Singapore Hakka Music - Culturepaedia: One-Stop Repository on Singapore Chinese Culture

Singapore’s Hakkas have been active in community and cultural activities since the early years of modern Singapore. According to research by Hakka studies scholar Li Xiaoyan, before 1819, there were relatively few Chinese residents on the island. It was only after the British initiated development and construction that a large number of Chinese labourers began to migrate to Singapore from neighbouring regions. Li notes that in 1822, the Ying Fo Fui Kun and the Wui Chiu Fui Kun clan associations were established by the Hakkas in Singapore, which indicates that there were already a significant number of Hakka immigrants then.

From the mid-19^th century onwards, more Hakka clan associations, and community-based organisations were established.

Folk songs and opera

Although the Hakkas make up just one-tenth of Singapore’s total Chinese population, their rich culture stands out. Hakka folk songs and traditional operas are the most well-known musical activities of the Hakkas. In the 1930s, many Hakka farmers on Pulau Tekong would often entertain themselves with mountain songs. Such scenes are depicted in the novel Liannian degang qing (Fond memories of Tekong), written by Chong Han (Choo See Kau).¹Additionally, in the 1950s, Singapore amusement parks such as Happy World (renamed Gay World after 1966) hosted Hakka mountain song events, which reportedly drew enthusiastic participation from many members of the public.²

Based on research conducted by the author, in the 1940s and 1950s, local Hakka community organisations and record companies in Singapore released Hakka folk songs and traditional opera records. For example, in the 1940s, the Nanyang Hakka Federation’s Chinese traditional music ensemble (now Han Music Ensemble) released records of Waijiang Opera (later known as Guangdong Han Opera), such as Yeyi shenzhou (Remembering China at Night), Yetang chun (Spring Night in the Hall), and Wutai shan (Mount Wutai).

In addition, in the 1950s, Horse Brand Records released Hakka operas in albums such as Zhu yingtai chushi, liangzhu aishi (The Birth of Zhu Ying Tai, The Tragic Love Story of Zhu Ying Tai and Liang Shan Bo) and Yingtai ruxue (Ying Tai Goes to School), as well as Hakka folk songs records like Fa da cai (Making a Fortune), Mofan fuqi (Model Couple), Songlang guofan ge (Seeing My Darling Off to Overseas), and The Emei yue (Emei Moon).

According to Lian Yoong Ser, advisor to the Nanyang Hakka Federation Chinese Orchestra, the Hakka community in the 1950s regularly organised traditional opera events. During the Lunar New Year, Han musical groups visited the homes of the elderly to play stringed instruments and sing Han operas as part of the celebrations. Ying Fo Fui Kun also hired ensembles to perform during spring and autumn’s collective ancestral worship.

With the introduction of dialect radio programmes in Singapore in the mid-20^th century, Hakka folk songs and operas began to appear in the mass media. In the 1960s, cable radio station Rediffusion, and Radio Singapore’s Chinese stations, both broadcast Hakka folk songs. The former also featured Hakka storytelling programmes.³

From the 1970s, the Singapore government initiated a bilingual policy with a focus on English and Mandarin. This resulted in restrictions on the use of Chinese dialects and music performances in public domains. The rise of new forms of entertainment such as television and movies also resulted in the decline of traditional Hakka folk songs and operas in the community.

In 1980, the government began to emphasise cultural development, with a focus on various art forms including Chinese orchestra and Western classical music. The Nanyang Hakka Federation adapted to this trend, and in 1982, a Chinese orchestra was jointly founded by Zhang Bingzhao, Lian Yoong Ser, and Yap Yew Kei. In 1987, a choir was established by Ko Gim Poh. Since 2000, influenced by interactions with other Hakka cultural groups from different regions, such as the Guangdong Han Opera Troupe, the Han opera music enthusiasts in Singapore began experimenting with ethnic instruments to perform traditional Han opera music. In 2012, they came together to form the Nanyang Hakka Federation Han Music Ensemble.

The album cover and label of the Han opera record *Remembering China at Night*, released by the Nanyang Hakka Federation Chinese traditional music ensemble. *Nanyang Hakka Federation Collection, courtesy of Hsu Hsin-Wen.*

Hakka folk song album *Making a Fortune* released by the Horse Brand Records label in the 1950s. *From Ngee Fat Gramophone House, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.*

Hakka folk song album *Model Couple* released by the Horse Brand Records label in the 1950s. *From Ngee Fat Gramophone House, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.*

