Lee Dai Soh, Storyteller

Lee Dai Soh (1913–1989), also known as Lee Dai Sor or Li Dasha, was born in Xibeimen (Northwest Gate) in what is now Singapore’s Telok Blangah area. His given name was Lee Fook Hai, and his ancestral hometown was Dongguan in Guangdong. Lee was well-known in the world of radio broadcasting. From the 1950s to the early 1980s, he told stories in Cantonese on Rediffusion’s Silver Channel, and was known as the master of story-telling.

The two channels of the cable-transmitted radio station started off broadcasting in English and Mandarin, their programmes changed as a result of listeners’ preferences. In the 1970s, the Gold Channel of Rediffusion broadcasted in Mandarin and Chinese dialects, and the Silver Channel did the same, but interspersed such programmes with some English ones. Dialect programmes were very popular at the time because most Chinese families spoke dialects. Besides Lee, other popular storytellers were Ng Chia Keng, who told stories in Teochew, and Ong Toh, who told stories in Hokkien.

When Lee was young, he worked at the bookstore in Yeung Ching School in exchange for free education and accommodation. When he was in his Secondary Two, student unrest broke out and the school’s board of directors decided to close down the secondary school division. Lee Dai Soh transferred to the Anglo-Chinese School, where he studied for barely over a year before ending his formal education. He then took up various jobs, including working as a draftsman, security guard, and rubber factory foreman.¹

In his free time, he often hung out at coffee shops and chatted with friends, sharing stories he had read. His hobby eventually turned into a profession. In 1938, he entered British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation (renamed Radio Malaya in 1946) and became the first storyteller in Malayan’s broadcasting history.²

Breathing life into classic tales

In his more than 40-year career as a storyteller, Lee only stopped broadcasting during the Japanese Occupation. His younger brother was killed by the Japanese army, causing Lee to harbour hatred towards them and refuse to serve the Japanese in any way. In 1944, the Japanese military government ordered everyone to work in support of the Imperial Army. Anyone who defied the order would be captured and forced into hard labour. At that time, Tai Hwa Opera House (now The Majestic) screened Japanese movies — Lee provided live explanations of their plots in Cantonese to avoid forced labour.

After the war, Lee returned to the broadcasting studio and continued his storytelling career. With the launch of Rediffusion Singapore in 1949, he began storytelling in both public and private radio stations, and gradually reached the pinnacle of his career. His style was characterised by plain language, vivid imagery, and a voice that changed with the ups and downs of the story’s plot, creating a rich experience for his listeners.

The prelude to Lee’s storytelling programme Tam Tin Shuit Tei (From Heaven to Earth) was the Cantonese music piece, Han Tian Lei (Thunder in Dry Weather). The music was adapted with lyrics sung by Hong Kong star Ho Tai-So (1897–1957), beginning with, “Who says I’m foolish? I’ll let you eat a chicken drumstick.” Lee Dai Soh always ended each episode with, “The story ends here today. Please tune in next time.”

Rediffusion Classic: Episode One – Lee Dai Soh

Lee, also known as Li Dasha, once explained the origin of his stage name. When he first joined the Chinese department of British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation, his director Sze Chu Sian (1910–1990) drew inspiration from Ho Tai-So (He Dasha), one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” of the Cantonese music world.

Through his stories, Lee introduced his listeners to classic works such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, Justice Bao, Seven Heroes and Five Righteousness, and martial arts novels and folk legends like The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Romance of Hong Xiuquan, The Eight Immortals in the East China Sea, Chang’e Flies to the Moon, The Romantic Talent Lun Wenxu, The Battle of Magic at Maoshan, and The Battle of the Snake Demon Mountain, among other works. On air, he became a teacher for the people, providing entertainment while also conveying values through those stories.³

It’s not widely known that Lee performed plays and Cantonese opera onstage. He also told stories for an Australian radio station for more than 20 years, with each episode lasting 15 minutes, covering mainly martial arts novels and folk stories.⁴

On 30 December 1982, Rediffusion stopped its dialect programmes, and Lee retired from the local broadcasting world. However, he was still active in the Cantonese community. For example, he continued to serve as a master of ceremonies, telling stories at wedding banquets, recording Cantonese storytelling tapes, and writing the column “From Heaven to Earth” for the Lianhe Zaobao newspaper.

Lee served as a council member of the Tung On Wui Kun for more than 30 years. He believed serving the community was his duty, especially during his twilight years when the clan association faced many challenges. Many elderly members were returning to their hometowns, younger people were losing interest in the association’s Cantonese opera activities, and falling membership was a concern. Lee also represented the association at activities organised by Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng, where he volunteered to take care of the funeral affairs of the Cantonese community.

Decades after Lee’s death, his storytelling continues to live on in the memories of Singapore’s Cantonese and wider Chinese community.