Hainanese opera in Singapore

Qiongju, otherwise known as Qiongzhou opera, or simply Hainanese opera, is a traditional form of theatre found locally in places such as Haikou and Ding’an in the Chinese province of Hainan. It is one of the dramatic arts of the Minnan language family, and is widely popular in the Hainan province and Southeast Asian countries.

The establishment of clan associations in Fujian, Gaozhou, Chaozhou, and five counties communities in Haikou between the fifth and 58^th year (1740–1793) of Emperor Qianlong’s reign during the Qing dynasty contributed greatly to the boom of Hainanese opera, as these associations took turns to bring in opera troupes from their various hometowns to perform in Haikou. Hainanese opera flourished and underwent significant changes between the reign of emperors Xianfeng (1851–1861) and Guangxu (1875–1908), a time in which Chinese opera artists from other parts of the country found their way to Hainan and stayed there to teach and perform. This external influence had a profound effect on the performance and vocal styles of Hainanese opera and resulted in its gradual transformation from qupai ti to banqiang ti.¹

Local Hainanese opera groups

Unlike other Chinese opera troupes, Hainanese opera troupes in Singapore were mainly made up of amateur groups in the early years. Records show that Hainanese opera had been performed on the island even before the 1920s.² The dawn of the 1920s marked the first golden era of Hainanese opera in Singapore, and was brought about mainly by the civil war in China then. This resulted in numerous famous Hainanese opera artists fleeing to Southeast Asia and contributing to the blossoming of Hainanese opera in the region. Major groups from this period included: Qiong Han Nian Opera Troupe, Guo Min Yue Opera Troupe, Heng Nam Drama Association (now Tien Heng Kang Heng Nam Drama Association), Se Xiu Nian Opera Troupe, and Shi Si Gong Si Opera Troupe.³

In the late 1930s, the Nan Xing Hainanese Opera Troupe staged fundraising performances in support of the anti-Japanese resistance with a repertoire of anti-war titles such as Huanwo heshan (Return My Country), Luzhou liang furen (Two Women in Luzhou), and Yalü jiang shang (On the Yalu River) — all released around 1938. The troupe was later ordered by the British colonial government to disband, and Xin Qiong Ya Opera Troupe was formed in its place.⁴

During the Japanese Occupation in the 1940s, Hainanese opera artists were assigned to perform at the New World and Great World amusement parks, where they put up traditional plays between 1942 and 1945 such as Zhang Wenxiu (The Top Scholar Zhang Wenxiu), Qin Xianglian, Liang Shanbo yu Zhu Yingtai (The Butterfly Lovers) and Gou yao jinchao (The Dog Bites the Golden Hairpin).⁵ Going into the 1950s, the Hainanese opera scene became more active again due to the efforts of artists such as Lin Xi Chou, Goh Toak Eng, Song Hanchan, Sai Qionghua, and Huang Qisheng.

In the late 1950s, Ming Tian Hainanese Opera Troupe, Qiong Lian You Opera Troupe, and Heng Nam Drama Association were set up in succession. Soon after, in the 1960s, Qiong Lian Hua Brothers Opera Troupe, Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club, Yi Guang Opera Troupe, and Lu Nam Ke Huan followed suit, marking the second golden era of local Hainanese opera since the 1920s.⁶

By the 1970s, even though the seven aforementioned opera groups were still in operation, only Heng Nam Drama Association and Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club remained active. From the 1980s to the early 2000s, the development of Hainanese opera in Singapore was mainly sustained by Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club, Tien Heng Heng Nam Dramatic Association (formerly known as Heng Nam Dramatic Association), and Singapore Hainan Society (formerly known as Kheng Chew Junior Association).

Today, the remaining local Hainanese opera groups that can be found in 2023 include: Singapore Hainan Society, Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club, Qiong Ju Society of Singapore, and Chinese Opera Ensemble, with the former being the most active. Relentless in its efforts to promote Hainanese opera since its establishment in 1956, the society has helped improve the performance standards of its members by setting up training classes, hiring well-known local Hainanese opera artists and teachers, and inviting renowned masters from Hainan to share their artistry. Some of the performances they have staged include: Hongye tishi (Poem on Autumn Leaves, 1977), Qin xianglian zhi cemei ji (The Case of Chen Shimei, 1981), Liangzhu (Butterfly Lovers, 2002), Yuanye (The Savage Land, 2006), and Zhaoshi gu’er (Zhao’s Orphan, 2011).

Similarly, Qiong Ju Society of Singapore, founded in 2010, is one of the more active groups in the scene. Formed by a group of Hainanese passionate about their culture, especially Hainanese opera, the society has been actively organising performances and engaging masters of the art from home and abroad. Performances they have staged include: Zhenzhu ji (Story of the Pearls, 2010), Wang Guixiang gaozhuang (The Petition of Wang Gui Xiang, 2010), Sanbai huatang (Triple Wedding Bows, 2010), Hua yan (Flower of the Banquet, 2017), and Yi, Honglou meng (Memory of the Dream of the Red Chamber, 2019).

Notable local Hainanese opera artists

The emergence of the celebrated actress Goh Toak Eng in the 1950s marked a turning point in the history of Hainanese opera in Singapore where female roles were no longer played solely by male actors. Goh was born in Singapore in 1932 and left for Wenchang in Hainan with her parents at the age of four. In 1951, she returned to Singapore and made her stage debut the following year to raise funds for the construction of Pui Tak School. Later, she joined various opera troupes such as Xin Nanfeng Hainanese Opera Troupe, Xin Guo Feng Hainanese Opera Troupe, and Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club, before announcing her retirement in 1993.⁷

Another notable figure was the president of Hymn Rhyme Seng Opera Club Foo Qing Yun (born Foo Soon Lee), who was born in Malaysia in 1939 and moved to Singapore at the age of six. Ever since he was invited to contribute to the establishment of Yi Guang Opera Troupe at the end of 1963, he has been active on stage for half a century, bearing witness to the highs and lows of Hainanese opera in post-war Singapore. He is the only veteran who is still currently active on the Hainanese opera stage.

Taking to the global stage

On the international front, Hainanese opera groups from Singapore have also actively organised exchange performances with their foreign counterparts. Hainanese opera troupes from China naturally have had a great influence on the development of Hainanese opera in Singapore since the Guangdong Hainanese Opera Troupe first performed here in 1982. Acclaimed Hainanese opera masters and directors from Hainan have been invited to the island as advisors, while Hymn Rhyme Sing Opera Club, Tien Heng Kang Heng Nam Dramatic Association, and Qiong Ju Society of Singapore have staged well-received performances in countries such as China (Hainan, Beijing, and Nanjing), Malaysia, and even the United States (Southern California).

It is worth noting that the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic did not crush the survival and development of Hainanese opera in Singapore. On 26 November 2023, the Traditional Arts Centre (TAC) invited Hainan Qiong Opera Theater from China to collaborate with Qiong Ju Society of Singapore and Chinese Opera Ensemble to stage Baishe zhuan (Legend of the White Snake) at the Drama Centre Theatre. The large-scale, newly adapted mythological Hainanese opera was part of the Chinese Opera Extravaganza 2023 organised by TAC. It was directed by TAC founder Cai Bi Xia, and featured a script consolidated by Chen Baoliang and music composed by Zhang Fachang. This production signified the resumption of cultural exchanges between Singapore and China in post-pandemic times and marked a new milestone in the branding of local Hainanese opera.

Despite a shortage of younger talent in the community, the future of Hainanese opera in Singapore still holds promise if current efforts persist and if Singapore continues to bring in talents from abroad.