The Teochew Store Blog / culture

吳以湘與《潮州鄉訊》

吳以湘,一九一二年出生於澄海縣蘇灣都蓮陽鄉(今屬汕頭市澄海區蓮上鎮),為上世紀四十年代末創刊於新加坡的一份著名刊物《潮州鄉訊》的主編。

生長在「五四運動」時期的吳以湘,在「新文化運動」的熏陶下,少年時期就已經喜愛閱讀書報,對文學有濃厚的興趣也奠下深厚的文史根基。他南來新加坡後,曾到中正中學總校當老師教導國文(即華文)和史地等科目。吳以湘秉着一種讓僑胞通過家鄉事物,維繫鄉情的熱忱,用課餘時間辦起《潮州鄉訊》雙週刊。一九四七年八月,由他領導的編委會在新加坡小坡美芝路一七三號成立了「馬來亞潮州鄉訊社」,並交由當年的南洋印刷社承印,以每冊叻幣四角錢的售價,在南洋各埠的書局以及報社出售。
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Teochew Short Film: Uncle Goose Waits for A Phone Call 潮州話短片: 《斷捨離》

Uncle Goose has been waiting. He has lived long enough - 75 years - to understand that patience is always rewarded. Whatever it takes to be in time for his best friend’s phone call. A promise is a promise. Mahjong is mahjong. "Uncle Goose Waits For A Phone Call" stars veteran actor Chen Shucheng in this short film about cherishing and being positive.
A short film produced in Singapore with subtitles in English and Chinese.
鵝伯(陳澍城飾)為了等一通老朋友的電話竟然硬守在家不肯出門!

本片風趣幽默,天馬行空,是一部關於等待的故事。希望大家看了《斷捨離》,對待生活灑脫樂觀,活在當下,且行且珍惜。

注:本片所有對白均為潮州話。
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The Teochew Store recommends: An Introduction to the History and Culture of the Teochews in Singapore

An Introduction to the History and Culture of the Teochews in Singapore - a rare English language book on Teochew culture. Available for purchase on Amazon.

"Penned in three sections covering a wide range of topics from history and architecture to customs and the performing arts, the 164-page book published by World Scientific is one of the few of its kind in English." - The Straits Times

A review of the book can be read here.

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Teochew Documentary: Teo-yor Flute Music《潮阳笛套》

A documentary introducing our beautiful ancient Teo-yor/Chaoyang Flute Music《潮阳笛套》. Commentary in Mandarin with interviews in Teochew (Teo-yor dialect) and English subtitles.

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Teochew Movie "Proud of Me" Theme Song: "Father Have You Eaten?" 潮州電影《爸,我一定行的》主题曲: 老父您食未

Performer 演唱:黃澤森
Lyrics 作詞:楊育挺
Music 作曲:李奕瀚
Click Read More for Full Lyrics (Teochew/Chinese and English)
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Teochew Movie "Proud of Me" publicity video 潮州電影《爸,我一定行的》預告片

The first made-in-Teochew movie to be screened soon nationwide in China in recent times. Video uploaded for entertainment purpose.

潮州電影《爸,我一定行的》將要在中國全國上映。史無前例​​!

 

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So You Think Teochews Can't Dance?

Several cultures have folk dances that are world-renowned, such as the Maori Haka war dance, the Filipino Tinikling bamboo dance, the Irish stepdance and the Cossack Hopak dance. Famous for our food and business acumen, we Teochews are not immediately recognised for our dance moves? Can we dance?
A resounding yes! And we have more than one...
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Teochew Short Film 潮語微電影: A Short Summer Evening Dream (Teochew Puppetry) 蟬聲幾度

A warm summer evening, and the puppets came alive!

 

編劇: 李銳通
木偶導演: 陳培森

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Teochew Documentary: Seeing Teochew 看見潮州

A time-lapse video of the historical Teochew prefectural city, a city more than 1,600 years old.

 

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The Teochew Store is turning THREE ... & we are giving away our hottest selling product

In a month's time The Teochew Store will turn three. We remain a humble set-up, but at the same time just as committed as in the beginning to our mission in Restoring Community to Our People, Bridging Teochew Culture to the World.

