Han Lao Da (b. 22 October 1947, Singapore–), original name Han Yong Yuan,1 is a Mandarin playwright, theatre director and xiangsheng (or crosstalk, which is a traditional Chinese comedic performance featuring witty dialogue) pioneer who has worked in the local Mandarin theatre scene for more than four decades. He is a prolific playwright who has written a number of full-length and one-act plays and more than 50 xiangsheng scripts under the pen name of Tan Tian.2 Han has also written children’s literature under the pen name of Hai Shu.3 For his achievements and contributions to local theatre, Han was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Theatre in 1990.4
Early life and career
Han was born in Singapore in 1947 to Hainanese immigrant parents. He attended Catholic High School (1955–1961) for his primary education and Chung Cheng High School (1962–1965) for his secondary education, before proceeding to do his pre-university studies at The Chinese High School (1966–1967). He then joined the Teachers' Training College (or TTC, now known as the National Institute of Education), graduating in 1970.5 During his teaching career, Han taught in schools such as The Chinese High School6 and was also at one time a specialist writer for Chinese language teaching materials with the Curriculum Planning and Development Division, Ministry of Education. He subsequently became the principal of a private Chinese language school, Han Learning Centre, which he founded in 1993.7
Artistic career
Han’s interest in theatre started during his time at Chung Cheng High School, where he was a member of the school’s drama society between 1962 and 1964.8 Han was enthralled by the magic of the stage. His most memorable experience was as a stagehand in a local drama where his job was to climb the ceiling of Victoria Theatre and release snow onto the stage.9 In 1968, while he was a student at the TTC, Han started the Chinese Drama Club and was also the president of the Poetry Recital Society.10
Han was so keen in theatre that in 1970, he enrolled himself in the Practice Performing Arts School (now known as the Theatre Practice) for a two-year theatre training course conducted by Singapore theatre practitioner Kuo Pao Kun and his dancer-choreographer wife Goh Lay Kuan. Han also participated in the school’s theatre productions.11 After two years of training, Han realised that he preferred writing to acting and thus decided to focus on perfecting his writing skills.12
In 1972, the Southern Arts Society was formed and Han joined the society the following year. He was a playwright for the society and occasionally performed in its plays.13 His first major work, Walking Out of Prison: Ah Seng’s Story (1972), was produced by the society. Han played the role of a gangster and acted alongside his mentor Kuo Pao Kun for this play.14
In the next four decades, Han wrote nine full-length plays, 12 one-act plays and more than 50 xiangsheng scripts.15 Some of his notable works include Five Libras, which he devised and directed for the 1986 Drama Festival, and the Tan Kah Kee Story (1991). For the Tan Kah Kee play, Han took a year to travel to China to do in-depth research before completing the play, which was performed with a cast of Chinese High students.16 Another of his plays, Door, won second prize in a writing competition organised by the then Ministry of Culture in 1984.17
Han is recognised not only for his playwriting and directing skills, but also as Singapore’s pioneer of xiangsheng, or crosstalk. A chance encounter with a book by Chinese xiangsheng master Ma Ji began his fascination with the comedic art form.18 His first xiangsheng piece, The Gift Ticket (1973), was performed in both Singapore and Malaysia.19
During the 1980s, Han wrote many xiangsheng scripts for xiangsheng events held at community centres around Singapore that were co-organised by the Southern Arts Society and the former Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.20 To date, he has published three volumes of xiangsheng scripts.21
Han is passionate about promoting the art of xiangsheng. In 1986, he founded the Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society with the objective of promoting xiangsheng in Singapore.22 He became acquainted with various well-known Chinese xiangsheng performers such as Ma Ji, Jiang Jun and Tang Jie Zhong, and used his interactions with them as opportunities to hone his own xiangsheng skills. He also invited these xiangsheng masters to perform in Singapore so as to expose audiences to the art form and improve the standards of local xiangsheng performances.23
Han continues to write, direct and produce theatre and xiangsheng plays with the Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society.24
Stylistic conventions
The themes in Han’s plays are drawn from his observations of life and society. They speak to the audience because the stories are something the audience can easily identify with.
His first play, Walking Out of Prison: Ah Seng’s Story, was based on the life of Ling Wan Ling, a kidnapper of the 1960s known for always leaving money for the poor.25 Another work, The Teochew Kangaroo (1998), reflected the unhappiness of Singaporean children with learning Mandarin.26
Han has written several newspaper articles about the state of Chinese theatre in Singapore. He believes that local Chinese theatre should delve deeper into Chinese culture and language, as well as revisit Chinese classics to make them more relevant to modern society.27
Awards28
1990: Cultural Medallion for Theatre (National Arts Council, Singapore).
