By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 21: Local Chinese opera continues to endure as the sounds of traditional dialects, music and drums resonate across generations, with cultural groups and communities keeping alive a heritage that preserves identity, memories and the artistic traditions of their ancestors.
This spirit came alive last Saturday evening (July 18) when the Kuching Teochew Association, Teo Khiaw Club and Kuching Yi Sheng Min Hokkien Opera Society joined hands for the first time to present a combined performance of traditional Teochew and Hokkien opera at the Yangchun Stage on Carpenter Street.
The cultural showcase drew a packed audience, with opera enthusiasts captivated by the artistic beauty of the performances while foreign tourists also joined the crowd to experience the richness of Kuching’s traditional Chinese performing arts scene.
Teo Khiaw Club vice president Dato Sim Kiang Chiok said the collaboration marked not only an artistic exchange between two traditional opera communities but also a meaningful cultural encounter that reflected a shared commitment to safeguarding Chinese cultural heritage.
According to a press release today, the evening began with a 40-minute showcase by the Kuching Teo Khiaw Club’s Teochew Music Orchestra, which brought the audience through a vibrant journey of Teochew opera and folk music.
Opening with the powerful gong and drum piece Auspicious and Prosperous, the orchestra set the tone for the night before moving into the classic opera excerpt Peach Blossom Crossing and the lively percussion piece Community Celebration.
The audience was then treated to the soulful Teochew folk songs High Mountains and Flowing Water, Hometown Feelings and Three Praises, before the segment concluded with the spirited gong and drum performance Celebrating Victory.
Adding another highlight to the evening was the Kuching Yi Sheng Min Hokkien Opera Troupe, which delivered a 50-minute performance of The Fox Fairy’s Repayment of Kindness.
The performers impressed with their melodious singing, expressive acting and captivating stage presence, earning repeated applause from the audience and bringing the cultural exchange to its peak.
Sim said while Teochew Opera and Hokkien Opera originated from different regions, both forms share deep roots in traditional Chinese culture, carrying unique dialects, customs and the emotional memories of generations who maintained strong connections with their homeland and identity.
“The coming together of these two traditional opera forms on one stage was not only an artistic exchange but also a meaningful cultural encounter,” he said.
He added that traditional Chinese opera remains a comprehensive art form that combines dialects, music, literature, dance, aesthetics, customs and folk wisdom, making it a valuable cultural treasure and a symbol of identity.
“A community flourishes through its culture, and a nation endures through its traditions. Culture is the root of our sense of belonging, while opera is the soul of our local dialects,” he said.
Sim stressed that as long as dialects continue to be spoken and the sounds of drums and gongs continue to resonate, cultural heritage would continue to be passed down from one generation to the next.
“Preserving and promoting traditional Chinese culture while embracing innovation and adapting to changing times is a shared responsibility of both the Teochew and Hokkien opera communities,” he added.
He expressed hope that such collaborations would inspire more young people to appreciate, learn and become involved in preserving the traditional art form.
The inaugural joint Teochew and Hokkien opera performance, he said, marked a new milestone in Kuching’s traditional Chinese opera development by fostering friendship, cultural exchange, mutual learning and artistic excellence.
The collaboration also signalled a promising new chapter for both performing groups as they work together to inject renewed energy into the preservation, promotion and continuation of local Chinese opera for future generations. — DayakDaily
