![]() Presented on makeshift stages, opera performances were often sponsored by temples and clans, and staged for free public viewing.īetween the late 1800s and 1930s, the Chinese opera scene in Singapore was thriving and the 1881 census recorded a total of 240 Chinese opera performers. Introduced by Chinese migrants in the 19th century, it was often performed at religious festivities in honour of deities such as Ma Zu (goddess and protector of seafarers), Guan Yin (goddess of mercy) and Guan Di (god of war and protector of tradesmen). Known locally as “wayang” in Malay, Chinese opera was the most popular form of local live entertainment for more than a century in Singapore. Opera performances often draw upon Chinese folklore, history or literature, and showcase aspects of Chinese culture, tradition and philosophy. Music, acting, martial arts and acrobatics are key features across various genres of Chinese opera. It was also home to other traditional arts such as nanyin music, lion dance and wushu, which are examples of ICH that are still practised in Chinatown today.īullock carts and rickshaws along New Bridge Road, undatedĬourtesy of National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage BoardĬhinese opera is a performing art form rooted in Chinese tradition and staged with stylised actions and elaborate costumes. Kreta Ayer soon became a cultural heartland known for its concentration of teahouses and opera theatres. The early immigrants of Kreta Ayer, who were predominantly Cantonese, brought with them traditional and cultural traits from their hometowns in China. These carts were used to distribute water from wells located in Ann Siang Hill. The name “Kreta Ayer” means “water cart” in Malay, which refers to the bullock and ox carts that plied Kreta Ayer Road in the mid-1800s. The historic district of Chinatown today consists of four sub-districts: Telok Ayer, Kreta Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh.Īmong the four sub-districts, Kreta Ayer Road and its neighbouring streets formed the commercial heart of Chinatown. This is because Raffles organised the town of Singapore according to ethnicity as a way of preserving communal harmony, as well as facilitating trade by locating ethnic groups involved in commerce closer to the port. The boundaries of present-day Chinatown were established in 1822 and its origin can be attributed to Sir Stamford Raffles. ![]() Singapore Town Plan by Lieutenant Philip Jackson, which shows how downtown Singapore was divided into ethnic districts based on Raffles’s instructions,Ĭourtesy of National Museum of Singapore, National Heritage Board Kreta Ayer: Cultural Heartland of Chinatown ![]() It is therefore important that we document and safeguard our ICH for future generations. ICH fosters a sense of identity amongst the different communities and contributes to the vibrancy of Singapore’s multicultural heritage. ICH is part of our living heritage and continues to evolve with time. In Singapore, ICH can be broadly classified into six categories: oral traditions and expressions performing arts social practices, rituals and festive events knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe food heritage and traditional craftsmanship. With nothing in way of puppet show stage orders in sight beyond an order that Mr Leong is currently in the process of fulfilling, this last stage that he is building may be one of the last, if not the last, traditional puppet show stages being made not just at Mr Leong’s workshop, but also in Singapore.Under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is defined as cultural practices and living traditions which reflect cultural diversity and creative expression, and provide communities with a sense of belonging. Having been started in the 1940s by Mr Leong’s father, whose name the business is identified with, the workshop must have been involved in putting together a countless number of stages. This quick turnaround time, the lack of a customer base, and the fact that a stage can be used and reused for as long as ten years, does mean that there is little in terms work in the area for the business that Mr Leong runs, Leong Shin Wah Art Studio. All it takes is a few weeks to add the decorative work before a stage can be put together. A typical Chinese puppet stage is really an assembly of pieces of plywood on which colourful decorations and backdrops are painted on one side and reinforced on the other.
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