ST: 'Crazy angmoh's' wayang world
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By Cara Van Miriah | ||
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 It took Mr Paul van der Veer (left) three years to put his book together, sorting through 800 photos and gathering information on Chinese street opera in Singapore. -- ST PHOTO: ALAN LIM
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During the 11 years that Dutch graphic designer Paul van der Veer lived in Singapore, he went around the island taking photos of Chinese street operas with his trusty Leica camera.
The result: a catalogue of 800 pictures capturing Singapore's dying art. And last year, he published a coffee-table book titled Da Xi - Chinese Street Opera In Singapore, in Holland.
It will be available here in October when it hits major bookstores such as Kinokuniya in Ngee Ann City. Each copy is priced at $50.
The 41-year-old, who worked in Singapore between 1994 and 2005, tells Life!: 'I was fascinated by the opera's bright colours and sounds. There is so much preparation, from the elaborate make-up and costumes to the religious rituals before the performances.
'Unfortunately, it is a dying art. Over the years, I noticed there were fewer Chinese operas being organised and the audience were mostly the older generation.'
Inspired by what he saw, he decided to publish a book about the Chinese opera scene here.
It took him three years - between 2004 and 2006 - to put it together, gathering information from various sources that included newspaper clippings from The National Library, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and Holland's Royal Tropical Institute, which has many books covering the topic.
He went ahead with the project even after he returned to Holland in 2005 to spend time with his 82-year-old mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Last year, he forked out $22,000 to print 800 copies to be sold online at www.daxi-project.nl at 30 euros (S$62) each. So far, 100 copies have been sold, he says.
During his visit to Singapore this week, he inked an exclusive deal with MarketAsia Distributors to distribute the book here.
Mr Quek Chin Hui, director of MarketAsia Distributors, says: 'This is a specialised book and we believe it will do well here.'
Mr van der Veer says Da Xi also aims to introduce Chinese street opera to the local expatriate community and tourists.
But the first-time author is quick to add that making a profit was never on his agenda.
'I was prepared to make a loss right from the start. The project is very personal, it's a labour of love,' says the avid photographer who aims to return to Singapore every two years to visit friends.
Interestingly, the book is bound in a way that resembles a Chinese manuscript, with the English text running vertically across each page. The pages in red or pink cover the history, culture and significance of Chinese street opera, while those in blue contain excerpts from famous operas such as Farewell To My Concubine and Romance Of The Three Kingdoms.
He recalls of his experience: 'After I'd taken pictures of the performances, I would gesture to the troupe if I could go backstage to take more. With no questions asked, they opened their world to me. It was a privilege.
'I saw ordinary housewives tranform into empresses, princesses and concubines. I couldn't communicate much with them as they understood little or no English. Also, I didn't have a translator with me.'
After a few visits, some troupes even recognised the 'crazy angmoh', he jokes.
Through his extensive research, he also got to understand more about the pictures he had taken.
He says: 'I took one of a little boy who was playing with a white mask that I came across at an opera performance. I later learnt that the mask is the only silent character in a Chinese opera.'
When asked if many are surprised to learn that a Caucasian has authored a book on Chinese opera, he says: 'Well, I tell them that I am half-Singaporean. Having lived here for 11 years, Singapore is, in fact, my second home.'
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