The Teochew Store Blog

The Fairy Serpent - a Teochew folklore given new life

Folklores have always been important in helping to preserve and transmit the identity and values of cultures.

The Fairy Serpent is a Teochew variant of “Beauty and the Beast”. It tells about the life of a girl whose virtues not only saved her father from evil but also transformed the serpent she was forced to marry into a kind-hearted man.

Originally collected in Adele Fielde’s Chinese Nights’ Entertainment (download for free here), this ageless story has been beautifully retold in a book by Huang Lei, a Teochew illustrator from Singapore.

You may read The Fairy Serpent in English from this link.

Or watch it in Teochew (with English or Chinese subtitles):

English subtitles

带有中文字幕

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Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at the Singapore Teo Ann Huay Kuan 潮安會館

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at the Singapore Teo Ann Huay Kuan 潮安會館. A night when families and traditions came alive for the young and the not-so-old ❤️❤️

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Memories of Old Swatow: Images from Catholic Mission (c.1910-1940s)

From the Terence Tan postcard collection.

More old postcards of early 20th century Teochew are available in Memories of Old Swatow 汕頭舊影.

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Homecoming 似水流年 – a Timeless Movie set in Teochew

Homecoming 似水流年 (“Years flowed by like water”) in Chinese, swept a total of six awards at the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1985, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay and Best Art Direction.

Stilll remembered as the best Hong Kong film produced in the 1980s, Homecoming was shot mainly in location in Tah-gang village of Gek-yor (揭陽塔崗乡) in Teochew.

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Tan Wanxuan:Documenting Images to showcase diverse Teochew cultures

In recent months, a series of short videos about overseas Teochews have gone viral on Douyin (TikTok), Facebook and other popular social media platforms, and captured the attention of Teochew communities in China and abroad. The videos originate from the official accounts of the Teochew cuisine documentary, “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas” (四海潮味, unofficial English translation). Featuring humorous and touching live stories of Teochew people living in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and France, the clips take on a refreshing perspective to present the blending of the Teochew identity with a diversity of local cultures.

Tan Wanxuan (陳婉璇), who hails from Teo-ann (潮安) district in Teochew, China, is the external liaison and producer of this documentary, as well as the director and editor of these short videos. Using Teochew food as a medium, “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas” describes the culture, customs and emotional longing for home of Teochew people from different corners of the world. How did Wanxuan become part of this documentary? What has she gained from her travels to these countries to interview and document about our Teochew cuisine and people? The Teochew Store was in touch with Wanxuan to learn about her story and “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas”.

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专访|陈婉璇:用纪实影像展示多样潮文化

 

近期,有一组关于海外潮州人的短视频在抖音、Facebook等社交媒体上迅速走红,引起了海外及中国潮州社群的热烈关注。这组视频来自潮菜纪录片《四海潮味》的官方账号,视频中泰国、越南、马来西亚、印尼、法国等地潮州人或幽默、或感人的生活片段,从崭新的视角呈现了各地潮州人与当地多元文化的融合。

来自中国潮安的陈婉璇是这部纪录片的外联与制片,也是这组短视频的编导与剪辑师。《四海潮味》以潮州美食为媒介,描绘了各地潮州人的文化风俗、家常情感。婉璇是如何与这部纪录片结缘?在奔赴各国采访、记录潮州菜和潮州人的过程中,她有哪些收获?潮舗近期连线婉璇,请她讲讲她与《四海潮味》的故事。

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1884 Map of Teochew: Kantō-shō Chōshū-fu yori Renshū-fu ni itaru 自廣東省惠州府海豐縣至同潮州府沿道略圖

Extract from 1884 Japanese survey map Kantō-shō Chōshū-fu yori Renshū-fu ni ita 自廣東省惠州府海豐縣至同潮州府沿道略圖, showing the coastal settlements of Teochew prefecture from Huilai county 惠來縣, Teo-yor county 潮陽縣, Swatow port 汕頭埠 to Haiyor county 海陽縣 (now Teo-Ann 潮安) and Teochew Prefectural City 潮州府.

Full resolution map available at the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/92682891/

Connect with The Teochew Store on social media: linktr.ee/theteochewstore

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Remembering Terence Tan: Preserving and Propagating Teochew Culture and History with a Sincere Heart

Mr Terence Tan was a Teochew collector from Singapore and an accomplished researcher of Teochew modern history. The mere mention of his name draws praise from people with a keen interest in Teochew cultural history. He collected and organised extensive volumes of documents, music records, and old photographs related to Teochew. He also edited a book titled Memories of Old Swatow and enthusiastically supported other researchers in publishing their work, including articles, books, and magazines. His contributions to the research and dissemination of Teochew cultural history were immense. 

