement and Reputation 29. 大体 The Principal Features of Legalism

Book Nine

30. 內储说上 Inner Congeries of Sayings, The Upper Series: Seven Tacts

Book Ten

31. 內储说下 Inner Congeries of Sayings, The Lower Series: Six Minutiae

Book Eleven

32. 外储说左上 Outer Congeries of Sayings, The Upper Left Series

Book Twelve

33. 外储说左下 Outer Congeries of Sayings, The Lower Left Series

Book Thirteen

34. 外储说右上 Outer Congeries of Sayings, The Upper Right Series

Book Fourteen

35. 外储说右下 Outer Congeries of Sayings, The Lower Right Series

Book Fifteen

36. 难一 Criticisms of The Ancients, Series One 37. 难二 Criticisms of the Ancients, Series Two

Book Sixteen

38. 难三 Criticisms of the Ancients, Series Three 39. 难四 Criticisms of the Ancients, Series Four

Book Seventeen

40. 难势 A Critique of the Doctrine of Position 41. 问辩 Inquiring into the Origin of Dialectic

42. 问田 Asking T'ien: Two Dialogues 43. 定法 Deciding Between Two Legalistic Doctrines

44. 说疑 On Assumers 45. 诡使 Absurd Encouragements

Book Eighteen

46. 六反 Six Contrarieties 47. 八说 Eight Fallacies 48. 八经 Eight Canons

Book Nineteen

49. 五蠹 Five Vermins: A Pathological Analysis of Politics

50. 显學 Learned Celebrities: A Critical Estimate of Confucians and Mohists

Book Twenty

51. 忠孝 Loyalty and Filial Piety: A Memorial 52. 人主 The Lord of Men

53. 饬令 Making Orders Trim

54. 心度Surmising the Mentality of the People: A Psychological Analysis of Politics

55. 制分Regulations and Distinctions

Reference: http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=xwomen/texts/hanfei.xml&style=xwomen/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=tpage&doc.view=tocc&doc.lang=bilingual

Taoist mission dinner 1 April 2010

2010-04-02T13:51:00.002+08:00

It was great to see friends whom I had not seen for some time or never met at the dinner yesterday.

The 3 bows and 9 prostrations (三叩九拜)

I asked Chan about the cream-coloured strip-like thing that Master Lee Zhiwang, President of the Taoist Mission was holding. He said it was believed that this was used when officials presented memorials or reports to the Emperor, or probably they could have used it to cover their eyes since eye contact with the Emperor was not allowed then. That sounds very new and interesting to me. Perhaps anyone can share more information about this?

Chanting the Qi Dao Ci (祈祷词)

A glimpse at those who attended the dinner at Furama Riverfront Hotel

Various representatives reading the Religious Harmony Declaration (宗教和谐声明)

Announcement by Master Lee on the agreement with Keng Teck Whay to use its premises

Templing and puppets

2010-03-31T01:31:00.003+08:00

Sin Hoe Ping (Hokkien) puppet troupe at Po Chiak Keng (Magazine Road)

I went there around 2pm but sorry to say, there wasn't any performance yet or it was already over, quite strange because the day performance usually starts at 2pm..shall compensate with more interesting pictures and information below. As there was no performance at that time, I went in to Po Chiak Keng and have a look. Some of these statues striked me because they actually look quite similar to puppets.

I have yet to find out if there are any links between such statues and puppets but there are indeed puppet deities to name a few, especially those prayed by Henghua people, Marshal Tian (Xiang Gong 相公爷/田都元帅) and Chen Jinggu (陈靖姑) or the more commonly known ones such as Grand Elder (大爷伯).

Was lucky to be able to visit 2 Henghwa temples, An Ren Gong (安仁宫) and Qing Yun Miao (青云庙) (side by side each other) near Lorong Ah Soo. As usual, these temples never fail to amaze me with their unique traditions and beliefs which are never heard of or seen in other dialect-affiliated temples.The first one I visited was An Ren Gong. Partly due to my research on Xianggong, the first thing I will usually look for in a Henghua temple is whether they worship the deity. Sure enough, I found Xianggong's statue inside this temple.

He is being identified as having a crab drawn on his mouth. There are a few interesting stories as to how the crab was associated with the deity. Will share next time.

The other time I mentioned about the Hu-gi (扶乩) ritual held at Cheow Leng Beo in Yishun. Both the Henghwa temples in Lorong Ah Soo have hu-gi as well. Here is one taken at An Shan Gong.

