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Chinese Trades

Mar 11, 2016

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Amanda Lim

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Page 1: Chinese Trades
Page 2: Chinese Trades
Page 3: Chinese Trades

Chinese Trades华人行业

Introduction

Chinese Opera

Muah Chee

Lion Dance

The Trishaw

Fortune Telling

Joss Paper Shop

Getai

Ding Ding Candy

Conclusion

1

3

7

13

17

21

23

25

27

31

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I have recently done

a survey with chil-dren between 8-16 years

old, and I am shocked that only a few of them even know about some of

the categories that I am going to cover in this book. These trades can still be found in Singapore,

some still commonly seen but it is getting lesser recogni-tion and patronisation. These trades however, were one of the “in”

things within the Chinese decades ago. Now they are considered unneces-sary due to the advances and improvements, from entertainments to transport,

and these trades just are not able keep up and eventually gets left behind. Many new jobs are being introduced and fought over, many jobs people stop wanting to do. It is all about

change, and in order to be successful you will have to keep up with the times.

So is it good or bad? Since dying trades are no longer a necessity of most people’s lives now, it is fine to not depend on it so much. But also, we do not want to lose our heritage and break those traditions our ancestors have taught us,

even if it sounds ridiculous now. We are glad that even those trades that have died long ago are still kept in museums. On the downside such museums are mostly visited by adults who may have some memories that they loved and hold. If the children nowadays

are not interested, would the history museums eventually be a dying trade also?

The dying trades I’ll be introducing will be more familiar to the Chinese, being Chinese myself I will be touching on more personal questions people have towards the trades.

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CHINESE OPERA ENSEMBLE

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Chinese orchestra is inspired by the Western symphony orchestra but the western instruments are replaced by chinese instruments. Such chinese instruments went way back to the Shang Dynasty (1550-1111 BC), where music was made for tradi-tional ritualistic ceremonies.

The Chinese instruments consists of percussion, wind, and string instruments. In the modern Chinese orchestra the Western cello and double bass is included as well as the vibraphone and triangle.

Chinese ensemble is played for Chinese opera, usu-ally smaller than an orchestra, uses quite a number of percussion instruments. The instruments played for Chinese Opera are not specifically made for it, they are just used. Because of the fall of Chinese Opera, the ensemble falls with them as well.

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Please introduce yourselfLucas, 17, Plays in Chinese Orchestra for six years, member of 新加坡精英华乐团

Will you perform in a Chinese Ensemble as a career?Yes why not. I want to do something I like and follow my passion

Do you agree that it is a dying trade?Kind of, from my point of view

How many youths do you think watches Chinese Opera?Very little people

How many youths do you think in the fu-ture will watch Chinese Opera?No one

What is the difference between Chinese Opera ensemble and Chinese Orchestra?Orchestra is a lot about bringing out music, interpretations of music. The ensemble is more of an accompaniment role. Chinese Orchestra on the contrary is growing. Chinese Orchestra is the only one way musicians can depend on for their income. A lot of other Chinese musicians also teach, become lecturers in music schools.

Do you think Chinese Opera will ever be revived?I think it will be only when it is on the verge of being lost. Then people will start to dig it back up. Humans are like that. They never know the value of things until they lose it.

Please introduce yourselfAlan, 20+, I played DIZI for 2 years in Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra

Will you perform in a Chinese Opera ensemble as a career?No. I think Chinese ensembles is more of a personal interest than a career prospect.

Why do you think performing in Chinese Opera is not suitable for a career? I think in modern context, performing in a tra-ditional ensemble has become more of a source of music appreciation rather than a career-based income source because of the vast change in economy and cultures of the society.

How has culture affected the mindset that Chinese Ensemble is not suitable for career?With higher cost of living and improvised quality of life, people tend to have a higher demand and expectation in their accomplish-ments. Even though some musicians are able to have great achievements in the music industry, traditional Chinese performance won’t be able to “stretch out” globally and it can only stay where it is right now. Because of the need for a higher income and sense of achievement in life, I personally think that performing in a Chinese Ensemble can only be an interest or a hobby rather than a career.

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With higher cost of living and improvised quality of life, people tend to have a higher demand and expectation in their accomplishments.

““

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MUAHCHEE

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Please introduce yourselfLucy

So how long have you been selling Muah Chee?About five years. I sell other snacks also.

