The actor depicted in this photograph is dressed as a ‘chou’ or clown, one of the four main roles enacted on the Chinese opera stage. The other roles include ‘sheng’ (the male), 'dan' (the female) and 'jing' (the painted face). The chou is easily identified by the white patch of paint around the actor’s eyes and nose, as shown here. While the chou usually provides comic relief in a performance, the comedian can also have a serious or malevolent part. Known by the Malay term ‘wayang’, which means ‘performance’, Chinese opera in Singapore can be traced back to the 19th century with the arrival of Chinese immigrants. Up until the 1930s, wayang was a popular performing art, both as a platform for religious worship and as a cheap form of entertainment.