Even until the last days of his life in 2021, Terence was busy organising the materials he had on his computer to share with friends in various countries. In the blink of an eye, we approach the third anniversary of Terence’s passing. The Teochew Store reached out to his family and close friends, collecting documentary materials to revisit his acquaintance and contributions to Teochew cultural history through different perspectives.

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追忆陈传忠:以赤诚之心传承潮州文史

 陈传忠先生是新加坡潮籍收藏家、也是研究潮州近代史的资深学者。只要一提起他,许多关注潮州文史的人士就肃然起敬,赞不绝口。他收藏整理了大量与潮州相关的文献、唱片及老照片,编著出版了《汕头旧影》一书,并热心协助其他研究人士出版文章、书籍和杂志,对潮州文史的研究和传播做出了卓越的贡献。

2021年,在陈传忠生命中的最后几天,他将多年收藏并整理的电子版文史资料毫不保留地分享给各地的同行。转眼,陈传忠先生逝世即将满三周年。潮舗特别连线了他的家人及生前好友,并收集了一些文献资料,希望能从不同角度拼凑、还原他与潮州文史的渊源和贡献。

 

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Tensions between modernisation and cultural preservation: The Teochew Store presentation at Crescent Girls' School

The Teochew Store was honoured to be invited to present our experience in revitalising the Teochew language to a class of secondary three students participating in the Talent Development Programme (TDP) at Crescent Girls’ School, an esteemed secondary school in Singapore.

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Teochew through the eyes of its visitors: Adele M. Fielde's "Woman in China"

8th March is International Women’s Day. On this special day, we share Adele M. Fielde’s insightful observations, as an American Baptist Christian missionary, on the lives of women in Teochew 145 years ago. It is to the sacrifices of many of these women whom we owe what we have today.

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Teochew through the eyes of its visitors: Karl Gützlaff's journey from Siam to Teochew

Karl Gützlaff went to Bangkok in 1828 to distribute Christian literature to the Chinese settlers and traders. Three years later, he found himself on a Teochew junk sailing to China, enabling him to record up-close observations of the Teochews who left their homes to become migrants and traders in Siam. 

We also share an undercover Qing official's report on King Taksin, a Teochew who became the king of Siam in 1767.

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The Teochew Store 2023 Top Ten 潮舗2023年10大

2024 is here. Here is a look back to the top 10 selling items and the top ten most downloaded free items on The Teochew Store in 2023:

2023年【潮舗10大畅销商品】和【潮舗10大最受欢迎免费电子书】出炉啦!

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Denis Do: Creating a bridge for all Teochew communities in the world

The Forest of Miss Tang (陳小姐的森林) is a 40-minute Teochew language animation film produced in France. It tells the story of a Teochew family over six generations in Swatow, China, asking the question, to leave or to stay? The Forest of Miss Tang is the first Teochew language film to be produced in the West. It was broadcast on ARTE channel in Europe on 10 June 2023 and it has since been screened in a number of film festivals around the world.

The Teochew Store managed to speak with the film's director Denis Do, a Paris-born Teochew, to find out more about his feelings towards the Teochew identity and the creation of his film.

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专访|导演杜来顺:电影为桥,连接世界各地潮州人

《陳小姐的森林》是一部在法国制作的潮语动画电影,它讲述了从十九世纪至今,一个汕头家庭绵延六代人的故事。它抛出了一个问题:“在社会剧烈变迁的背景下,我们是离开还是继续留在自己的家乡?”这部时长40分钟的动画电影已于2023年6月10日在ARTE(德法公共电视台)首映,这是潮语电影首次登陆欧洲。也在全球多个电影节的银幕上亮相,在各国的潮州社群中收获了不少好评和讨论。

潮舗特别连线本片的导演杜来顺(Denis Do),一位法国巴黎出生并成长的潮州青年,聊聊他对潮州人身份认同的经过,并运用于电影创作的过程。

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An exciting new Teochew language project has launched on Kickstarter!: Let's support it

An exciting new Teochew language project, “Numbers - English and Chinese Bilingual Book (3 Dialects)”, has just launched on Kickstarter! Its creator Jennifer Te is seeking to raise USD3,000 to self-publish her book Numbers 号码 on Kickstarter before the end of 31 December 2023https://bit.ly/Kickstarter-3bilingualbooks

