The Teochew Store Blog / video

Exclusive interview|Ng Ziou-iang: Passing on the art of Teochew Paper-cutting with skilful hands and a dedicated heart.

Teochew paper-cutting is a form of Teochew traditional folk art. Its images of flowers, fruits, birds and animals, people, landscapes and Chinese written character outlines exhibit deep Teochew cultural characteristics. Ng Ziou-iang 黃朝陽, an inheritor of the Teochew paper-cutting art from Teo’an 潮安 (Chao’an), China, was invited to this year’s annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebration organised by the Teo Ann Huay Kuan 潮安會 in Singapore. He demonstrated his exquisite paper-cutting expertise and wowed the audience with his "speed cutting" and "blind cutting" skills. Ng Ziou-iang also held a paper-cutting experience class at the Teo Ann Huay Kuan, where he warmly shared the history, culture and techniques of Teochew paper-cutting with the attendees. 
How did Ng Ziou-iang begin his involvement with Teochew paper-cutting? What are the unique features of Teochew paper-cutting compared to the art from other areas of China? The Teochew Store recently contacted Ng Ziou-iang, and he told us the story behind his love for Teochew paper-cutting.
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专访|黄朝阳:巧手匠心剪出潮州风情

潮州剪纸是潮州传统民间艺术之一。它展示了花果、鸟兽、人物、风景和文字图案等,具有非常浓厚的潮州文化特色。今年中秋节期间,来自中国潮安的潮州剪纸传人黄朝阳先生出席了新加坡潮安会馆举行的“花好月圆 潮安共庆中秋”活动,为来宾们展示了其精湛的剪纸艺术。“速剪”、“盲剪”等娴熟的剪艺让现场观众叹为观止。此外,黄朝阳先生还在潮安会馆开设了剪纸体验班,将潮州剪纸的历史、文化和技术毫无保留地传授给海外的学员们。

黄朝阳先生是如何与潮州剪纸结缘?跟其他地方的剪纸相比,潮州剪纸有何特色?潮舗近期连线黄朝阳先生,请他讲讲他与潮州剪纸的故事。

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The Fairy Serpent - a Teochew folklore given new life

Folklores have always been important in helping to preserve and transmit the identity and values of cultures.

The Fairy Serpent is a Teochew variant of “Beauty and the Beast”. It tells about the life of a girl whose virtues not only saved her father from evil but also transformed the serpent she was forced to marry into a kind-hearted man.

Originally collected in Adele Fielde’s Chinese Nights’ Entertainment (download for free here), this ageless story has been beautifully retold in a book by Huang Lei, a Teochew illustrator from Singapore.

You may read The Fairy Serpent in English from this link.

Or watch it in Teochew (with English or Chinese subtitles):

English subtitles

带有中文字幕

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Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at the Singapore Teo Ann Huay Kuan 潮安會館

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations at the Singapore Teo Ann Huay Kuan 潮安會館. A night when families and traditions came alive for the young and the not-so-old ❤️❤️

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Memories of Old Swatow: Images from Catholic Mission (c.1910-1940s)

From the Terence Tan postcard collection.

More old postcards of early 20th century Teochew are available in Memories of Old Swatow 汕頭舊影.

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Homecoming 似水流年 – a Timeless Movie set in Teochew

Homecoming 似水流年 (“Years flowed by like water”) in Chinese, swept a total of six awards at the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1985, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Newcomer, Best Screenplay and Best Art Direction.

Stilll remembered as the best Hong Kong film produced in the 1980s, Homecoming was shot mainly in location in Tah-gang village of Gek-yor (揭陽塔崗乡) in Teochew.

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Tan Wanxuan:Documenting Images to showcase diverse Teochew cultures

In recent months, a series of short videos about overseas Teochews have gone viral on Douyin (TikTok), Facebook and other popular social media platforms, and captured the attention of Teochew communities in China and abroad. The videos originate from the official accounts of the Teochew cuisine documentary, “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas” (四海潮味, unofficial English translation). Featuring humorous and touching live stories of Teochew people living in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and France, the clips take on a refreshing perspective to present the blending of the Teochew identity with a diversity of local cultures.

Tan Wanxuan (陳婉璇), who hails from Teo-ann (潮安) district in Teochew, China, is the external liaison and producer of this documentary, as well as the director and editor of these short videos. Using Teochew food as a medium, “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas” describes the culture, customs and emotional longing for home of Teochew people from different corners of the world. How did Wanxuan become part of this documentary? What has she gained from her travels to these countries to interview and document about our Teochew cuisine and people? The Teochew Store was in touch with Wanxuan to learn about her story and “Flavours of Teochew from the Four Seas”.

