River into Sea

Chinese Opera arrived in Singapore around the time early settlers came from 
different parts of southern China in the mid 19^th century. It was, for more than a 
century, one of the most important forms of entertainment for the Chinese and 
for the gods that they pray to.

In the 20^th century, the arrival of television and cinemas, rising operational costs 
and lower performance fees forced many troupes out of business while most of 
the surviving ones had to drastically reduce their number of performers from over 
a hundred to less than twenty.

Some troupes began to perform exclusively in theaters. They occasionally invited 
troupes from China for joint performances but they attracted an audience of people 
mostly in their forties to seventies.

In 1995, The Chinese Opera Institute was set up to revive the public’s interest 
in the art form. Since then, its mission has been to educate and train the younger 
generation to appreciate and perform the opera.