What do you think of people who sell Muah Chee in the roadsides?They only get business when they find a place with a lot of people. They will set up a stall and people will come to buy from them. They will not earn much by just doing it alone.

Do you think selling Muah Chee alone can be a career?No

Why not?Even though there are still people who eat them, the Muah Chee cart might be gone the next day.

MUAH CHEE

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Please introduce yourselfJasmine, 19

Do you know what is Muah Chee?Yes I do I used to always eat those when I was young.

How have you come to know about it?My mom brought it home and let me try. I loved it instantly. It is sweet and chewy.

Where did you usually buy Muah Chee?At night markets and sometimes people sell them in funfairs. I once saw a cart set up at pung-gol park during Lantern Festival! I was so happy I bought three.

Do you think it is a dying trade?Yes, I can hardly find people who sell those anymore. They do not have perma-nent shops that sell them. Or do they? I never heard of it. But yes I heard there

Another roadside food is Muah Chee, originated in southern China. It can still be found in Pasar Malams and carts that are set up wherever there is people. It is amongst one of many people’s favourite childhood snack. Due to the rising amounts and varieties of snacks, it is likely that Muah Chee will fall out of

used to be a number of carts around every neighbourhood and quite easy to find, now it is difficult. I guess another reason is that Muah Chee is very easy to make. I want to learn it some day.

How long do you think those carts that sell Muah Chee will last?Not for long. Maybe they should sell them with drinks or ice cream, but just Muah Chee alone it is impossible.

business in the future, as it is seen that Muah Chee carts are hard to find. Muah Chee consists of a sticky dough made of glutinous flour, sprinkled with sugar and roasted peanuts.

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Lion dance is a traditional dance from the Chinese culture. It is made up of two persons that impersonate a lion’s movement in a lion costume. In the costume, only the perform-er’s legs can be seen. You can tell Lion Dance and Dragon dance apart by looking at the number of legs. In lion dance only two pairs of legs can be seen while in dragon dance there will be more feet.

Once upon a time in China, a monk dreamed of sorrows and evils overflowing the land. He prayed and asked his gods how he could stop this, and they replied only a lion would be able to protect them from all evils. The image of the lion was made up of the combination of all the lucky or magical animals the Chi-nese people could think of, because the Chi-nese people heard that the lion was the king of all animals, even though none of them had seen one before.

There is a red sash tied on the lion’s horn as it is told that the lion disrespected the Jade Emperor, and out of rage he cut off the lion’s horn, which is the source of its like, and it died. The Goddess of Mercy sympathised on the lion so she tied the horn back to the lion with a red sash and golden leaves and the lion came back to life.

The lion dance in Singapore is used to scare away the evil spirits and bring luck and for-tune. It is usually performed during Chinese New Year and opening of companies.

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Please introduce yourselfI’m Robert. 20 this year. I did lion dance for approximately two years.

What made you stop performing?Hectic schedule with school and educational commitments

Do you think lion dance will suc-ceed as a jobNot really. I don’t think there’s a stable income. You only get income when people hire you for events. There are lesser needs for lion dance troupes.

What are some difficulties you face during perfor-mances and practices?Physically, we must follow each other’s guidance, also the musicians, the one who creates the tempo. So we rely on each other. We work as a team and not individually. Once you stop practising, you won’t be on par with my team mates.

What is the thing you miss most about lion dance?

Nothing, it’s boring pointless. In modern context people won’t ap-preciate traditional practices. I did this because of free time and friend’s recommendation.

How much did you get paid?For one hour my group will get paid $250.

Please introduce yourselfMichael. 48. I was a lion dancer back in my teenage years

How was lion dance to you?It was great. Especially when there are events I get to earn extra pocket money from it. I also made a lot of good friends and we still keep in contact up till today! In lion dance we learn to build up team work so we were very bonded.

Do you think that lion dance is a dying trade?Back in those days we get a lot of events.. but it gets less and less and it might just die out one day. I guess people are less superstitious and less tradi-tional now. I can't blame them because the world is developing way too fast

How long do you think lion dancing will last?I do know there are some schools that offer lion dance as CCA, maybe next time lion dance will just be for fitness and leisure instead of a trade. It will never be revived as a trade.