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Denis Do: Creating a bridge for all Teochew communities in the world

The Forest of Miss Tang (陳小姐的森林) is a 40-minute Teochew language animation film produced in France. It tells the story of a Teochew family over six generations in Swatow, China, asking the question, to leave or to stay? The Forest of Miss Tang is the first Teochew language film to be produced in the West. It was broadcast on ARTE channel in Europe on 10 June 2023 and it has since been screened in a number of film festivals around the world.

The Teochew Store managed to speak with the film's director Denis Do, a Paris-born Teochew, to find out more about his feelings towards the Teochew identity and the creation of his film.

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专访|导演杜来顺:电影为桥,连接世界各地潮州人

《陳小姐的森林》是一部在法国制作的潮语动画电影,它讲述了从十九世纪至今,一个汕头家庭绵延六代人的故事。它抛出了一个问题:“在社会剧烈变迁的背景下,我们是离开还是继续留在自己的家乡?”这部时长40分钟的动画电影已于2023年6月10日在ARTE(德法公共电视台)首映,这是潮语电影首次登陆欧洲。也在全球多个电影节的银幕上亮相,在各国的潮州社群中收获了不少好评和讨论。

潮舗特别连线本片的导演杜来顺(Denis Do),一位法国巴黎出生并成长的潮州青年,聊聊他对潮州人身份认同的经过,并运用于电影创作的过程。

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来拚潮州话啦! The 4th annual "Teochew Language Challenge" is here!

Calling all Teochews in Singapore! The 4th annual "Teochew Language Challenge" (来拚潮州话啦!) jointly organised by Chui Huay Lim Club (醉花林俱乐部) and Singapore Teochew Heritage Society (潮州文史学会) is here.

 Are you keen to test how well you know the Teochew language and its written expressions? The preliminaries will be held on Zoom on 5th November 2023 and the final will be held at  Chui Huay Lim Club on 12th November 2023.


Register on WhatsApp at the number shown on the poster before 2 November 2023. Hurry! 

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The Teochew Store and Maha Yu Yi jointly hold "Fun with Teochew" interactive introductory language class

On 7 October 2023, The Teochew Store had the wonderful privilege of conducting "Fun with Teochew" interactive introductory language class at Singapore's leading Chinese language bookstore Maha Yu Yi.

Minying, who is the Teochew language reader for our Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions multimedia flashcards, led a group of children to learn  through games family address terms and emotion expressions in Teochew, as well as knowledge about Teochew and its culture. 

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潮舗与友谊书斋联合举办《潮州话,好好玩!》互动体验课活动

2023年10月7日,潮舗有幸在新加坡知名中文书店友谊书斋开办《潮州话,好好玩》互动体验课活动。《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》多媒体早教图卡的潮语配音员玟瑛在现场通过互动游戏,教小朋友一些简单的潮州家庭称呼和情感词汇,在学习中了解潮州的知识和文化。

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Why do Teochew numbers 1-10 sound similar to Cantonese, Japanese and even Thai?

Have you ever noticed that our Teochew numbers 1 to 10 sound different, but yet somewhat similar, to the numbers in Cantonese? 

What's the story behind? Let's find out!

 Number Teochew Cantonese Japanese Thai
1 一 zêg8 (ig4) yat1 ichi หนึ่ง nueng
2 二  no6 (ji6) yi6 ni สอง sawng
3 三 san1  saam1 san สาม saam
4 四 si3  sei3 shi (yon) สี่ see
5 五 ngou6 ng5 go ห้า hah
6 六 lag8  luk6 roku หก hoke
7 七 cig4 cat1 shichi (nana) เจ็ด jed
8 八 boih4 baat3 hachi แปด ppaed
9 九 gao2 gau2 kyuu เก้า gaao
10 十 zab8 sap6 juu สิบ sip

     

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    Teochew Short Film for the Hungry Ghost Festival 潮语中元节微电影: "The Overseas Sojourner"《番客》

    A Teochew language short film about a Teochew who left for Siam, returning home after many years.

