Shadow puppets and wayang kulit in modern Singapore

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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