Returning the Gaze: Reclaiming the Voice – Post-Colonialism and its Implications for Drama and Education || Nian – the story of the Chinese

Nian –the story of the ChineseAuthor(s): Jeffrey TanSource: Caribbean Quarterly, Vol. 53, No. 1/2, Returning the Gaze: Reclaiming the Voice –Post-Colonialism and its Implications for Drama and Education (March - June 2007), pp. 222-230Published by: University of the West Indies and Caribbean QuarterlyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40654987 .

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Nian - the story of the Chinese

Jeffrey Tan

Introduction

The Chinese culture dates back 5,000 years and this monologue will show one person's memories of growing up Chinese, family superstitions, religious beliefs, faith, legends and celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Scene 1 - Time is a circle

(Empty stage except for one table at up centre stage and two chairs; one on each side. Sound track of "Grow an inch, a night (in Hokkien)". Actor walks in from upstage right in anti-clockwise direction to stage left, looking at centre stage. He stops at centre stage and starts

doing some tai-ji. He makes a few more circles getting younger in age as he jogs into a run.)

Slide 1 Nian - the story of the Chinese Written and performed by Jeffrey Tan Associate Artistic Director, TheatreWorks (Singapore) Trip made possible with the kind help from the National Arts Council

Slide 2

Time is a circle.

Actor

Suppose time is a àrde.

Bending back on itself. The world repeats itself precisely, endlessly. Time is a arele. Please help me pass my exam.

(Runs around again) Yesterday y I remember praying at Tian Hock Kheng temple. . .

Yesterday y I remember praying to Kong Zi. . . Please help me pass my exam.

Every year, my mother will bring me to ask for help.



MAN- The Story of the Chinese 223

Many parents will bring their children to ask for help. . .

Slide 3

Confucianism is a "code of conduct" to live this life, and it has had a tremendous impact on how the Chinese live their lives... with a great influence in Chinese government, education, and attitudes toward correct personal behaviour and the individual duties to society.

Slide 4 Confuciasm is actually a philosophy of life ...Like Buddhism. Founded in China by Kung Tze, "master Kung", known as Confucius (551-479 AC).

Slide 5

Confucius wanted to be a politician, even a Prime Minister, but he failed... and dedicated to preach good moral conduct... after his death he is the Chinese most influential in the history of China, and had all the honours he never had in life: The Government ordered the "worship of Confucius", and named him the "Co-Assessor with the deities of Heaven and Earth". His

precepts and principles were incorporated into the Chinese Law in 210 BC.

Slide 6

There are two times.

Actor There is mechanical time and there is body time. (Actor shakes hand with audience) Time is predetermined. Expected. Body time is when the mind is made up as life happens. When the two times meet, desperation. When the two times go their separate ways, contentment. Each time is true. But the truths are not the same.

Slide 7

Legend of NIAN

Actor

The Chinese New Year is an important event celebrated by Chinese all over the world. Wherever we are in the world, we would try to get together as a family to celebrate this very important Lunar New Year! Everything we do, eat, wear. . . all mean something. So how did this special day come about?

One legend goes that the beast 'Nian' had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. The people were very scared.



224 Jeffrey Tan

One day, an old man came to their rescue, offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I

heard say that you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth

instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So, swallow it did many of

the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to

time.

Actor

(To audience) Do you have anything red? I hear that the beast is afraid of the cobur redi

After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an

immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests,

people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case

it sneaked back again, because red is the colour the beast feared the most.

Slide 8

The Lunar New Year

"Guo Nian"

Actor

From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from

generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian", which may mean "Survive the Nian"

becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the

meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However,

people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, except that they feel the colour

and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.

(Actor starts making a red Packet lantern.)

Preparing for the celebrations

Days before the New Year, every family is busy giving its house a thorough "SPRING

CLEANING", hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family to

make way for the wishful in-coming good luck. People also give their doors and window-panes a new paint, usually in red colour. They decorate the doors and windows with paper-cuts and

couplets with the very popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity" and

"satisfactory marriage with more children". Paintings of the same theme are put up in the

house on top of the newly mounted wall paper. In the old days, various kinds of food are

tribute at the altar of ancestors.



NIAN-Tbe Story of the Chinese 225

On New Year's Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away.

After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlour, then placed in the comers and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will

sweep one of the family away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of the family; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow.

Slide 9

Eve of New Year

Reunion Dinner Eat "Jiao Zi" "Ho Xi", "Fa Chai" Fish, Prawns, chicken "ShouYe"

The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the holiday, due to the

anticipation. Here, traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to

clothing.

The Eve of the New Year is very carefully observed. THE REUNION DINNER is a feast, with all members coming together. One of the most popular course is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi" in Chinese literally mean "sleep together and have sons", a long-lost good wish for a family. Each dish signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns, for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters (ho xi), for all things good, fish dishes or Yau-Yu to

bring good luck and prosperity, Fai-chai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed to bring prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) signifying a long-lasting good wish for a

family.

After dinner, it is time for the whole family to SIT UP FOR THE NIGHT while having fun playing cards or board games or watching TV programmes dedicated to the occasion. Every light is supposed to be kept on the whole night. At midnight, fireworks will light the whole sky.

On the day itself, an ancient custom called HONG BAO, meaning Red Packet, takes

place. Very early the next morning, children greet their parents and receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up in red paper packages from them.



226 Jeffrey Tan

This also involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in red

envelopes. Then the family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then to their neighbours. Like the Western saying "let bygones be bygones," at Chinese New

Year, grudges are very easily cast aside. It is a great time for reconciliation. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness.