The next trip was to Jiu Xuan Gong's celebration event of Jiu Tian Xuan Nv (九天玄女千秋日，农历二月十五日). I thought there was a marionette performance but it was a glove puppet one (布袋戏) by Shuang Neng Feng Huang Gezai troupe (双能凤凰歌仔班)! This was the second one (first one which I have watched) I have encountered so far! What a pleasant surprise!

Glove puppet stage in the day before the performance

The worshipping of Hai ji (孩儿爷) possibly by the glove puppet troupe, which are also worshipped by most Chinese opera troupes and Hokkien puppet troupes.

Glove puppet performance at night

Anyway, I had a wonderful and fruitful trip today, thanks to chinatownboy for showing me around!

Marionette performance in celebration of 10th Anniversary by Sheng Zhi Gong

2010-03-27T22:18:00.005+08:00

Updates from chinatownboy:

Sheng Zhi Gong 圣旨宫 celebrates its 10th Anniversary
Blk 116 Pending Rd (Bukit Panjang New Town)
Contact: 9068 6843

Sat 27 Mar 10
2pm: Jin Cai Tong Zi 金财童子 gives Consultation
7pm: Bu Yun - Enhance Luck/Fortune
Sin Hoe Ping 新和平 Marionette Theatre

Sun 28 Mar 10
2pm: Jin Cai Tong Zi 金财童子 leads in release of lotus lanterns
Sin Hoe Ping 新和平 Marionette Theatre

Mon 29 Mar 10
2pm: Jin Cai Tong Zi 金财童子 gives Consultation
Sin Hoe Ping 新和平 Marionette Theatre

Tue 30 Mar 10
8am: Invite Jade Emperor
3pm: Sends off Jade Emperor
7pm: Jin Cai Tong Zi 金财童子 gives Consultation
Sin Hoe Ping 新和平 Marionette Theatre

Wed 31 Mar 10
7.30pm: Grand Dinner
Sin Hoe Ping 新和平 Marionette Theatre

Thu 01 Apr 10
7pm: Jin Cai Tong Zi 金财童子 leads in crossing PingAn Bridge
Getai

Marionette performance in celebration of Tua Pek Kong's birthday

2010-03-18T13:16:00.005+08:00

Sorry folks I haven't been updating recently..

Thanks to Chinatownboy for taking effort to take photos and videos of marionette performances in celebration of Tua Pek Kong's birthday yesterday (17 March 2009)

Hokkien puppet performance by Feng Huang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_e5uyrlV4M

The others I did not have pictures or videos at hand, will post later if they are available but just an update:

Sin Hoe Ping puppet performance (Hokkien) at Rochor Tua Pek Kong temple

Xin Yi Sheng puppet performance at Loyang Tua Pek Kong

We can see that the whole of Singapore came very much alive with puppet performances in celebration of Tua Pek Kong's birthday!

"Receiving the Gods" celebration ceremonies at Cheow Leng Beo

2010-02-19T17:40:00.005+08:00

Dear Folks,

I have never attended any celebration on "Receiving the Gods" by any Henghwa-affiliated temple and so this one at Cheow Leng Beo held on 17 February was quite an eye opener to me.

Sandalwood and joss paper arranged in a big pile outside the temple, this was where the eye-opener started (There are 2 temples in the same complex, Cheow Leng Beo is on the left)

Chanting was done and the burnt talisman placed into the pile

Another eye-catching item: dragon-head like stick (扶乩 in Chinese, "Hu Gi" in Hokkien)

Those holding the "Hu Gi" seemed to be in a semi-trance state as they moved along with it, even writing Chinese characters on yellow paper that looked like talismans

After the pile of sandalwood and joss paper was burnt, together with beating of drums and gong, the Tangki mediums started going into trances and almost all of them walked over the fire after several attempts. Sedan chair carriers also went into semi-trance as the sedan chairs "moved". An onlooker said that the main Tangki (elderly guy) got the other Tangkis into a trance by touching them. At this moment, it was as if the space within the temple compound has been transformed into a theatrical and ritual space where the Tangki mediums and sedan chair carriers "performed". Women were not allowed near this space (I was pulled away and warned by an elderly lady) until the whole ceremony is over.

It was indeed a spectacular evening for me.

Address of Cheow Leng Beo: 525 Yishun Industrial Park A

(Take 811 from Yishun Interchange and alight at Blk 289 Yishun Ave 7. The temple is about 10 minutes walk from the bus stop)

String puppet and templing on Chinese New Year's eve

2010-02-15T03:27:00.001+08:00

Went to a few temples on Chinese New Year's eve and to my surprise, I found a Hokkien string puppet performance just opposite Thian Hock Keng temple. This string puppet troupe somewhat seemed new or not one of the troupes that I have mentioned in my earlier blog entries.

