[3 May 2006]
Launch of "Ritual is theatre, Theatre is ritual: Tang-Ki Chinese spirit medium worship"

First book published by the Wee Kim Wee Centre of the Singapore Management University introduces research by Dr Margaret Chan on the dying practice of spirit medium worship in Singapore.

Singapore , 3 May 2006 - The Wee Kim Wee Centre of the Singapore Management University launches its maiden publication, "Ritual is Theatre, Theatre is Ritual: Tang-ki Chinese Spirit Medium Worship" by Dr Margaret Chan. The publication represents the first serious research into a fascinating 5,000-year-old ritual theatre that is still actively performed in small pockets of Singapore, other parts of Southeast Asia and Taiwan.

Tang-ki worship, which commonly features dramatic acts of self-mortification and blood-letting, is an important ceremonial performance embraced by the Hokkien people who form the largest community of the Chinese diaspora. Yet, the practice has received scant scholarly attention as it is largely dismissed by the educated as a superstitious belief of the illiterates. The new 184-page book draws on Dr Chan's doctoral research carried out between 1998 and 2001, revealing aspects of tang-ki worship that hitherto have never been recorded in mainstream academic scholarship. Dr Chan's research uncovers the social dynamics of tang-ki worship as a form of communal theatre leading to a seminal hypothesis as to the religious nature of traditional Chinese theatre forms. She found that the very act of theatre or the taking of an image by an actor is employed as a transmogrifying ritual that enables the supernatural transformation of mere mortal into god. In the process, her book uncovers the colourful drama and the history of tang-ki worship, the costumes, make-up, and props used in performance, the religious signification of tang-ki rituals, the notion of tang-ki training and the performance scripts used by tang-kis .

With more organized religions like Christianity and Buddhism gaining popularity, religious Taoism and its offshoot tang-ki worship have quickly been rejected as superstitious practices. According to Singapore Census reports, there were more than 22% Taoists in Singapore in 1990, but this figure has dwindled to less than 9% in 2000. Less than 3% of Taoists are university-educated. Only about 4% of Taoists live in private homes while the rest are in the HDB heartlands. Despite the statistics, tang-ki worship remains very active on the ground and many of its followers are young. Many tang-ki worshippers are in the margins of our English-educated mainstream. As globalisation continues to bring about relentless change, this small community will feel increasingly left behind and disenfranchised. Knowledge of this ancient religious practice will soon be lost, especially so since tang-ki worship is not based on writing, but on knowledge passed from the older generations.

With her roots in Performance Studies (also known as Theatre Anthropology) which investigates a culture through the study of the performances of its people, Dr Chan found that tang-ki worship captures the imagination of its followers by employing ritual theatre that stages scenes from popular folk lore. The gods of tang-ki worship are characters from legend such as the cloud-soaring monkey god and the red-faced Guan Gong , god of war. Tang-ki ritual performances employ the appurtenances of theatre where mediums wear costumes, make-up and use props. When entranced, they adopt gestures and theatrical movements culturally appropriate to the possessing spirit. Often, rituals evolve through spontaneous theatrical improvisations, catering to the changing taste of the worshipping audience.

"Dr Chan's study greatly enhances our understanding of tang-ki worship, a communal practice the English-educated of Singapore are vaguely aware of but know little about. The Wee Kim Wee Centre of SMU is delighted to present this as our maiden publication in keeping with its mission to promote a deeper understanding of the impact of cultural diversity on the business environment among the man-on-the-street. After reading this book, I began to take a closer note of the fluttering flags along Singapore roads that lead to tang-ki celebrations," said Professor Pang Eng Fong, Interim Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Director, Wee Kim Wee Centre, Singapore Management University.

"The performance of a wild-eyed tang-ki , his body pierced by skewers and cut by swords, can only be described as sensational, and it is this melodrama that causes even the most open-minded of observers to dismiss tang-ki acts as theatrics. The notion of theatre has been diminished in the secular world where theatre is equated with entertainment by poor actors who have to win the approval of rich patrons. Theatre is equated with pretence and falsehood. But this attitude blinds us to the real: that theatre is older than language and it is the primal form of human expression where the body is employed to make and to share meaning. Tang-ki worship is a living palimpsest of the religious yearnings of a Chinese people. It is steeped in history but continues to grow and change in response to society," said Dr Margaret Chan.

Dr Margaret Chan was formerly Associate Director of Student Life at SMU where she is the de facto in-house Artistic Director of all arts and cultural performances by the students, staging and choreographing major university events such as convocation, the symbolic move to the new city campus and the official opening of the city campus. Dr Chan holds a PhD and an MA (Distinction) in Performance Studies (Theatre Anthropology). She has a Certificate of Teaching, Higher Education (Distinction) from the Royal Holloway, University of London. Her first degree was a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Singapore. She is currently an adjunct professor with the School of Economics & Social Sciences at SMU, teaching Post-Modern Theatre Studies and Creative Thinking.

About the Wee Kim Wee Centre

The mission of the Wee Kim Wee Centre at the Singapore Management University is to promote a deeper understanding of the impact of cultural diversity on the business environment. Originally established in November 2000 as a Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, the Centre was renamed in August 2002 to recognise the accomplishments and stature of the former President of Singapore, Dr Wee Kim Wee. Affectionately remembered as the "People's President", and highly regarded for his efforts in fostering good relations in the Asia-Pacific region as a diplomat in Malaysia, Japan and Korea, the late Dr Wee's spirit is upheld in the Centre's mission to promote international studies that contribute to a greater understanding of cultural diversity. The Centre's primary focus is on activities and programmes that have a clear cross-cultural and management dimension and that impact on the economic and social development of the region. Through the Wee Kim Wee Centre, SMU is establishing links and collaborative exchanges with other regional and international institutions. The Centre also engages SMU students, faculty and the community in wide-ranging dialogues on cross-cultural issues through research, publications, seminars, conferences and a distinguished lecture series. The Centre's Director is Professor Pang Eng Fong who is also Dean of SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business.