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“Exile or Pursuit” Chinese Drama Performance 2021

Published Date: 17 May 2021 10:00 AM

News Press Releases

《放逐与追逐》华文戏剧演出

The Ministry of Education and the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) have jointly produced a Chinese drama performance in collaboration with local creative agency, InARTS Collective – the first collaboration of its kind. The performance titled “Exile or Pursuit” 《放逐与追逐》 is an adaptation of the Chinese literary work by Singapore’s award-winning novelist, Mr Chia Joo Ming1 (谢裕民). It aims to strengthen secondary school students’ interest in Chinese literature, broaden their perspectives towards socio-historical issues, and deepen their appreciation of Chinese literary works.

2. The official opening of the performance, which was pre-recorded, was officiated by Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the CPCLL, Ms Sun Xueling. To enable students to continue engaging in literary arts beyond the classroom, the pre-recorded performance will also be screened virtually on Zoom from 18 May to 21 May 2021. About 1,200 secondary school students have registered with their schools to view the performance on these dates. To enrich their viewing experience, these students will also have the opportunity to engage in an online post-performance dialogue with the author, Mr Chia, and creative director of InARTS Collective, Ms Jalyn Han (韩雪卿).

3. The “Exile or Pursuit” text has been part of the O-Level Literature in Chinese Syllabus (Revised) since 2019. The fictional novel tells the story of the coming-of-age of a young Singaporean, born in the 1970s. It focuses on the protagonist’s experiences through school, national service and adulthood, referencing various phases of educational, social and economic development in Singapore. For more information on the performance, please visit cpcll.sg.


Footnotes
  1. Mr Chia Joo Ming was awarded the S.E.A. Write Award for Singapore in 2017. Chia won the Singapore Literature Prize three times for his novels Reconstructing Nanyang Images (2005), m40 (2009) and his short story collection Air Mata Di Arafah (Tears in Arafah) in 2016, as well as a prize commendation for the Exile or Pursuit novel (2015). He is currently the senior executive sub-editor at Lianhe Zaobao.