1995: Hou Bao Lin Award (The People’s Republic of China).
1995: Broadcast Award (The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles).
2000: Hou Bao Lin Award (The People’s Republic of China).
List of selected works
Plays29
1972: èµ°åºç¢æ¿ç人 [Zou chu lao fang de ren]
1982: éé¶è± [Jin yin hua]
1986, 2004: äºä¸ªå¤©å¹³åº§ [Wu ge tian ping zuo]
1992: é£å¤©èµæ ¼ [Fei tian fu ge]
1998: æ½®å·è¢é¼ [Chao zhou dai shu]
Xiangsheng performances30
å°éæé [Di tie jing hun]
æé [Jiao bian]
ä¹ä¹ä¹ [Jiu jiu jiu]
èè,èå¸ [Lao hu, lao shi]
äºé¢å
è² [Wu yan liu se]
è¯å [Yi ming]
ä½æé¾ä¸é¾ [Zuo wen nan bu nan]
Author
Chor Poh Chin
References
1. æ°é£ç¸å£°å¦ä¼ [Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society]. (2007–2014). çäº [Li shi]. Retrieved from http://sinfeng.org.sg/main/index.php/society-menu/li-shi-menu
2. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR); Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrie6ed from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
3. éªæ (主ç¼) [Luo, M. (Ed.)]. (2005). æ°å å¡åæä½å®¶ä¼ ç¥ [Xinjiapo hua wen zuo jia zhuan lue]. Singapore: æ°å å¡æèºåä¼. (Call no.: Chinese RSING C810.092 XJP)
4. National Arts Council. (2013). Cultural Medallion & Young Artist Award Recipients for Theatre. Retrieved from https://www.nac.gov.sg/art-forms/theatre/local-directory/cultural-medallion-young-artist-award-recipients-for-theatre
5. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
6. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
7. Han Language Centre. (2013). Our principal. Retrieved from http://hanlanguage.edu.sg/site/index.php/about-us/our-principal; Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
8. è°å¤© [Tan, T.]. (1988). è°å¤©ç¸å£°äºé [Tan tian xiang sheng er ji]. æ°å å¡: åæ¹èºæ¯ç 究ä¼, back cover. (Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 TT)
9. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
10. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR); é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (2000). å³è¾¾ç¸å£°é. (ä¸) [Lao da xiang sheng ji (san)]. æ°å å¡: æ°äºåºç社, back cover. (Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 HLD)
11. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
12. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
13. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
14. Koh, T., et al. (Eds.). (2006). Singapore: The encyclopedia. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with the National Heritage Board, p. 227. (Call no.: RSING 959.57003 SIN-[HIS])
15. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR); Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
16. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
17. å´å¯åº [Wu, Q. J.]. (1984, June 7). å¾å¥è
çè¯ [De jiang zhe de hua]. èåæ©æ¥ [Lianhe Zaobao], p. 40. Retrieved from NewspaperSG
18. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
19. æ°é£ç¸å£°å¦ä¼ [Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society]. (2007–2014). çäº [Li shi]. Retrieved from http://sinfeng.org.sg/main/index.php/society-menu/li-shi-menu
20. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
21. æ°é£ç¸å£°å¦ä¼ [Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society]. (2007–2014). çäº [Li shi]. Retrieved from http://sinfeng.org.sg/main/index.php/society-menu/li-shi-menu
22. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
23. æ°é£ç¸å£°å¦ä¼ [Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society]. (2007–2014). æ°é£ä¸é©å³è¾¾ – é伯 [Xin Feng yu Han Lao Da - Chen Bo Han]. Retrieved from http://sinfeng.org.sg/main/index.php/literature-menu/review-articles-menu/26-2011-11-26-14-32-33
24. æ°é£ç¸å£°å¦ä¼ [Sin Feng Xiang Sheng Society]. (2007–2014). çäº [Li shi]. Retrieved from http://sinfeng.org.sg/main/index.php/society-menu/li-shi-menu
25. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
26. äºä¹ç½ [Yun le wang]. (2006–2013). ä»å§æ¬çæ°å å¡ç¤¾ä¼ [Cong ju ben kan Xinjiapo she hui]. Retrieved from http://news.ynxxb.com/content/2010-6/7/N92030743580.aspx
27. Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural medallion recipients 1979–2001. Singapore: National Arts Council, p. 144. (Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR)
28. Tribute.sg. (2012). Han Lao Da. Retrieved from http://www.tribute.sg/artistprofile.php?displayname=Han+Lao+Da
29. äºä¹ç½ [Yun le wang]. (2006–2013). ä»å§æ¬çæ°å å¡ç¤¾ä¼ [Cong ju ben kan Xinjiapo she hui]. Retrieved from http://news.ynxxb.com/content/2010-6/7/N92030743580.aspx
30. é©¿å¯æµ®äº [Yi ji fu yun].(2012, March 24).äºé¢å
è² [Wu yan liu se] [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5c8b402201010hov.html
Further resources
æµ·å [Hai, S.]. (1994). 鱼尾ç®çæ
äº. 第ä¸é [Yu wei shi de gu shi. Di yi ji]. æ°å å¡: æ°å å¡å®ä¹¡ä¼é¦èåæ»ä¼; é¾åºçå
¬å¸.
