Telling Tales

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived among us, storytellers. Setting up shop in various locations such as Chinatown or Boat Quay, these gentlemen recounted myths, folk tales, and classic Chinese literature pieces in dialects like Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese.

A popular street storyteller, such as Tan Kian Cheong (pictured below) could attract as many as 100 listeners, most of whom were male, illiterate, and from the working class. The storytellers also had a mutually beneficial relationship with street hawkers who had a captive audience in the listeners. Snacks such as peanuts and noodles also meant that the listeners could stay longer, instead of having to rush home at meal times.

Chinese storytelling moved to radio when broadcasting became popularised in the 1970s. But once the Speak Mandarin Campaign was introduced in 1979, other dialects fell by the wayside and even radio storytelling died out. The End.