In line with our conviction that every Teochew  should be given fullest opportunity and encouragement to be connected with the language, values and culture of our forefathers, we have decided to make available for FREE our store's hottest selling product "Conversational Teochew In A Month", as well as its Chinese versions "潮州话一月通 (简体字版)" and "潮州話一月通 (繁體字版)".

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Malay loanwords in Teochew language

Spoken Teochew is both ancient and at the same time evolving, just like any other "live" languages. The Teochews settled in the Malay-speaking world covering Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have absorbed not a small number of native expressions into their daily vocabulary. Here we present a list of over 50 expressions.

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Teochew Festival in Singapore 新加坡潮州節 2016

Teochew Festival in Singapore, 9 to 18 December 2016. An event to experience and learn about Gaginang culture. For more information please visit the official event website www.teochewfestival.com.

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This is Life in Shantou - Create Art out of Rice

Fairy figurines, marinated geese, frolic goldfish were placed on a table in Huang Jinqi’s workshop. They were all made of rice. Huang, the only rice statue craftsman in Shantou, gave life to the statues and carried on a unique folk craft in China.  

The history of making rice statue dated back to more than a thousand years ago, the Song Dynasty, originated in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Huang’s grandfather learned the craft by himself a century ago and turned it into a prosperous business.

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Teochew Documentary: Teochew Opera 潮劇紀錄片

A documentary retelling the 400-year history of the Teochew Opera - the finest representation of Teochew performing arts. This production is worthwhile watching not only because of its subject, but also because it is the fruit of the personal efforts of a young Teochew, Tan Tek Meng 陳迪鳴 to keep alive a tradition close to the heart of himself and his people. 

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Swatow History: The Arcade Buildings & Their Architectural Style 潮汕鄉情:汕頭老市區騎樓和建築風格

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Fancy Reading A Novel In Teochew? Yes You Can Now Do It!


Ever thought that you will be able to travel back to the 1940s to experience the village life in Teochew your parents or grandparents left behind? Or fancied reading a novel written in Teochew? These are now possible, thanks to the Teochew Culture Club (潮汕文化協進會). Since earlier this year the group formed by enthusiasts of the Teochew language in Hong Kong has been producing a series of audio-readings of 《作田人瑣事》 (Trivia Tales of the Peasants), a novel written by a Teochew, about Teochew and uniquely in Teochew.

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Everyone Loves a Good Storyteller - We Teochews Especially

Ng Chia Keng (黃正經, a play on the expression 唔正經 m-tsia-geng, meaning “improper”) was a household name amongst the Teochew communities in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong from the 1940s to the early 1980s. Several times a week adults and even children glued themselves to their radio sets at homes and in workplaces to listen to the broadcast of his speeches. But the man whose real name was Ng Yong Khern (黄庸根) was neither a political figure nor a wealthy community leader. He was a storyteller.. (more)

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The Origin of Ants - as the Teochews tell it

A MAN had a wife who berated him because he did not earn enough to support her and her boy. She told him that, if he could not get work near home, he might better go far away and stay there until he could provide for his family. So he went abroad, seeking employment, but he found nothing to do, and was so homesick that he soon returned to his native village. Fearing the taunts of his wife when she should know that he had no money, he lingered outside his house, and there he overheard a conversation between her and her son,... (more)

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The Teochews & Our Elixir of Life

Though the Teochew region is less famous as a tea producer, its inhabitants hold the reputation of consuming more tea per capita than anywhere else in China. According to a local news report in 2006, residents in Swatow alone spent 720 million yuan (approximately US$110 million) on tea every year, while a typical household used up more than one kilogram of tea leaves every month. The Teochew perception of tea as a daily staple is reflected in its language, wherein tea leaves are called te-bi (茶米) and tea is not said to be drank, but eaten ziah-te (食茶). Thus the reported amount of tea consumed did not surprise many, though how this feat was achieved by the use of the tinniest of tea-cups does amaze!

