Han Lao Da (), originally named Ann Jong Juan, is a Singaporean

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, as well as founder and principal of Han Language Centre. Han received the

Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award. Histor ...

for his contributions in the Singaporean drama scene, and is also recognised for his

xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It is typically performed as a dialogue between two performers, or rarely as a ...

contributions in Singapore.

Early life and education

Han was born in Singapore with his ancestral roots in

Wenchang Wenchang ( postal: Mencheong; ) is a county-level city in the northeast of Hainan province, China. Although called a "city", Wenchang refers to a large land area in Hainan - an area which was once a county. The urban center and the seat of govern ...

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, China.

Arts career

Han started composing xiangsheng plays since the 1970s, and he started studying the works of renowned xiangsheng artist

Ma Ji Ma Ji (; 2 August 1934 – 20 December 2006), born Ma Shuhuai (), was a Chinese xiangsheng comedian. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performers and was mentor to many younger performers. His disciples include ...

. Han's debut play was entitled ''The gift ticket''. The play was performed in Singapore and major towns and cities all over peninsula Malaysia. In 1984, Han got to befriend

, and in 1986, Han also befriended noted performers like Jiang Kun and Tang Jie Zhong. After making these acquaintances, Han began to absorb all the artistic knowledge he can from these noted xiangsheng performers so that he could bring the art of xiangsheng to Singapore, and promote the local xiangsheng culture. He worked hard with other xiangsheng enthusiasts, and produced many scripts for local performances. His works garnered many local awards and won many xiangsheng competitions. He also published three xiangsheng collections and critiques containing a total of 45 xiangsheng scripts. In 2000, his article introducing Singaporean xiangsheng was published in the column on xiangsheng history, published in the Chinese Xiangsheng Network. At the same time, Han is a noted playwright active in the Singaporean drama scene. He has written a total of nine full-length drama and many short plays.

Business career

In 1993, Han founded Han Language Centre.

Awards

* 1990: Cultural Medallion (Theatre), by the

National Arts Council Singapore The National Arts Council (NAC) is a statutory board established on 15 October 1991 to oversee the development of arts in Singapore. It is under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The NAC provides grants, scholarships ...

* 1994: National Book award, by the

Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...

* 1995: Broadcast award, by the

China Federation of Literary and Art Circles China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (''CFLAC'' ), established in July 1949, is a Chinese people's organization composed of nationwide associations of writers and artists. CFLAC is one of the founders of CPPCC ( Chinese People's Political Co ...

* 2017: Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Published works

* * * Singapore National Library (Call Number ''Chinese 792.2028 TT'') * * * * * * * * * *

Plays that have been performed but not published

Full-length drama

* The sisters Jin and Yin * The Door * The five Libra * The Soaring heights * The Teochew Kangaroo * Yelin School

Short plays

* What time is it? * Aliens * The Call * Face

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Lao Da 1947 births Living people Singaporean people of Chinese descent Hainanese people Singaporean theatre directors Singaporean dramatists and playwrights Xiangsheng Recipients of the Cultural Medallion