Lai Chun Yuen Opera House

Last updated
Lai Chun Yuen Opera House
梨春园 (Chinese)
Junction of Smith Street and Trengganu Street 2, Dec 05.JPG
Viewed from junction of Smith Street and Trengganu Street
Lai Chun Yuen Opera House
General information
Address25 Trengganu Street
Singapore 058476
Country Singapore
Coordinates 1°16′57″N103°50′39″E / 1.2826°N 103.8442°E / 1.2826; 103.8442
Current tenantsHotel Calmo Chinatown
Completed1887
Website
chinatown.sg/visit/former-lai-chun-yuen/

Lai Chun Yuen Opera House was a Cantonese opera house that was built before 1887 [1] and located on Smith Street, Chinatown, Singapore. It was owned by Lin Dingxing and subsequently, Loh Ghim. [2] Chinese opera performances have religious significance for the Chinese as they believe it entertains the gods and spirits. [3]

Contents

History

Shops on Trengganu Street side of the building Current Tregganu Street.jpg
Shops on Trengganu Street side of the building

The opera house was designed in the style of a traditional three levels Chinese teahouse with balconies. There are small tables on the first level for the audiences. The stage was located on the second floor. This was designed by Regent Alfred John Bidwell from Swan and Maclaren, whose portfolio includes other notable buildings such as Raffles Hotel and Stamford House. [2] His works are prominent as he considered the usage of the buildings for the clients and clientele. [2] The opera house was able to accommodate 834 people. It was a well-frequented opera house as it provided a form of entertainment for the immigrants. The popularity of the opera house is evident by its twice daily plays.

The architecture design followed that of Chinese buildings – decorated corbel brackets, architrave tie ends, steps and door nail studs. [4] Other opera houses, such as Heng Wai Sun and Heng Seng Peng Opera Houses, which were located mainly on Wayang Street in Singapore. Even though “Wayang Street” was “Theatre Street” translated from Malay, it was not the hub of the entertainment business. [5] The main entertainment district was on Smith Street. Lai Chun Yuen Opera House was able to attract many famous Cantonese performers such as Leng Yuen Hung, Ma Si Chang and Hung Sin Nui in the early 1900s. [2] Famous performers could earn up to 450 to 700 dollars a day, which was a hefty sum for that era. According to a visitor, no other places in Singapore could be compared with the Lai Chun Yuen Opera House. [6]

However, the place was the epitome of vice as Smith Street was the red-light district back then. There were private cubicles designed for discreet activities [7] and opium smoking was a common sight in the theatre as it was normal in the era. [8]

Ironically, the theatre would sometimes be used for fund-raising activities for campaigns such as “Canton Flood Relief Fund”. These activities were huge successes as they were able to hire famous performers. Hence, the Opera House was able to raise funds from the public tickets and by auctioning off performer’s items, which were well received.

In the late 1920s, movies were invented and introduced to the world. This had greatly impacted Lai Chun Yuen’s business as people preferred “talking films” as compared to opera shows. The increase in cinema halls in amusement parks like the Great World City was a competition to the opera house. [2] The owner of the opera house wanted to include a movie room to ensure the opera house’s survival but eventually the opera house was rented to the Shaw Brothers and the opera house was renamed Sun Seng Theatre. [2]

However, the business did not last long as the theatre was bombed during World War II. Much of the building was destroyed and the building was only repaired after the war. [2] After the restorations, the building was used for a merchandise shop and then a warehouse for street hawkers. [2]

The building was restored in the 1990s and was donated to Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation (Singapore) for use as a headquarters. [1] Due to the expansion of the foundation, the building was insufficient for usage and was subsequently returned in 2007. [1]

Since 2007, the building was put on sale and in 2010, it was sold as part of an en bloc sale with surrounding units for a total of $51.8 million to Royal & Sons. [9] [10] The building was then converted into Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen, part of the Santa Grand Hotel chain. [11]

Hotel entrance in 2017 Santa Grand Hotel Lai Chun Yuen.jpg
Hotel entrance in 2017
Hotel Rooms Hotel Rooms.jpg
Hotel Rooms

Current building

In line with the zoning of the neighborhood for commercial purposes, much of the ground level is occupied by storefronts, while the interior of the building has been repurposed for use as a hotel. This takes advantage of its strategic location in Chinatown which is promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as a major tourist destination in Singapore. The small cubicles used for private activities back in the opera days have been converted into hotel rooms, escalators were built for ease of moving between floors, and steel structures were installed from ground to ceiling to reinforce the old building. The biggest change is that the stage on the second floor has been torn down and replaced by a sitting area in the hotel for the guests.