Singing groups

Starting in the early years of the 21^st century, interactions between Singapore’s Hakka song groups and professional performers from China, Taiwan, and Malaysia inspired Hakka associations in Singapore to establish their own singing groups. In 2002, initiated by Liang Zhaohui and Chong Chow Yin, the Ying Fo Fui Kun formed a mountain song class. In 2004, Chia Sei Kong established the Char Yong (Dabu) Association Hakka Singing Class, which later evolved into the Char Yong Hakka Choir in 2013. More groups would follow — the Foong Shoon Fui Kuan Hakka Singing Class (founded in 2007 by Chong Chin Hin); Hakka singing class of the Hakka Wong Association’s (founded in 2007 by Wong Chee Keong); Nanyang Hakka Federation Folk Song Group (founded in 2008 by Ko Gim Poh); the Chia (Pow Soo) Hakka Clan Association’s Hakka Singing Group (founded in 2012 by Chia Sei Kong); Char Yong (Dabu) Hakka Singing Group (founded in 2013 by Lee Yong Tick); Bukit Panjang Khek Community Guild Hakka Singing Class (founded in 2014 by Richard Kok); and a new singing group co-organised by members of the Hopo Corporation and the Hakka Wong Association in 2022.

These associations and singing groups not only passed on Hakka songs from various regions through their own activities, but also encouraged new local compositions. They have also collaborated in organising Hakka song appreciation events which started in 2004 and was in its 13^th edition as of 2023.

Hakka Christians in Singapore have incorporated Hakka language into their church services and hymns and gospel songs. For example, since its establishment in 2006, the Singapore Hakka Methodist Church’s Hakka Choir translated traditional hymns and worship songs into Hakka. They also sang newly-composed hymns and gospel songs with Hakka lyrics as well as popular songs which resonated with the congregation, such as Gongjian meihao xinjiayuan (Building a Beautiful New Home Together).⁴

In summary, music serves not only as a significant means for Singapore’s Hakka community to express its cultural distinctiveness, but also as a vital medium for responding to life experiences and showcasing creative expression. From mountain songs, traditional operas, and instrumental music to hymns and gospel songs, the musical activities of Singapore’s Hakka community exhibit the uniqueness of the local cultural context. They also reflect the life journey of the Hakkas people, characterised by interethnic, interregional, and intercultural exchanges.

1	Wong Sin Kiong, Pang Mee Mee and Guo Meiling, “Xinjiapo kejia shan’ge yu kejiacai”, 218–236.
2	Zhang Beiyu, “Xinjiapo kejia shan’ge: yige kejia wenhua fuhao de zaidihua yu kuayuhua”, 89–109.
3	Huang Wen-chu, “Kaichuang Nanyang de zaidi yule wenhua, tan Xinjiapo lide husheng xiayu guangbo”. 83–88. “Jianggu chuanshuo jin suiyue fengyun”, 38–41.
4	Dai Min Li, “Jingbai yu yinyue zhi Kejia shi ban” [Worship and music with Hakka Choir], in Weili gonghui keyin tianentang kejia chongbai shizhounian jinian tekan, 40.

	“Jianggu chuanshuo jin suiyue fengyun” [Telling tales of the past through the winds and clouds of time]. Oneness Magazine 30 (2020): 38–41.
	Chong Han. Liannian degang qing [Fond memories of Tekong]. Singapore: Long House Publisher, 1992.
	Hakka Methodist Church, ed. Weili gonghui keyin tianentang kejia chongbai shizhounian jinian tekan [A Tribute to 10 Years of Hakka Worship at the Hakka Methodist Church]. Singapore: Hakka Methodist Church, 2018.
	Huang, Wen-chu. “Kaichuang Nanyang de zaidi yule wenhua, tan Xinjiapo lide husheng xiayu guangbo” [The local entertainment culture which founded Nanyang: a discussion of Singapore Rediffusion’s Hokkien broadcast]. Guowen tiandi 28, No. 8 (2013): 83–88.
	Li, Xiaoyan. “Xinjiapo kejia yiminshi yu yimin jingyan” [Migration history and experience of Singapore Hakka]. In Xinjiapo Kejia [Singapore Hakka], edited by Wong Sin Kiong, 11–26. Guilin: Guangxi Normal University Press, 2007.
	Wong, Sin Kiong, Pang, Mee Mee and Guo, Mei Ling. “Xinjiapo kejia shan’ge yu kejiacai” [Hakka mountain songs and dishes in Singapore]. In Xinjiapo kejia [Singapore Hakka], edited by Wong Sin Kiong, 218–236, Guilin: Guangxi Normal University Press, 2007.
	Zhang, Beiyu. “Xinjiapo kejia shan’ge: yige kejia wenhua fuhao de zaidihua yu kuayuhua” [Singapore Hakka mountain songs: the localisation and cross-border aspects of a Hakka cultural symbol]. In Kuayu yanjiu kejia wenhua [Trans-regional and cross-disciplinary studies on Hakka Culture], edited by Wong Sin Kiong, 89–109. Singapore: NUS Chinese Studies, Char Yang Association, Global Publishing, 2015.