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How many ways can you sing the favourite Teochew lullaby?

For some of us, childhood came with the blessing of having grandma singing us to sleep with one or two soothing tunes in Teochew. But even if you were not so fortunate, you'd probably still have come across on social media an all-time favourite Teochew lullaby "Ong ah ong, ong kin kong" (唪啊唪 唪金公).

You have not? Don't worry, there are several versions circulating on YouTube to make sure you don't miss out..

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Teochew-English Music 潮州流行歌曲: Meet You Nice

Click "read more" for full lyrics.

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Making Sense of Teochew Opera: From Makeshift Stages to the Silver Screen

The demise of old art forms following the appearance of new technology is now an all familiar story. However when a Hong Kong company made a novel experiment to produce the classical Teochew opera play “Fire at the Riverside Pavilion”《火燒臨江樓》in cinematic form in 1958, the magic of the silver screen instantly ignited the imagination of audiences in Swatow, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.

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Teochew Short Film 潮语微电影: “Yeo Bhue Eng"《杨梅英》

“Yeo Bhue Eng"《杨梅英》is a film about the life of a former Teochew opera adolescent actress who performed by the same name (real name Ang Hui Eng 洪惠英). Sold to an opera troupe at the age of 7, she became famous by 15 and was married to a man she loved five years later. However when she was 37, her husband became a victim of the Cultural Revolution and she was left to bring up their five children alone.

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Making Sense of Teochew Opera - the Young Shoulders that bore a 500-year-old Tradition

Teochew opera is said to have over 1200 traditional plays that fall into two broad categories - those adapted from the 12th century nanxi 南戲 from Southeast China as well as chuanqi 傳奇, and others derived popular local lores including romance tales and ghost stories... The most dramatic episodes however were the ones played out behind the scenes that were summed up by this Qing Qianlong era (1736 to 1796) saying:

"父母無修飾,賣仔去做戲。鼓樂聲聲響,目汁垂垂滴。" 
“Parents uneducated in morals, sell their children to act in shows. The sounds of music ring aloud, the tears drip one by one.”
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Making Sense of Teochew Opera - origin, history & performance 160 years ago

Teochew opera, or Teochew-hee 潮州戲 –  an amazing synthesis of drama, music, singing, poetics, acrobatics, colourful costumes and folk art, is the highest expression of the Teochew culture. And rightly so, after all it is a show for the deities. Learn about its origin, history and an eye witness account of its performance 160 years ago.
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Teochew Celebration of the Chinese New Year in Pictures【光影潮州】乡里热闹的春节

 

For the Teochews, the Chinese New Year is the grandest and most important festive period. All across the Teochew region, people mark the occasion with activities strongly rooted in local tradition. Through the camera lens of avid photographer Ling Shyue Miin, we bring you a series of extraordinary images capturing how villages in Teochew welcome the Year of the Monkey.

在潮州传统的节日中,春节是最热闹、最受潮州人重视的节日。作为农历一年中的第一个大节,潮州地区有着许多别具特色的民俗文化活动。2016猴年春节,资深摄影师凌学敏走访了许多潮州村庄,用相机记录下了乡村里热闹的春节。

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2016 Teochew New Year Song 潮州电视台金猴年新年歌

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Teochew Chinese New Year Song 潮州新年歌曲:擔句好話賀新年

Not a exactly new New Year Song, but trendy and uplifting for all Gaginang. 祝福大家新年快樂,萬事如意

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Three Must-Have Mobile Apps for Learning Teochew Language Part 1: 潮語作田人 (TeoAPP)

The New Year is the time to make resolutions. For many of us as overseas Teochews, picking up or improving our spoken Teochew is surely on top of our list.

The Teochew Store has identified three must-have mobile apps that can help us achieve this goal, and this week we review the 潮語作田人 (TeoAPP) produced by the Teochew Culture Club (潮汕文化協進會) in Hong Kong.

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Teochew Short Film 潮语微电影: My Little Devil in Chaozhou 《缘来潮州》

When an American lost in Chaozhou meets a feisty local girl. Dialogues in English and Teochew language.
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