The hotel has displays of artifacts and paintings from the Chinese opera. However, the artefacts were not from the original Lai Chun Yuen Opera House, but were bought and designed[ clarify ] by the owner of Opera House Hotel. There are also information boards all around the hotel educating the guests on Chinese opera. As such, numerous curious guests and passer-by have also approached the manager to enquire on the history of the hotel. Although this is most attention that the opera house would receive – passing curiosity. Despite scholarly and news articles written on it, it is still not widely known or recognised.

As of November 2022, the building is used by Hotel Calmo Chinatown. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese opera</span> Popular form of drama and musical theatre in China

Traditional Chinese opera, or Xiqu, is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more than a thousand years, reaching its mature form in the 13th century, during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Early forms of Chinese theater are simple, but over time various art forms such as music, song and dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume and make-up art, as well as literary art forms were incorporated to form traditional Chinese opera. Performers had to practice for many years to gain an understanding of the roles. Exaggerated features and colors made it easier for the audience to identify the roles portrayed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Singapore</span> Neighborhood in Singapore, subzone of Outram

Chinatown is a subzone and ethnic enclave located within the Outram district in the Central Area of Singapore. Featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements, Chinatown has had a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population.

Tiong Bahru is a housing estate located within the Bukit Merah Planning Area, in the Central Region of Singapore. Tiong Bahru was constructed in the 1920s by the Singapore Improvement Trust, the predecessor to the Housing Development Board and an entity of the British colonial authority providing mass public housing in Singapore and is the oldest housing estate in Singapore. The main estate consists of 30 apartment blocks with over 900 units of two to five rooms that are also commonly referred to as "walk-ups". There are also high-rise Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats and condominiums along Boon Tiong Road, Jalan Membina and Kim Tian Road which surround the main estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Lim Park</span> Park in Singapore

Hong Lim Park, formerly known as Hong Lim Green and Dunman's Green, is a 0.94-hectare (2.3-acre) heritage park in the Downtown Core district of Singapore located next to the Parkroyal Collection Pickering hotel and Clarke Quay station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith Street, Singapore</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lui Seng Chun</span> Building in Lai Chi Kok Road

Lui Seng Chun is a Grade I Historic Building located at 119 Lai Chi Kok Road, in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, at the junction with Tong Mi Road. It is a four-storey tong-lau that was built in 1931 by Mr. Lui Leung. The architect was Mr. W. H. Bourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pagoda Street</span> Street in Chinatown, Singapore

Pagoda Street is a street located in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road, but has since been converted to a pedestrian mall to Chinatown MRT station at its New Bridge Road end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Street, Singapore</span>

Temple Street is a one-way street in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The road links South Bridge Road to New Bridge Road, and is intersected by Trengganu Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eu Tong Sen Street</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sago Lane</span>

Sago Lane is a one-way lane in Chinatown within the Outram Planning Area in Singapore. The street links Banda Street to Neil Road. In the past, the street was much longer and was home to funeral parlours or death houses. Part of the street was demolished in the late 1960s due to the construction of the new HDB development at Kreta Ayer, also known as Chinatown Complex. Currently the street, is mainly used during Chinese New Year as part of the festive bazaar in Chinatown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balestier</span> Subzone of Novena Planning Area in Singapore

Balestier is a sub zone located in the planning area of Novena in the Central Region of Singapore. The main road, Balestier Road, links Thomson Road to Serangoon Road and the road continues on as Lavender Street. The area is home to rows of shophouses, such as the Sim Kwong Ho shophouses, the Balestier Art Deco shophouses, 412-418 Balestier Road, and 601-639 Balestier Road, low-rise apartments and commercial buildings as well as a shopping mall known as Shaw Plaza. Balestier also has another mall, Zhongshan Mall. There are several lighting and electrical shops along Balestier Road, which is also home to the Ceylon Sports Club and the Indian Association. The area is known for its food such as bak kut teh and chicken rice. In the area, there are several apartments, condominiums, and budget hotels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Majestic, Singapore</span> Commercial in Singapore, Singapore

The Majestic is a historic building on Eu Tong Sen Street in Chinatown, Singapore next to Chinatown MRT station. Located between the People's Park Complex and Yue Hwa Building, it was known as Majestic Theatre, which was a Cantonese opera house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yue Hwa Building</span> Department store located in Chinatown, Singapore