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THETRISHAWMAN Trishaws were started out in

Shanghai in the 1880s. It became popular through-out asia and also travell-

ed to Singapore, which still exists in Chinatown and Little India. It first came to Singapore in 1914, and started out with 15 trishaws. Trishaws were actually a development of rickshaws, where they were pulled by a single strong man. In a trishaw there will be a bicycle attached to a sidecar where the patrons sit and sometimes there will be a hood to shade the passengers. It is no longer a main form of transport but rather a tourist attraction where the trishaw man will bring tourists around to see the sights and sounds of Singapore. A trishaw ride will last at least 30-45 minutes and the price for a trishaw ride costs around $25 to $36 per person. These trishaw riders, despite rain or shine, will not hesitate and use their legs to peddle their way through the sights in Singapore. Trishaw riders are human too. They will entertain customers while riding and some can even sing.

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Lee Tuck Wa, who is 70 years old and fight-ing strong has been pedalling for more than 40 years ever since the factory he worked in closed down. His wife passed away and he has two children and grandchildren and is living a happy life.

Do you think trishaw riding a dying trade in Singapore?Yes. I don’t get a lot of business each day and most of the time I’ll just be waiting at the roadside for customers, but I have my children for support so it’s ok. Some of my friends have no family around so it is quite a hard life for them, but they are still staying strong.

Then why do you still want to continue pedalling after so many years?Without me there will be no one else

who would do it, and I do not want to see trishaw riding die completely in Singapore, at least not before I pass on. There are many memories involving trishaw riding, from my dates to many funny and annoying moments I have encountered when I was a young trishaw man. It is also a way of keeping fit, I will not bear to see myself just lying around at home doing nothing, catching all the sickness from lazying and eating around.

When do you think trishaw riding will completely die?I don’t know. But I hope the government is trying their best to sustain it. But as time goes by no one would want to work as a trishaw man. One ride is quite expensive so it is quite hard to get business aside from tourists. Some tourists are nice but I do miss the simpler times where trishaws used to be one of the main forms of transports.

What is your biggest threat?All kinds of vehicles! Trishaw is for tourists now.

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CHINESEFORTUNETELLING

There are many variations of Chinese for-tune telling, also known as fate calculating (算命). Methods are face reading, where fa-cial features are being interpreted to predict their future. Different regions of the face represents different levels and age range of a person’s future. Palm reading is the analysis of a person’s palm lines and each line repre-sents different aspects of their lives, like love, personality and luck. Chinese divination is when a person shakes a bamboo cylinder un-

til one incense stick drops out. The incense sticks are carved with chinese characters. There will then be an interpreter that deci-phers the person’s future according to the chinese characters. Eight characters is the most common method of Chinese fortune telling. It takes a person’s four components of time, hour of birth, day, month and year.

Please introduce yourselfHi, my name is Mary Wang, florist at Defu Lane

What kind of fortune telling have you consulted?Name, palm-reading, card

When was that?Ever since I was twenty one

What is the process like for name?Write my name my chinese name down on a piece of paper, then the fortune teller will cal-culate. Then he will start explaining your rise and fall in life and what you can do about it.

What is the process like for palm-reading?The fortune teller will hold my palm and ex-plain what it means for each line according to their meanings.

What is the process like for card?They will tell you to pick out a few cards, then I will ask whatever I want to know. And ac-cording to the card I have picked he will an-swer my question and tell you what it means

Do you encourage your children to get their fortune told?Yes. If within my capacity. If through all this it will aid their future, and they have a smoother sailing life, why not?

Do you think fortune telling is a dying trade?I think yes. Because all the people I have consulted are old guys. But I think fate la. If there’s youth that is fated for this kind of job of course they won’t lie.

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Do you think anything is affecting the fall-ing of the business?This job doesn’t force you and is very open minded

Cultural influences?Dependant on each and every single person. If they want to believe then they will believe.

~

Please introduce yourself.I am Xavvier Lim from SMU

How did you get involved with fortune telling?I got involved with fortune telling when my friends in Poly introduced me to it. They thought it was really fascinating and hence asked me to get my fortune told with them. I did not believe in it at first and it took quite sometime to learn about the meaning and significance of my body parts and I felt it made sense so I started believing.

How did you apply it to your life?It did not really take a big part of my life but I do get my fortune told when I am unsure about my life.

What is one thing that you gained from it?The one thing i gained from it is self-confi-dence. I used it as my guide to make difficult choices, even though it sounds pretty silly.

