ChineseOpera
18 AUGUST 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A member of the Lehigh Leng Kaitoung Opera troupe applies his makeup before a performance at Chaomae Thapthim Shrine, a small Chinese shrine in a working class neighborhood of Bangkok. The performance was for Ghost Month. Chinese opera was once very popular in Thailand, where it is called “Ngiew.” It is usually performed in the Teochew language. Millions of Chinese emigrated to Thailand (then Siam) in the 18th and 19th centuries and brought their culture with them. Recently the popularity of ngiew has faded as people turn to performances of opera on DVD or movies. There are still as many 30 Chinese opera troupes left in Bangkok and its environs. They are especially busy during Chinese New Year and Chinese holiday when they travel from Chinese temple to Chinese temple performing on stages they put up in streets near the temple, sometimes sleeping on hammocks they sling under their stage. Most of the Chinese operas from Bangkok travel to Malaysia for Ghost Month, leaving just a few to perform in Bangkok. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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