    本作品围绕过番习俗,以艺术拍摄手法和原创动画制作形式表达潮州人在盛行出国谋生的“过番”年代,“番客”与家人之间的离别相思之情。

    Click on link below to watch. 请点击观赏:
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    Teochew Song: My Dearest Mother 潮州歌曲:親愛媽媽 (English translations to lyrics)

    Wishing all mothers Happy Mother's Day. 祝天下妈妈,母亲节快乐!
    Lyrics:

    记得细许滇时

    Remember the days when I was small

    山花开放香满天

    Mountain flowers in bloom and fragrance filled the air

    听着伊轻声教我念诗儿

    Hearing her soft voice teaching me to read poems

    慈母线 游子衣

    The compassionate mother’s threads sew the clothes on the wandering son

    丝丝暖意在身边

    Delicateness and warmth by my side

    倚着伊 满是温馨欢喜

    Leaning against her, it's full of warmth and happiness

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    Deng Cueng: Telling the Story of Teochew through Documentary & Old Photos

    Wild Teochew, the first ever nature-documentary on wildlife in the Teochew region was officially released in the Teochew language recently. Deng Cueng (丁銓), who hails from Teochew, China, is the documentary’s director, as well as the editor of the photographic collection Historical Photos of Teochew. The Teochew Store had the pleasure of interviewing Deng Cueng to learn about his enthusiasm in promoting the nature and culture of his homeplace and the gains he has received from it.

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    丁铨:用纪录片和老照片讲述潮州故事

    近期,首部讲述潮州野生世界的自然纪录片《野性潮州》潮语版正式上映。来自中国潮州的丁铨是这部纪录片的导演,也是影集《旧影潮州》的编著者。潮舖特别连线丁铨先生,请他与我们分享他在推广家乡自然及人文文化中的热忱和收获。

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    Recipe for making Soon Kueh using winter bamboo shoots

    Here is a recipe from Singapore for making Soon Kueh using winter bamboo shoots (dang soon 冬笋)

    Courtesy of Mr Tan Peng Boon.

    Follow The Teochew Store on Telegram/ 欢迎订阅潮舗的Telegram频道,获得最新资讯: https://t.me/theteochewstore

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    Wild Teochew 《野性潮州》 - now in Teochew-language commentary

    Wild Teochew 《野性潮州》 is the first video produced on the wildlife in the Teochew region. It is a collection of footage produced by a group of local nature lovers over the course of 3 years.

    This amazing documentary was nominated for the Best Production award (最佳作品) in the 3rd China Wildlife Image and Video Competition in 2022 (2022第三届野生生物影像年赛) hosted by Chinese National Geography and organized by DDFW and Chinese National Geography Book Company. 

    Wild Teochew can now be watched in Teochew-language commentary provided by its director Deng Cueng 丁铨 (author of Historical Photos of Teochew 旧影潮州), accompanied by Chinese and English language subtitles.

     

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    Recipe for making Ku Chai (chives) Kueh

    Here is a recipe from Singapore for making Ku Chai (chives) Kueh.

    Courtesy of Mr Tan Peng Boon.

    Follow The Teochew Store on Telegram/ 欢迎订阅潮铺的Telegram频道,获得最新资讯: https://t.me/theteochewstore

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    Recipe for making Ko-le (cabbage) Kueh

    Here is a recipe from Singapore for making Ko-le (Cabbage) Kueh. 

    Courtesy of Mr Tan Peng Boon.

    Follow The Teochew Store on Telegram/ 欢迎订阅潮铺的Telegram频道,获得最新资讯: https://t.me/theteochewstore

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    A Recipe for making Deluxe Png Kueh

    Here is a recipe from Singapore for making a deluxe version of our Teochew Png Kueh. Compared to png kueh commonly sold in the market, it uses quality and a generous amount of ingredients. Commentary in the video is in English.

    Courtesy of Mr Tan Peng Boon.

    Follow The Teochew Store on Telegram/ 欢迎订阅潮铺的Telegram频道,获得最新资讯: https://t.me/theteochewstore

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    Not Quite As Easy As ABC

    Finding the proper Teochew terms to help 3-year-olds pick up a basic vocabulary in the Teochew language is surely as easy as ABC.

    This was what we told ourselves when we set out to create Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions Multimedia Flashcards 精选一百二十潮语词语》- 多媒体早教图卡), a set of educational flashcards with animated videos developed specially for babies and toddlers to learn their mother tongue together with their parents. 

    Then, we came to the word "mother"... Read more about some of the challenging decisions we faced in conceptalising and designing The Teochew Store’s first in-house product, which we realised through the generous funding of more than 100 backers from 14 different countries on Kickstarter last year. 

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    Remembering the 1922 Swatow Typhoon 百年善纪——纪念潮汕八二风灾100周年

    Watch 《百年善纪——纪念潮汕八二风灾100周年》, a four-part documentary produced by Shantou Television to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1922 Swatow Typhoon. 

    Commentary in Mandarin, with interviews in Teochew and Chinese subtitles.

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    The First Nature Documentary of the Teochew Region

    The Teochew people are not the only ones who live in the Teochew region. Watch Wild Teochew 《野性潮州》, an extraordinary documentary on wildlife in Teochew's mountains, rivers, city, villages and sea that is directed by Deng Cueng 丁铨 (author of Historical Photos of Teochew 旧影潮州) and collects footages produced by a group of local nature lovers over the course of 3 years.