The Teochew Store
 spoke with Jennifer to find out about her story and this wonderful project:
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“来拼潮州话啦!” 2023年第四届潮语比赛圆满落幕

11月12日, “来拼潮州话啦!” 2023年第四届潮语比赛大决赛在新加坡醉花林俱乐部圆满落幕。本届比赛由醉花林俱乐部和潮州文史学会主办,以活泼有趣的方式让参赛者从中认识和了解潮州文化和古汉字,从而提升潮语知识。新加坡广播电台资深潮语新闻播音员林仰忠先生担任现场主持,著名潮语学家林伦伦教授担任线上嘉宾裁判。经过激烈的角逐,三甲最终脱颖而出:状元郑然, 榜眼夏静华,探花李庆耀。

感谢主办方的邀请,潮舗在比赛现场设展位,向来宾们展示并推介学习潮语的相关书籍,包括《新编潮州口语集释》、《呾呾潮州话》、《学呾潮州话》以及《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》- 多媒体早教图卡。

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Teochew through the eyes of its visitors: The captains of “Ship No. 47”

Xu Xuanguan and Yang Lianguan were the captain and vice-captain of a Chinese junk that sailed from Siam for Japan in June 1693. However, adverse winds at sea forced them to divert to Teochew prefecture, where they spent the winter. They finally reached Nagasaki port a year after their original departure and gave testimony to a secret that even the Emperor of China was kept hidden from.

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来拚潮州话啦! The 4th annual "Teochew Language Challenge" is here!

Calling all Teochews in Singapore! The 4th annual "Teochew Language Challenge" (来拚潮州话啦!) jointly organised by Chui Huay Lim Club (醉花林俱乐部) and Singapore Teochew Heritage Society (潮州文史学会) is here.

 Are you keen to test how well you know the Teochew language and its written expressions? The preliminaries will be held on Zoom on 5th November 2023 and the final will be held at  Chui Huay Lim Club on 12th November 2023.


Register on WhatsApp at the number shown on the poster before 2 November 2023. Hurry! 

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The Teochew Store and Maha Yu Yi jointly hold "Fun with Teochew" interactive introductory language class

On 7 October 2023, The Teochew Store had the wonderful privilege of conducting "Fun with Teochew" interactive introductory language class at Singapore's leading Chinese language bookstore Maha Yu Yi.

Minying, who is the Teochew language reader for our Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions multimedia flashcards, led a group of children to learn  through games family address terms and emotion expressions in Teochew, as well as knowledge about Teochew and its culture. 

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潮舗与友谊书斋联合举办《潮州话,好好玩!》互动体验课活动

2023年10月7日,潮舗有幸在新加坡知名中文书店友谊书斋开办《潮州话,好好玩》互动体验课活动。《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》多媒体早教图卡的潮语配音员玟瑛在现场通过互动游戏,教小朋友一些简单的潮州家庭称呼和情感词汇,在学习中了解潮州的知识和文化。

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Why do Teochew numbers 1-10 sound similar to Cantonese, Japanese and even Thai?

Have you ever noticed that our Teochew numbers 1 to 10 sound different, but yet somewhat similar, to the numbers in Cantonese? 

What's the story behind? Let's find out!

 Number Teochew Cantonese Japanese Thai
1 一 zêg8 (ig4) yat1 ichi หนึ่ง nueng
2 二  no6 (ji6) yi6 ni สอง sawng
3 三 san1  saam1 san สาม saam
4 四 si3  sei3 shi (yon) สี่ see
5 五 ngou6 ng5 go ห้า hah
6 六 lag8  luk6 roku หก hoke
7 七 cig4 cat1 shichi (nana) เจ็ด jed
8 八 boih4 baat3 hachi แปด ppaed
9 九 gao2 gau2 kyuu เก้า gaao
10 十 zab8 sap6 juu สิบ sip

     

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    Vivian Lee: Passing on the Teochew language with technology and dedication

    Teochew Gasig  (潮州教室) is an Instagram and Facebook platform that teaches and explains daily Teochew words and phrases in English, Indonesian and Mandarin. Since its inception in 2021, it has built a strong following among young Teochews from many countries.

    The founder of Teochew Gasig is Vivian Lee, who lives on Batam Island. What made this member of Generation Z want to promote our ageless and charming Teochew language to other youngsters on social media? Recently The Teochew Store has had the privilege to chat with Vivian to find out about her journey in running Teochew GaSig.

