A Brief History of Teochew Opera

Teochew Opera (潮劇) is a traditional form of musical theatre with Teochew dialect (潮州方言) in China, which originated from the Southern Drama (南戲) in Song and Yuan Dynasties and be popular in Teosaw (潮汕), Minnan (閩南), Hong Kong, Taiwan and even in the other countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and so on. The lines of Teochew Opera rhyme in Teochew dialect. The spoken parts are composed of Teochew slang. With mutually reinforcing expressions and connotation, the opera texts suit both refined and popular tastes. The Teochew Opera performed with live singing and the melisma (唱腔) of Teochew Opera has flexible variation with the libretto. The accompaniment is classified into  two parts—Orchestral and plucked string instruments which called "Wen Pan" (文畔)  and percussion instrument which called "Wu Pan" (武畔). Among the roles in Teochew Operas, Sheng (生, Male), Dan (旦, Female) and Chou (醜, Clown) are the most distinctive. Therein Chou is titled “The Soul of Teochew Operas”. Among over four thousand plays in Teochew Opera, two types are rare in other operas. One is the plays adapted from local figures and tales in Teoswa, like  The Tale of Lychee and Mirror (《荔鏡記》)  and The Tale of Su Liu Niang (《蘇六娘》). The other one is  the Plays of the life of overseas Chinese, like  Case of Guanshuo (《官碩案》) and Daughter For Sale (《金貴捨》).

Teochew Opera has a history of over 400 years. With the Teoswa people went abroad,  The Teochew Opera has become the major carrier of Teochew culture and connected the Teoswa people over the world. Teochew Operas have been spread in Thailand as early as the mid-17th century. Since 1851, all the activities of Teochew Opera troupes like Lao Shuang Xi (老雙喜戲班) and Lao Zheng He (老正和戲班) were centered around Bangkok,  the opera troupes regularly toured in surrounding countries like Singapore, Malaya, Vietnam, Indonesia, and also the regions which include Taiwan and Hong Kong,, mainly performing in feast days or festivals.

In 1920s, Teochew Opera performers in mainland began to migrate to Thailand successively to escape the civil strife. They introduced new dramatic concepts and thoughts and combinate the opera with the social reality of Thai Chinese, they modernized and localized  Teochew Operas in Thailand, which was mainly  expressed in the four aspects: adapting traditional operas; reforming performance form, abolishing the  apprenticeship system of Teochew Opera, and implementing the stock-holding system or the unity of theaters and troupes in organization management.  The reform of Teochew Opera attracted and   cultivated many excellent performers, and they improved the performance with a grand style. In adapting the  costume Chuanqi (傳奇戲，means transmission of the strange stories)  The Tale of Mount Turtle (《遊龜山》) to A  Pathetic Fisherman (《可憐一漁翁》), scenarists Chen Tie-han (陳鐵漢) and Xie Yin (謝吟，1904 - 1983) initiated  the form of crude stage play (文明戲) of Teochew Opera in Thailand. In 1930s, some crude stage plays which including Beautiful Sisters (《姐妹花》) spread to Singapore and Malaya.  The concept of mobile and stereoscopic scenery in Teochew Opera is sourced from the stage art of play and film and the scenery was used in many operas which include Singapore's The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (《火燒紅蓮寺》), and been spread in Thailand through the performance of Lao Sai Tao Yuan troupe (老賽桃源戲班)By 1950s, broadcasting programs and films of Teochew Opera started to occupy the Southeast Asia market,the first Chinese Teochew opera Movie The Burning of the Tower by the River (火燒臨江樓) premiered in Singapore in 1958, which facilitated the development of Teochew Operas in Singapore. By 1960, China Teochew Opera Troupe (中國潮劇團) toured Cambodia, of which actors including Yao Xuanqiu (姚璇秋，1935 - 2022) were decorated by the Queen of Cambodia as the highest courtesy. Headed by Tan Chor Hui (陳楚蕙，1943 - 2012), the Hong Kong Teochew Opera actors performed in Thailand in 1960s, and the performance created a sensation. In 1982, Thai Chinese Zhuang Meilong (庄美隆) directed the first Thai Teochew opera Judge Bao's Trial of His Nephew, the rhyme of lines and tunes of this drama were composed with Thai.In 2000, Zhuang founded Thai Chinese Culture & Arts Exchange Center (泰中文化藝術交流中心) to teach Teochew Opera performers Thai and  enlighten Thai people  to understand the Teochew Operas.  The Great Flood of Gun-Yu (《大禹治水》) and Zhao Zilong Rescues Master Liu Single-handedly (《趙子龍救阿斗》) are the representative works of Thai Teochew Opera.

In May 2006, Teochew Opera was  added to the first representative list of State-level Non-material Cultural Heritage Items (第一批國家級非物質文化遺產名錄). Thereafter, the mainstream media and self-media have more diversified attention to Teochew operas. The opera practitioners got rid of the stale and brought forth the fresh, published numerous excellent operas, include Watch The Tide (《望海潮》) which follows the story of overseas Chinese's homeland. In April 2021, Shantou Municipal Government and National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA) co-founded the first full-time Teochew opera undergraduate program, in the new mode of "Combination of Learning with Practice", and established Shantou Teaching Practice Base of NACTA.

On April 1, 2022, the first international Teochew Opera Culture Seminar began. The class with the module of combination of online and outline. On April 29, the commencement as well as the online opening ceremony of Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand Teochew Opera Heritage Centerof Guangdong Teochew Opera Institution was held in Huiru Theater (慧如劇場). Spread Operas for Love (《為愛傳戲》), a song composed for this  seminar, was co-performed by all the students from  the different country and region.

Performance Photos and Websites:

1. Buddha Jih acted by Chen Saifeng (陳賽鳳), a  famous Sheng performer in the circle of Teochew operas in Thailand ; taken in 1940s

2. Overseas Teochew Melody: Comments on Chen Chuhui’s Art (《海外潮音──陈楚蕙艺术评传》), written by Qian Feng (錢豐), published by Thailand Baat Woh Press (泰國八和機構出版社) in 2000

3.  Stage photo of Thailand Teochew Opera King Yu Tamed Floods. In 1999, performers of Thai-Sino Teochew Opera Troupe co-acted with the teachers and students of Thammasat University The Great Flood of Gun-Yu.

4. The stage of Lao San Zheng Shun Troupe (老三正順劇團) in Seven Goddesses Temple, Bangkok, during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, on October 7, 2005

5. VCD cover of Thailand Teochew opera Judge Bao's Trial of His Nephew, recorded by Tulip Company (ทิวลิป) in Thailand in 2002, performed by  Mang Bobla Art Troupe

6. Teochew Opera The Tale of Su Liu Niang: Yao Xuanqiu Opera Art Collection

7. Spread Operas for Love, the class song of the first international Teochew Opera Culture  Seminar in Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Successor Program, written by Lin Ke (林克), composed by Chen Huanze (陳煥澤), performed by  all the student of the seminar