Out of curiosity, I went near the backstage and found a familiar face smiling back at me. He is one of the musician in the other puppet troupe. I have yet to find out more about this troupe, will keep you folks updated soon.

Not forgetting to share the festive mood of dragon in motion in the temple!

Wishing all a prosperous and wonderful Tiger Year!

Celebrations with marionette performances in Xing An Tian Hou Gong

2010-02-13T03:00:00.011+08:00

本宫文武列圣寿旦（诞）日如：

正月初四接神

正月初九玉皇寿诞

正月十五元宵节

二月初二头福

二月初十陈靖姑寿旦（诞）

二月十九观音寿旦（诞）

三月初十鲁府姨妈寿旦（诞）鲁妈？

三月二三妈祖旦（诞）

五月初五端午节

五月初九谢府大爷寿旦（诞）

六月初六大伯公寿旦（诞）

六月十九观音寿旦（诞）

七月初七公妈寿旦（诞）

七月二三张公寿旦（诞）

八月十五中秋节

八月二三田公元帅寿旦（诞）

九月十九观音寿旦（诞）

十二月十六尾福

十二月二四送神

Celebration in red denotes the staging of string puppet performances by Sin Hoe Ping puppet troupe in Xing An Tian Hou Gong. From the celebrations of these various birthdays of deities included in this list, one can tell the main deities worshipped by the Henghua community.

About Xing An Tian Hou Gong 兴安天后宫

The origin of Xing An Tian Hou Gong is still unknown due to the lack of relevant sources. It was believed to be established around the 1920s. Pilgrims and worshippers from the Mazu temple in Meizhou brought the worshipping culture to Singapore where people could pray at 133 Queen Street. This became a site of spiritual support and activity for early Putian immigrants.

Since the 1940s, the Putian (Henghua) people had been organizing activities during the Seventh Lunar Month (

公建普度,中元节) in memory of their ancestors and to engage in expiatory purification of the spirits.

In 1957, the Henghua community established the Nanyang Putian Huiguan (南洋莆田会馆) and its first chairman was the late Mr. Su Zhi Xuan (苏志宣).

In 1972, being part of the city reconstruction scheme, Xing An Tian Hou Gong and the Nanyang Putian Huigian moved out of Queen Street to 16 Madras Road. The “Puxian amateur troupe” (莆仙业余剧团), a collaboration between Sin Hoe Ping and the then Xin De Yue troupe (“新和平”与“新得月”戏班) was formed in 1974 and performed during the celebration of Goddess Mazu’s birthday in 1975. It gained much support from the community and other Putian-affiliated temples also invited the troupe to perform with which they could stage more than 60 performances annually during the peak period. Unfortunately, after having performed for 10 over years, the troupe had to be dissolved because there were no new performers to take over the old and retiring performers.

In 1987, the site at Madras Street was requisitioned and the executive board of the temple and huiguan decided to purchase its new site at Geylang Lorong 3. After renovation works were completed in 1991, the temple and huiguan moved into the new building where it still stands today (see picture below).

(Source: Putian Association Singapore 50th Year Anniversary Complementary Magazine in Chinese)

A glimpse at Xing An Tian Hou Gong 兴安天后宫:

Main altar with Mazu in the middle

Dua ya pek on the left side nearest to entrance

Henghwa marionette performance beside Shi Dao Feng Jiao temple

2010-02-05T20:25:00.000+08:00

The Henghwa marionette performance is held beside Shi Dao Feng Jiao temple 世道风教 at Upper Boon Keng Road, off Geylang Lor 3. Here are some pictures I took today:

Offerings in front of the stage performance

Musicians performing at the side of the stage

Towards the end of the performance

Entrance at Shi Dao Feng Jiao temple

Introduction and updates on the string puppet troupes

2010-02-02T23:18:00.024+08:00

Here are some of the pictures taken of the string puppet troupes in Singapore:

Xin Yi Sheng puppet performance at Loyang Dua Pekong, 31 March 2010

Sin Hoe Ping puppet performance (Henghua) at Shi Wu Dong, 26 December 2009

Feng Huang puppet performance at Blk 362 Clementi Ave 2, 26 December 2009

Qiu Yi puppet performance at Tian Teck Keng (Tampines Link), 2 May 2009

Feng Huang Marionette Theatre performing at Bukit Merah View

2010-01-31T01:56:00.004+08:00

A small video clip of the marionette performance by Feng Huang Marionette Theatre at Bukit Merah View at the Thanksgiving celebration of Xuan Jiang Dian.