Actor

The Celebrations would last 15 days!

Slide 10 1st Day Welcome the gods of 'heavens and earth'

Actor

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth." Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

Slide 11 2nd Day Pray to the ancestors and "God of Wealth" Married women return to maiden homes

Actor

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all

dogs.

Slide 12 3rd Day Birthday of Dogs Rats Marriage

Actor

To give you an idea of the Celebratory feel of the festival, listen to this music. . .(presenter

plays recording)

Slide 13 4th Day Attracting deities from heaven to earthly realm

Actor



NIAN-Tbe Story of the Chinese 227

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.

Slide 14 5th Day "Po Woo" breaking the five

Birthday of the Gods of the five directions

Actor

The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.

On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also

visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

Slide 15

Birthday of Human Beings "Pan Gu" "Nu Wa" "Yu Sheng"

Actor

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.

Slide 16 8th Day Birthday of Jade Emperor

Actor

On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor. The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for

dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.

The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which is to be held on the 15th night.



228 JeffryTan

Slide 17 15th Day Lantern Festival Eat " Tang Yuan"

Slide 18 Time where cause and effect are erratic.

Actor

Suppose consider a world in which cause and effect are erratic. Sometimes the first

precedes the second, sometimes the second first. Or perhaps cause lies forever in the past while effect in the future, but future, and past are entwined.

Predictions, post dictions

Equations, justifications Logic, illogic Live the moment Here and now. . .

One of the favourite things to do during the Lunar New Year is to find out the future for our respective Zodiac Signs.

LUNAR CALENDAR

The Chinese lunar year is divided into 12 months of 29 or 30 days. The calendar is

adjusted to the length of the solar year by the addition of extra months at regular intervals. The

years are arranged in major cycles of 60 years. Each successive year is named after one of 12

animals. These 12-year cycles are continuously repeated.

Slides 19 to Slide 42 Describe the characteristics and compatabilities of the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs. nd the years for each zodiac sign.

Actor

Besides the Zodiac animal sign, you might also want to know what elements you belong to. . . WATER, FIRE, WOOD, METAL, EARTH

Slide 43

Time where people live forever. Actor

Strangely, the population of each city splits into two. The 'later' s and the 'now's.



NL4N - The Story of the Chinese 229

The later's reason that there is no hurry to begin their classes at the university, to learn a second language, to seek promotion, to fall in love, infinite span of time. They take pleasure in

leading and living.

Now's note that with infinite lives, they can do all they can imagine. Infinite careers, several marriages, constantly read new books, studying. . . infinite lives comes with infinite list

of relatives. . . All are alive!

Slide 44

Silent Night The moonlight lies bright before my couch; I wonder if it were frost on the ground? I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon; I hang my head, thinking of my native head.

Poet Li Bai

Actor

Yesterday I remember listening to the Hokkien, Teochew, Hakka news report. In the

70s, in an attempt to unite the various Chinese in Singapore overnight, all Chinese dialects were banned. Mandarin was used to unite the various dialects.. Thus many young people cannot

speak or even understand what is rightfully their own language. . .

Yesterday I remember speaking to my grandmother. We speak to each other in Teochew. . . when she died, the language died with her. My sister cannot speak the language and I have no one to speak the language to. . .

I remember the Late Pao Kun sharing a story about his daughter's mandarin teacher. When he asked her were she was going to go on retirement, she said she was going to learn

English. When he asked her why, she said she wanted to speak to her grandchildren. . .

Listen to this Mandarin song, what do you think the singer is singing about?

Listen to this English song. The popular boy band has done a literal translation of the mandarin song. Listen to the lyrics. What is lost in translation?

Slide 45

Chén is one of the most common Chinese family names.. It ranks at the 5th most

popular surname in Mainland China. There is a Chinese saying that the Chen's and Lin's share half the world.

Teochews originated from the prefecture of Chaozhou, particularly from eight of the ten districts within it near the Fujian border. It is situated in eastern Guangdong province. Sometimes referred to as the "Swatow people".



230 Jeffhy Tan

Actor

Everybody calls me "Jeffrey". My Chinese name is "Chen Cai Long".

"Cai" as in "fortune" and "Long" as in "Dragon". However if you mispronounce the tone of the Chinese words, I may become "Cai" (4th sound) as in "vegetables". Or "Long (2nd sound) as in "deaf M Thus maybe it's safer to be "Jeffrey" than to have a mispronounced name...

Like most Asian surnames, Chinese surnames are passed down from generations and hold the family history in perpetuity. Chinese surnames tell others about the person's history and are always retained even though the name may change. The surname is often looked-upon as a symbol of a man's pride and honor. It depicts the past glorious deeds the ancestors have achieved through 'blood and sweat.'

Slide 46

Time is not quantity, but quality.

Actor

Suppose that time is not a quantity but a quality, like the luminescence of the night above the trees just when a rising moon has touched the treeline. Time exists, but it cannot be measured. In a world where time cannot be measured, there are no clocks, no calendars, and no definite appointments. Events are triggered by other events. Quality is recorded by the colour of the sky. Feeling of happiness or fear. Feeling of now. Here. Who knows when we will meet again? Maybe our paths will cross.. Maybe we'll meet again. Someday. Till then take care.

References Asiapac Comic (1997) Origins of Chinese Festivals.

Lightman, Alan (1993) Einstein's Dreams.

Tan, Thomas (1986) Your Chinese Roots -The overseas Chinese story.

Song, Lily (2001) Chinese Zodiac Symbols.



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Returning the Gaze: Reclaiming the Voice – Post-Colonialism and its Implications for Drama and Education || Nian – the story of the Chinese