Do you recommend people to get their fortune told?Actually it really goes down to personal inter-est as some people with a religious background will refrain from all this acts of “Black-magic”. However I do not see any negative side of get-ting my fortune read. After all, don’t take it too seriously as I’ve said there is no scientific evi-dence of it being 100% accurate.

Do you think fortune telling is a dying trade here in Singapore?Yes. With tv shows to gain public awareness they have taught people to be careful of such things and people might take it too seriously and try their very best to avoid it. I guess people are starting to believe what they do will cause the outcome, and do not really believe in fate.

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JOSS PAPER SHOPSJoss paper are made from normal paper or paper crafts that are to be burnt to make offerings to the deceased so that they will be given good things in the afterlife. Joss papers are normally made from coarse bamboo paper or rice paper which is used by most people. The paper will be cut into squares and rectangles. It is usually printed or decorated with seals, stamps, other paper and engravings.There are different types of paper which offers to different types of spirits. Cash monies are given to newly departed spirits and unknown spirits; The gold spirit monies (刈金) are given to newly departed spirits and higher deities such as the Jade Emperor; The silver monies (小銀) are given to close ancestors and earth gods and spirits according to their dialects; The clothes that are printed on joss papers (經衣) are burnt to provide the needs in the spirit’s “daily life” such as cloths, shoes, cups and scissors.

The differentiation between the monies must be taken seriously in order not the confuse or insult the spirits.There are also westernised variations of joss paper, which it developed in to Hell Bank Notes, paper credit cards, cheques and also 3 dimensional clothes, houses, cars, toiletries and servants made from papier-mâché. Hell bank notes are printed with extravagant values ranging from $10, 000 to $5,000,000,000. The face of the Jade Emperor is printed on the front of the note and at the back, the “head office” of the Bank of Hell.Spirit money is used to both honour the dead and also in a wedding, a gift from a groom’s family to the bride’s ancestors. It is also burnt to provide the needs of the deceased in the afterlife and to bribe Yanluo Wang (god of death and ruler of hell) to shorten their time in hell. They believe that spirits and ghosts that roam the earth can be honoured so that they will grant the people favours and assistance.

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Please introduce yourselfI am Ms Lee, 18, student

How often do you buy joss papers?My family buys them like four times a year. The first time we buy is for Qing Ming for my grand-parents for my father’s side, the second time for my mother’s side. Third time is for my father’s side’s grandmother’s birthday, the fourth time for my grandfather’s birthday.

Will you but joss papers on your own?No. My parents will buy them

Will you buy it in the future?Yes.

Do you think the sale of joss papers is a dying trade?It will be a dying trade in the future but not now. Because nowa-days as our generation is getting more and more westernised, we forget our roots as chinese people and we will forget we use to pay our respects to the deceased.

What are the threats?It’s more like the western influences. People who migrate to another country might lose the tradition as they tend to be forgetful or they may not have the resourced to do it.

Anything you would like to add?Nowadays, the young people like to act western and forget their roots in the chinese culture.

Please introduce yourselfI am Raymond, 21, NS man

How often do you buy joss papers?I never buy. But my parents buy them during seventh month

Will you buy joss papers on your own?No.

Will you buy it in the future?No. I do not believe in themDo you think the sale of joss papers is a dying trade?

Yes. Nowadays youngsters they don’t believe and they don’t carry on the traditions.

What are the threats?The decrease in the number of Taoists. Because Taoism is a very old practice. The govern-ment has also banned the burning of joss papers on the corridors due to many com-plaints so I think people will be lazy to walk downstairs to burn joss papers especially the old people who are not convenient in mobility.

Anything you would like to add?Now, I myself also do not fol-low this tradition because I am now a free thinker.

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GETAI

GETAI

歌台歌台

During the seventh month of the chinese calendar, Getais are definitely not an uncommon sight. Getai is a development of Street Opera, which is a live stage performance in contrast to the grim mood during the Ghost Festival.

During the Chinese Ghost Festival, many Chinese believe that it is the month were the hell gates open and spirits are released back to earth. The performance is actually to entertain the spirits but people are also welcomed to watch.

In Getai there will be singing and dancing, mainly in hokkien, with the songs only the older generation will be more familiar of. Getai has always been known to be loud and flashy, with the striking outfits and the bright coloured backdrops. Performers can be young or old, where the old will perform in a Chinese Opera like way while the young will dress much lesser and will perform famous hokkien songs.