The title of this performance is Xiao Xiang Ye Yu 潇湘夜雨.

Past and present: String puppets in Singapore

2010-01-23T20:38:00.007+08:00

Some information collected so far on the history of string puppets in Singapore

In the past (up till mid-1980s), the Henghwa string puppet troupes include (full names of some troupes still need verification):

1. Xin De Yue 新得月班

2. China Henghua String Puppet Troupe 中国兴化提线木偶班

3. Feng Huang Ting (Phoenix Pavilion) Troupe 凤凰亭班
4. Sai Feng Feng Troupe 赛凤凤班

5. Sin Hoe Ping Troupe 新和平班

6. Puxian Amateur Troupe 莆仙业余剧团

7. Fu Shun Troupe 福顺班

8. Shun Fa Troupe顺发班

Present (together with existing Hokkien string puppets in Singapore, more to be discovered and added):

1. Sin Hoe Ping Puppet Troupe 新和平加礼戏

2. Feng Huang (Phoenix) Puppet Troupe 凤凰木偶班

3. Xin Yi Sheng Puppet Troupe 新艺声木偶戏班

4. Qiu Yi Ge Zai Xi Troupe 秋艺歌仔戏班(as can be seen from the name of the troupe, Gezaxi performances are also staged besides string puppet)

Please feel free to share if you know of any other puppet troupes (past and present) not mentioned here.

"Ban Xian"

2010-01-04T22:17:00.003+08:00

The "Ban Xian" (Hokkien) performance by Feng Huang Marionette Theatre troupe.

Wade Giles Romanization

2009-12-27T20:00:00.003+08:00

Although this is not something related to marionette theatre, it is a useful tool for reading papers and articles, particularly those that had been written for some time. This is a useful table for those who might be confused especially when reading the works of early Western sinologists because of the very different romanization of Chinese characters. However, I am not sure if this table includes all the possible romanization because I discovered that it did not include:

Pinyin Wade-Giles

u uh

Will add on if there are more discoveries. Feel free to comment so I can add on too.

Table source: http://www.sacu.org/roman.html

木偶戏与文化遗产

2009-12-22T12:19:00.007+08:00

曾听过一些老前辈回忆儿时看木偶戏的乐趣，但我从来没有机会同这些小玩意儿接触过，直到有一次在乘坐巴士时，偶然看到附近有人在做布袋戏，从而激发了我对木偶的兴趣。

在早期的新加坡，孩子们对看木偶戏总是兴致勃勃，但母亲们总是把他们拉到一旁，总是不准他们去看戏，让天真无邪的孩子完全摸不着脑袋。其实，木偶戏尤其是提线木偶与宗教是息息相关的，在早期的新加坡或是中国有上演木偶戏的农村地区，孩子和孕妇是不可以观看木偶戏的。但随着时代的变迁，人们的想法有所改变，这些禁忌也渐渐在本地销声匿迹。

近来由于人们对文化遗产的逐渐重视，聚焦灯再度投射到木偶戏，听木偶师说不少学生为了做作业都访问过他们，我本身也亲眼目睹学生目不转睛地望着木偶师摆动着木偶的四肢，另一名学生一动也不动地手提录像机，忙着录影。

木偶戏当中的宗教仪式相当复杂，还需要更多人去研究探讨，尤其是本地的木偶戏和宗教仪式，提着录相机、摄像机的你，准备好了吗？

Preserving our Chinese Marionette Theatre Heritage

2009-12-21T23:16:00.008+08:00

In the old days, the Marionette Theatre was there at various events, from temple celebrations to the celebration of a child "going into the garden" as literally translated from the Teochew tradition.

Today, the Marionette Theatre is mainly for the Gods. The kids of yesteryear loved it when the Marionette Theatre "came to town" (or to the kampong - village - as the case might be). Today, there are too many distractions. There's no grandma or grandpa to help explain the stories from the Marionette Theatre, which could be in Hokkien (Minnan) or HengHwa (MinDong). There are the TVs, PCs and the Internet.

But most important, it is still for the Gods. The performance of the Marionette is intricate and has many aspects, some of which are related to the religious rituals.

Today, we hope to create more awareness and in the process, better appreciation of the Marionette Theatre. And through, preserving what is left of the Marionette Theatre scene in Singapore.