Yue Hwa Building is a historic building located at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street in Chinatown, Singapore, next to Chinatown MRT station. Built by Swan and Maclaren in 1927, it was then the tallest building in Chinatown and was known as Nam Tin Building (南天大厦), owned by Lum Chang Holdings. The building housed the six-storey Great Southern Hotel, along with a few shops and cabarets that were popular among Chinese travellers. In 1993, Lum Chang Holdings sold the building to Hong Kong businessman Yu Kwok Chun, who converted it to the first Yue Hwa Chinese Products department store in Singapore in 1994. The renovation process, which conserved the exterior while adding features such as an atrium and waterfall to the interior, won the building the Architectural Heritage Award by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Seng Road</span> Place in Singapore

Kim Seng Road is a street in Singapore that runs along the upper-easternmost portion of the Bukit Merah-Central Area border. It was named after Peranakan philanthropist, Tan Kim Seng. Today, the boundaries of Kim Seng division are: Indus Road and Alexandra Canal in the north; Jalan Bukit Ho Swee in the south; Kim Seng Road and Outram Road in the east; and Lower Delta Road in the west.

This is a list of public housing estates (including Private Sector Participation Scheme, Home Ownership Scheme and Tenants' Purchase Scheme in Tin Shui Wai New Town, Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinatown, Kuching</span> Neighborhood of Kuching, Malaysia

Chinatown is located at Padungan road, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The most notable streets in the Chinatown are Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siong Leng Musical Association</span>

Siong Leng Musical Association or Siong Leng is a Nanyin musical group from Singapore. Siong Leng is known for its contribution to preserve and promote Nanyin and Liyuan Opera, the arts of Southern Min people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capella Resort, Singapore</span> Hotel and resort located on Sentosa Island, Singapore

Capella Singapore is a luxury resort hotel situated in 30 acres (12 ha) of grounds and gardens located on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It has 112 manors, suites and guestrooms designed by Norman Foster. It was developed by Pontiac Land and officially opened in March 2009. Capella Singapore's long-stay accommodation arm, The Club at Capella Singapore comprises 81 serviced apartments, penthouses and manors.

<i>Winter Begonia</i> Chinese TV series or program

Winter Begonia is a 2020 Chinese television series starring Huang Xiaoming, Yin Zheng, and Charmaine Sheh, based on Shui Ru Tian Er's BL web novel of the same name. It aired exclusively on iQiyi and tells the story of the close relationship between a shrewd businessman and a Peking opera genius right before the World War II. While the original web novel depicted the relationship between the two main men as romantic, the adaptation changed this depiction into a "bromance".

Titoudao is a play by Singaporean playwright Goh Boon Teck. It was first staged in Singapore at the Jubilee Hall Raffles Hotel by theatre company, Toy Factory Productions, in 1994. The play was restaged again in 2000, 2007 and 2015. In 2020, the play was adapted into a TV series on Mediacorp’s Channel 5 and Channel 8.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "孙中山战友曾上梨春园宣扬革命". 29 October 2010. p. 12. 根据国家档案馆的记录，梨春园剧院早在1887年之前就已存在. (According to the records of the National Archives of Singapore, Lai Chun Yuen Opera House existed before 1887.)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pitt, Kuan Wah; Liu, Gretchen; Phillips, Angelina (1988). A Visual Documentation of Wayang: A History of Chinese Opera in Singapore. Singapore: Times Editions.
  3. ↑ Koh, Jamie (2013). Singapore Childhood. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
  4. ↑ Qiao, Yun; Sun, Dazhang (1982). Ancient Chinese Architecture. Beijing: Joint Publishing Co.
  5. ↑ Savage, Victor; Yeoh, Brenda R. A. (2013). Singapore Street Names - A Study of Toponymics. Singapore: Markono Print Media Pte Ltd.
  6. ↑ Li, Ching Chu (1887). A Description of Singapore in 1887. China.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ↑ Chen, Johnny (28 July 2013). "Lai Chun Yuen – Famed Chinese Opera Theatre of The Past". Ghetto Singapore. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Yen, Ching-Hwang (1986). A Social History of the Chinese in Singapore and Malaya 1800-1911. Singapore: Fu Loong Lithographer Pte Ltd.
  9. ↑ "梨春园$51.8m再易手". 29 October 2010. pp. B6.
  10. ↑ "买家Royal & Sons证实 梨春园将变身五星级酒店". Lianhe Zaobao . 30 October 2010. p. 38.
  11. ↑ Huang, Lijie (4 December 2011). "First, shoebox condos; now...Shoebox hotel rooms". The Straits Times . p. 10.
  12. ↑ "I spent a night in Singapore's worst-rated hotel for $96 to see if it's really as bad as the reviews say. I was in for a night of surprises". news.yahoo.com. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.