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    李佳纹:用科技和匠心接棒潮语传承

    潮州教室(Teochew GaSig )是一个用英语、印尼语及华语来教授及解释日常潮州词语及短语的InstagramFacebook账号。自2021年创办至今,深受各国年轻潮州人的欢迎。

    居住在印尼巴淡岛的李佳纹小姐是潮州教室的创办人。究竟是什么原因让作为Z世代的她,开始在社交媒体向年轻人推广潮州话这门历史悠久、别具魅力的语言?近日,潮舖The Teochew Store特别连线佳纹,请她与我们分享创办“潮州教室”的心路历程。

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    Teochew Short Film for the Hungry Ghost Festival 潮语中元节微电影: "The Overseas Sojourner"《番客》

    A Teochew language short film about a Teochew who left for Siam, returning home after many years.

    本作品围绕过番习俗,以艺术拍摄手法和原创动画制作形式表达潮州人在盛行出国谋生的“过番”年代,“番客”与家人之间的离别相思之情。

    Click on link below to watch. 请点击观赏:
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    Lim Ngian Tiong: Reviving Teochew language starts at home

    Lim Ngian Tiong, Nigel, is a veteran Teochew language radio newscaster and teacher in Singapore. He has been actively spreading Teochew language and culture through the radio, opera stage and classroom for half a century.

    Coincidently 2023 marks Lim Ngian Tiong’s 50th anniversary as a Teochew language radio newscaster and his 20th year as a language teacher. Lim Ngian Tiong has also served as language instructor and event host for the annual "Lai Bia Teochew Ue" (來拼潮州話) quiz competition for Teochew language enthusiasts in Singapore since 2020.

    The Teochew Store had the pleasure of speaking with Lim Ngian Tiong recently to learn about his journey in promoting Teochew language and culture, and to pick up some tips for young people interested in learning to speak Teochew.

     

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    林仰忠:复兴潮州话,从家里开始

    来自新加坡的林仰忠先生是资深的潮语新闻播音员,也是资深的潮州话老师。半个世纪以来,他一直在广播、戏剧、潮语课等多方面传播潮语及潮州文化。

    2023年,是林仰忠先生从事潮语新闻广播的50周年,也是他开班教授潮州话的20周年。从2020年开始,林仰忠先生担任潮语导师,为新加坡“来拼潮州话”年度竞赛出题并主持,热心带领潮语爱好者们“寻音觅字”。

    潮舖The Teochew Store 特别连线林仰忠先生,请他与我们分享在推广潮语及潮州文化的心路历程,并为有心学习潮州话的年轻人解疑答惑。

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    Teochew through the eyes of its visitors: A Spanish Jesuit shipwrecked in Teochew (Part 2)

     

    "Well-built and tall, of white complexion, cheerful and good-looking". These were the descriptions of the physical appearance of the Teochew people given by Adriano de las Cortes, a Spanish Jesuit Father who was shipwrecked in Teochew in 1625.

    However, what Cortes wrote about their character is a far less pleasant read: “They are extremely subtle, cunning and deceitful, and they show neither friendship, fidelity, nor compassion to foreigners and, moreover, show very little of it among themselves”. Was he being bias, vindictive or simply giving his true opinions?

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    Teochew through the eyes of its visitors: A Spanish Jesuit shipwrecked in Teochew (Part 1)

    Three words that strike fear in every Teochew child: pah ka-ceng 拍尻倉!

    Did you know that this was once also a punishment meted out to adults in China? A Jesuit Father, Adriano de las Cortes, learned this shuddering fact, and more, when a shipwreck made him an accidental visitor to the Teochew region 400 years ago.

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    Teochew Song: My Dearest Mother 潮州歌曲:親愛媽媽 (English translations to lyrics)

    Wishing all mothers Happy Mother's Day. 祝天下妈妈,母亲节快乐!
    Lyrics:

    记得细许滇时

    Remember the days when I was small

    山花开放香满天

    Mountain flowers in bloom and fragrance filled the air

    听着伊轻声教我念诗儿

    Hearing her soft voice teaching me to read poems

    慈母线 游子衣

    The compassionate mother’s threads sew the clothes on the wandering son

    丝丝暖意在身边

    Delicateness and warmth by my side

    倚着伊 满是温馨欢喜

    Leaning against her, it's full of warmth and happiness

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