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GETAIPlease introduce yourselfMdm Tan, 60+ years old. I did Getai when I was a young woman

What is Getai now compared to the time you performed?It has become more hip with the youngsters singing and dancing to pop songs. I performed in more of opera style, it still exists but hardly anyone watches it.

Do you think it is dying?Those large scale Getais still attract quite a num-ber of people but they are mostly uncles. While those small scale ones in the neighbourhood has very few audience. Yes.

Do you think it will be revived?I know there is a local movie called 881 that was showed quite a few years ago, hopefully it gains public awareness and younger ones will be interested in this. Let’s say I have 50 percent confidence in this.

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DING DING CANDY

Ding Ding Tang also known as Deuk Deuk Tong first started out in Hong Kong and the Cantonese brought it to Singapore.

Ding Ding Tang sellers will be carrying a little metal bucket. Using two little wooden sticks, they will scoop up raw brown malt candy, pulling the sticky stretch of candy back and forth until it grows milky white, sometimes gold when it is not stretched properly. The clear sticky candy will then be rolled into little balls on bamboo picks and sold. Little kids who bought the malt candy loved to stick their tongues out and lick the candy slowly. It is usually found in temporary food stalls as opening a shop itself is too costly for something that less children want.

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Please introduce yourselfMdm Yap, 48, housewife

Do you miss eating Ding Ding Tang?No. I never liked eating sweets

Do you think it’s a dying trade?Yes. It is unhealthy and too sweet. And there’s no packaging. People buy things based on packaging and it will look unhygienic so people won’t buy it.

Please introduce yourselfI’m Mr Ho and I used to sell Ding Ding Tang in a movable cart for a while. Now I am retired and happy.

What is the thing you miss most about Ding Ding Tang?It is very fun to make, and by crushing the candy it makes the “Ding Ding” sound and soon children will be coming over to buy. It felt great. I loved making children happy. I have seven grandchildren myself.

How long do you think Ding Ding Tang will last?I really don’t know! Some people might still sell or make for fun but I know it will never be the same.

Please introduce yourselfI am Mei Huan, 18, I used to enjoy ding ding tang when I was younger

What about now?Very few people sell. I don’t even know where to buy and I can’t enjoy the ding ding tang.

There are places that sell. Will you go and try it if I told you where?Yes. I miss the taste and it is not easily available

What do you think caused the candy to be so uncommon?Very few people think that it is profitable because they sell it very cheap and maybe they didn’t pass down their skills to the next generation

Do you think it’s a dying trade?Yes. I don’t even see people selling them now

How long do you think it will last?Maybe the next 30 years?

And do you think it will ever be revived?Yes. I hope so

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The number of residents over 65 years old have continued to rise, due to increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates. The proportion of residents aged 65 and above increased from 7.2% in 2000 to 9.3% in 2011. However, the number of Singaporeans continues to increase due to the rise in number of immigrants. Because of this there are less Singaporeans to carry on those old traditions while immigrants take over with theirs.

2011

2010

2009

2008

10% 20% 30% 40%

0-14

50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

15-64

65 & over

16.8 9.3

9.0

8.1

7.2

73.9

73.7

71.9

70.9

17.4

20.1

21.9

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From my observation it is very hard to keep up with the times yet retain all aspects of a trade. For example the rea-son why Getai is so uncommon among the younger generation, is because most of their songs are hokkien. Thanks to the government who only encour-age us on speaking Mandarin for future benefits, we are be-ginning to forget the use of dialects, which by the way the overusing of it is banned on national television.

In Singapore everybody goes to school and are indeed smarter than all the past generations. It is not surprising that people will drop traditions like burning

of joss papers as they become cynical and do not believe that by burning things, the dead or any other spirits can receive them in the afterlife. I do hope the honouring of their ancestors and paying respects can still be continued, I myself am kind of worried when parents are less strict and many children are get-ting spoiled now, will they still pay attention to their parents when they are old and helpless?

As taxi fares increase and people getting unhappy about paying a ridiculous sum of money just to

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get from one place to another in a tiny island, do you think they might revive trishaws as a main form of transport or maybe an even better or more upgraded version?

These trades might sound like nothing but they definitely have inspired and influenced many people for a period of time. These were the norms

that many people live with, it is where memories were kept and dreams were discovered. So I re-ally really hope I will still get to see them and try some in time to come.