A Look Back in Time – A Life on Strings (Part 1)

Today, as a generation that is constantly online and wirelessly connected, we are incessantly treated to a smorgasbord of audio and visual treats – whether it’s a instant gratification of real time updates on Twitter, the visceral impact of (sometimes morally dubious) MTV, or the non-stop stream of home-made, self-directed, and many times self-served entertainment in the form of YouTube videos. Our iPhones and iPads and other connected devices have become our primary source of entertainment. All we have to do is to look around us, at a typical dinner table, and count the number of kids or teens engrossed with their gaming on handheld gaming platforms.

Heck, hands up if you have ever replied a message on your mobile while in the middle of a conversation with your friends.

Imagine a time, when TV was a rarity, the internet not yet invented, Steve Jobs not yet born, and mobile technology non-existent. Let’s go back in time to say, the 1960s, when Singapore was well on the road to recovery from World War II.

An evening of entertainment beckons

Such a scene would have been common, a stage in the middle of a street, say, at Empress place. A performance is about to start, and entertainment for the evening about to be served.

The actors are ready, behind the stage, hanging on strings

The actors are ready behind the stage, setup by the Sin Hoe Ping Puppet Troupe. Hanging on strings, they await patiently the moment they will be unveiled. From right to left, we have Sandy (Sha Wu Jing), Pigsy (Zhu Ba Jie), Tripitaka (Tang San Zhang), followed by two different renditions of “The Great Sage”, Sun Wu Kong, the famous monkey-god from the tale Journey to the West. Guan Yin stands behind Wu Kong, as if reminding him it is her who directs the course of his life.

These are meticulously hand made puppets, and tonight, they are coming alive.

Controls for manipulating the puppets

Standing behind the stage is their creator and master, Mr Yang Lai Hao. Let’s now imagine him 40 years younger, at the age of 22, as a budding puppet master. Having learnt the ropes at the age of 7, he is now an experienced puppet master. As someone still learning to perfect his craft, he looks after the meticulous details of putting up a show, from stage design to the crafting of the scripts, the songs and the individual puppets.

Mr Yang rehearsing his instruments before the show

A member of Sin Hoe Ping Puppet troupe checking the puppets before a performance

Mr Yang checking the movements of Tang San Zhang. In the foreground is perhaps one of the most famous characters of Chinese Mythology, Sun Wu Kong, the monkey-god

Meanwhile, a crowd has gathered in front of the stage, which by now has been unveiled. Remember, we are now in the 1960s. The show is about to begin in the glow of the evening sun.

Crowds gather in the evening sun waiting for the performance to start

After the starting notes of the opening musical score has been played, Tang San Zhang makes his grand entrance in the opening act, skillfully manipulated by the puppeteer belting out the opening song in original Heng Hwa dialect

Tang San Zhang makes his opening act appearance

Back stage, a calm and collected Mr Yang readies the next characters to come on stage.

Back stage, a calm and collected Mr Yang readies the next characters to come on stage. Mr Yang readies the next characters to come on stage

The show climaxes with the uniting of the 4 main characters in their journey to the west.

The 4 famous characters of Journey to the West

After the first show, the troupe takes a short break, and readies itself for the second show. Conceived by Mr Yang himself, “Monkey’s Wedding” is a hilarious take on monkeys in the forest imitating the ways of humans by re-enacting the human marriage ceremony.

A member of the Sin Hoe Ping puppet troupe readies the puppet monkeys for their act

Mr Yang playing the musical instruments during the "Monkey's Wedding"

The puppeteers put in their heart and soul into each performance, and the spirit of their acting can be seen in the way they gave life to each of the puppets.

Giving life to puppets

At nightfall, we come to the last performance of the evening, the familiar yet classic tale of Wu Song Da Hu (Wu Song fights the tiger), an excerpt from the classic novel The Water Margin. The story tells of Wu Song rescuing Pan Jin Lian (Wu Song’s sister-in-law) from the attack of a ferocious tiger at Mount Jingyang by killing the tiger with his bare hands. It’s a timeless tale, recounted through text, drama, poetry, and now, brought to life on stage by puppets manipulated by the art of traditional Heng Hwa puppetry.

The stage takes on a magical glow at nightfall

Under fluorescent lighting, the musicians got the show on the road.

A musician of the Sin Hoe Ping puppet troupe on the cymbals and drum

Mr Yang working behind the scene again with the music

Wu Song, the main protagonist of this act, takes to the stage, played by a female puppeteer.

Wu Song takes to the stage, commandeered by a female puppeteer

The feeds of puppets hanging on strings, and the feet of the puppeteer performing on stage

The evening comes to a climax when Pan Jin Lisn encounters the ferocious tiger on Mount Jingyang.

Mdm Pan Jin Lian encounters a ferocious tiger on Mount Jingyang

The audience, even kids, were absorbed by the action on stage. Remember, we are now in the 1960s, or pretending to be. Mobile gaming devices are not yet in existence and hence are no distractions to these kids.

Even kids were enthralled by the action on stage

Wu Song comes along and kills the tiger with his bare hands, and the story ends with a time of celebration.

Wu Song Da Hu (Wu Song Fights the Tiger)

The story ends with a celebration

The story ends in celebration, but what about the story of these puppeteers? Today we are no longer in the 1960s, and more than 50 years have passed since the setting of this imaginary scenario, yet the pictures are not imaginary – this was an actual puppet performance by the Sin Hoe Ping Puppet Troupe on the 17th of February in the current year of 2012, an age where the internet, Youtube, iPhones, MTVs and other modern vagaries of life dominates the hearts and minds of this generation.

What are the chances of this troupe surviving into the 21st century? Part 2 of this series “A Life on Strings” will be uploaded tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Edit: Part 2 is now live!

A Look Back in Time is a new documentary photo essay series dedicated to people, culture and lost arts of a bygone era. Check back often for more update on this series!