(Call no.: Chinese J P HIS)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (2004). å³è¾¾æ ¡åç¸å£°é [Lao da xiao yuan xiang sheng ji]. Singapore: æ°äºåºç社.
(Call no.: Chinese YRSING 792.2028 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (2000). å³è¾¾ç¸å£°é (ä¸) [Lao da xiang sheng ji (san)]. æ°å å¡: æ°äºåºç社.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (198-). é¨ [Men]. [åºçå°ç¼º]: [åºç社缺].
(Call no.: Chinese RSEA C812.7 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (1986). å³è¾¾å§ä½: æå§åä½åéç¬ [Lao da ju zuo: Xi ju chuang zuo ji sui bi]. æ°å å¡: æ°å å¡æ½®å·å
«éä¼é¦ææå§åä¼åºçç».
(Call no.: Chinese RSING C812.7 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (1987). 秦é¦è²ææ©äº²å¤« [Qin xiang lian nu zhan qin fu]. æ°å å¡: æ³å¤ªå¹³æ´ä¹¦ä¸.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING C813.4 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (1991). éååº: å
«åºè¯å§ [Chen jia geng : ba chang hua ju]. æ°å å¡: å侨ä¸å¦.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING C812.7 HLD)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (1991). ä¿¡æ¥èµ°è¿: 80年代æ°å å¡åè¯å§å [Xin bu zou guo: 80 nian dai Xinjiapo hua yu ju tan]. æ°å å¡: åæ¹èºæ¯ç 究ä¼.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING C812.7004 HLD)
é©æ°¸å
[Han, Y. Y]. (2003). åæä¸é¾è [Hua wen bu nan kao]. æ°å å¡: Pearson Education Asia.
(Call no.: Chinese YRSING 495.1076 HYY)
é©å³è¾¾ [Han, L. D.]. (2010). å³è¾¾å§ä½é, 1972–2004 [Lao da ju zuo ji, 1972–2004]. Singapore: èªéåºçå
¬å¸.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING C812.7 HLD)
é©æ°¸å
[Han, Y. Y]. (2010). äºäºå
³å¿: åç»æ°å å¡çä¸å¦ç = Talking point [Shi shi guan xin: Xie gei Xinjiapo de zhong xue sheng = Talking point]. Singapore: èªéåºçå
¬å¸.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING 089.951 HYY)
è°å¤© (ç¼) [Tan, T. (Ed.)]. (19--). ç°ä»£ç¬å¹å§éæ [Xian dai du mu ju xuan xi]. æ°å å¡: 人æ°ä¹¦å±.
(Call no.: Chinese RCLOS C812.7004 XDD-[LC])
è°å¤© [Tan, T.]. (1979). å
³äºç¸å£° [Guan yu xiang sheng]. æ°å å¡: é£ååºç社.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 TT)
è°å¤© [Tan, T.]. (1984). è°å¤©ç¸å£°é [Tan tian xiang sheng ji]. æ°å å¡: æå¦ä¹¦å±.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 TT)
è°å¤© [Tan, T.]. (1988). è°å¤©ç¸å£°äºé [Tan tian xiang sheng er ji]. æ°å å¡: åæ¹èºæ¯ç 究ä¼.
(Call no.: Chinese RSING 792.2028 TT)
The information in this article is valid as at 15 January 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
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