Within the cultural life of Chinese communities in Vietnam, there are art forms that exist not merely for entertainment but as vessels of memory and identity. Teochew Traditional Opera is one such form.
Passed down through generations and closely intertwined with religious beliefs and festive rituals, each performance carries the breath of the past while remaining vibrantly alive in the present.
An Introduction to Teochew Traditional Opera
Teochew Traditional Opera, also known as Teochew Opera, is a classical theatrical art form originating among the Teochew people of southern China. With a history spanning more than 400 years, it has traditionally been performed at temples and Teochew assembly halls during essential festivals and ceremonial occasions.
In 2006, Teochew Opera was officially recognized by the State Council of China as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Teochew migrants brought this art form to Vietnam. It has taken root in places like Chinatown (Ho Chi Minh City) and other areas with a strong Chinese presence. Studies often note that Teochew Opera, alongside Cantonese Opera, is essential to the community’s spiritual and cultural life. It serves as an enduring source of collective memory.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Teochew Traditional Opera lies in its deep connection to ritual and belief. Performances are often staged as part of religious festivals or ceremonial offerings, expressing reverence toward ancestors and historical figures.
According to Vietnam Fine Arts & Culture Magazine, maintaining Teochew Opera performances during festivals such as the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao) is a meaningful way for the Teochew community to preserve and reaffirm its cultural identity.
A Stage of Sound and Color
Teochew Traditional Opera is more than a theatrical performance. It is a layered artistic experience where music, vocal performance, makeup, movement, and spirituality converge. This richness allows audiences, even those unfamiliar with the Teochew language, to connect with the performance through emotion, imagery, and rhythm.
Music and Vocal Performance
Teochew Opera employs distinctive melodic patterns characteristic of the Teochew people. The tempo is often measured and solemn, imbued with a sense of grandeur and emotional depth. Traditional instruments such as drums, gongs, fiddles, and flutes create a soundscape that feels both ceremonial and immersive.
Research by the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies highlights that music in Teochew Opera does more than accompany the narrative. It guides the emotional flow, enabling audiences to grasp the characters’ inner states even without understanding the lyrics.
Costume and Facial Makeup
Perhaps the most visually striking element of Teochew Traditional Opera is its elaborate costumes and makeup. Characters appear in richly colored attire, each hue and ornament symbolizing social status, personality, or moral alignment.
Facial makeup defined by bold lines and contrasting colors acts as a visual language. It allows audiences to instantly recognize heroes, villains, loyal officials, or traitors. Renowned scholar Trần Văn Khê once described Teochew Opera makeup as a “visual language” that replaces spoken words, enabling cross-cultural understanding through imagery alone.
Movement and Gesture
Movement in Teochew Opera is highly symbolic rather than realistic. A single turn, a deliberate step, or a raised hand can evoke an entire battle or a tense confrontation. This stylized approach heightens artistic expression, directing attention toward emotion and meaning rather than literal action.
Seen as a whole, Teochew Traditional Opera exists on multiple levels: as theatrical art, as ritual practice, and as cultural memory. This convergence has allowed it to endure within the Chinese community in Vietnam, becoming an inseparable part of their spiritual and cultural life.
A Personal Encounter
During the Lantern Festival of 2025, I had the opportunity to attend a Teochew Opera performance at Nghia An Assembly Hall in District 5. Although I did not understand the Teochew language spoken on stage, I was immediately drawn in from the moment the opening drumbeats echoed through the hall.
The performers emerged in magnificent costumes, their meticulously painted faces each telling its own story.
I could not follow the dialogue, yet the dignified posture, sharp gazes, and symbolic gestures conveyed the emotional weight of every scene.
Most of the audience consisted of Teochew community members, watching attentively, sometimes nodding, sometimes smiling softly at moments of humor they clearly recognized. Around them were visitors like myself, driven by curiosity and a desire to explore an unfamiliar yet captivating art form.
I realized then that the language barrier had opened a different kind of experience. Freed from words, I found myself fully immersed in sound, color, and rhythm.
The drums, traditional instruments, and resonant singing in the Teochew dialect created a living artistic space, one that invited not just observation, but complete sensory engagement.
The experience left me with a feeling both unfamiliar and deeply resonant: unfamiliar in form and language, yet intimate through the sincerity, belief, and cultural devotion embedded in every performance.
Conclusion
Teochew Traditional Opera is not merely a performing art. It is a bridge between past and present, between the Chinese community and those who seek to understand its cultural depth. My experience at Nghia An Assembly Hall affirmed that even without understanding the words, one can still feel the vitality, solemnity, and beauty of this traditional art form.
To preserve Teochew Traditional Opera is to preserve a cultural memory, ensuring that future generations may continue to live within its colors, sounds, and enduring echoes.
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CREDIT:
- Photography: Luan Nguyen
- Content: Giang Huynh
- Design: Phuong Nguyen