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    ON SALE NOW! 正式发售!

    Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions Multimedia Flashcards is on sale now!

    《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》- 多媒体早教图卡, 正式发售!

    To purchase your Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions Multimedia Flashcards, please click here.
    购买这套早教卡,请点击这里
    PRODUCT LAUNCH GIVEAWAY. We're are giving 1 free small tote bag (worth USD6) for every set of Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions purchased. Only while stocks last!
    凡订购一套《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》早教图卡,将获赠一个小号卡通帆布袋 (售价USD6)。限量赠送,送完为止。
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    Wa Si Teochew Kia - Your Rewards are Ready! 您的礼品已制作完毕!

    To our friends, especially our "Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions" Kickstarter campaign backers, our flashcards, t-shirts and tote bags are ready!

    亲爱的支持者们,“我是潮州囝”的早教卡图卡、T恤衫及手提袋等礼品已制作完毕!

     

    For backers with physical rewards, we will be in touch with you over the next few days concerning arrangements and payment for shipping.

    如果您是有实体礼品奖励的支持者,我们将在近期与您联系并确认相关的运费。

     

    Do also remember to confirm with us the name you wish to appear in our credits, if you have not done so, as we are applying the final touches to our videos.

    此外,我们正在对早教图卡的视频进行最后的修改和润色,如果您希望出现在我们的视频片尾的答谢名单中,但还未告知我们您的名字,请尽快与我们确认,谢谢!

     

    Our flashcards will also soon be on sale on The Teochew Store website. Do look out for them on this website

    “我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语”早教图卡即将在潮舗网站上市,请继续关注本网站。

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    Restoring Teochew to Our Families 助力潮州话在家中的复兴

    Parents, do you still remember the excitement of watching your newborn open his/her fingers for the first time? Or executing the first rollovers? Sitting up, standing, and walking?

    父母们,你是否还记得第一次看到您的宝宝打开小手时的喜悦?或是在看到他们第一次翻身、坐、站和走路的时候呢?

    All these “firsts” are swiftly achieved one after another. These are glorious days when new parents are still in a state of wonder, but the baby seems to know exactly what to do next as if he/she is pre-programmed. How many times are we led to believe our precious baby can master just about anything, and will one day become everything he/she is destined for?

    这些所有的“第一次”,伴随着宝宝的成长,一个又一个迅速地出现。我们父母还在感叹这些“里程碑”的时候,我们的宝宝好像被预设默认程序一样,似乎已经知道下一步该做什么。有多少次,我们被引导着相信,我们可爱的孩子们几乎可以做任何事情,有朝一日他们会实现他们命中注定的潜能。

    Then the child learns to talk...

    后来,我们的宝宝开始学说话。。。

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    Fun Fact behind Wa Si Teochew Kia Jingle 《我是潮州囝》有趣花絮

    "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Wa Si Teochew Kia".

    Do you know our Wa Si Teochew Kia jingle is sung by J.J., a 3-year-old Teochew boy from Singapore? J.J. also composed the tune as an English counting song for Mummy when she was out for dinner one night.

    All children have incredible learning potential.

    Wa Si Teochew Kia – My First 120 Teochew Expressions is a set of multimedia flashcards developed by The Teochew Store to help children under 3 learn to speak Teochew together with their parents.

    To learn about this project or contribute to our crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter,  please click here.

    “一,二,三,四,五,我是潮州囝”。

    你知道吗,我们项目《我是潮州囝》的小曲是由新加坡三岁潮州男孩J.J.演唱。J.J.在某个妈妈外出的晚上创作了这首曲。

    每个小孩都蕴藏着惊人的学习潜能。

    《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》由潮舗推出,是一套帮助父母与三岁以下幼儿一起学习潮州话的多媒体早教图卡。

    点击这里,了解这个项目并资助我们在Kickstarter发起的筹款活动。

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    Wa Si Teochew Kia – My First 120 Teochew Expressions: Kickstarter Campaign Update 5

    《我是潮州囝——精选一百二十潮语词语》早教图卡的筹款活动将在2022年8月15日结束,请大家继续支持我们实现目标,助力潮州话在家中的复兴! 请点击这里,了解这个项目。

    Our Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for Wa Si Teochew Kia—My First 120 Teochew Expressions multimedia flashcards runs till 15th August 2022. Continue to lend us your support today to reach our goal and fulfill our dream of Restoring Teochew to Our Families.  Please click here to learn more about our project.                         

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