Bringing Lim Bo Seng's Story to the Stage

A dramatisation of the war hero's life will be among the performances at Singapore's inaugural Chinese Opera Festival

- Chin Soo Fang

War hero Lim Bo Seng may be an unlikely inspiration for a Chinese opera performance. To opera artist Lin Jia, however, the Chinese resistance fighter during World War II is an apt subject, as Singapore is celebrating its diamond jubilee in 2025.

For months, the 46-year-old Singapore permanent resident from Shantou city in China researched the revered figure so he could write an original opera about Lim's patriotism and courage. Lin will play the war hero in the opera, titled Marshal Lim Bo Seng, which will be performed in Shanghainese by Tang Renaissance, Lin's opera troupe.

It is one of the highlights of the inaugural Chinese Opera Festival presented by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) and National Arts Council (NAC) from June 21 to July 26.

"Singapore students know him from their history lessons," said Lin, an opera teacher in local schools for over two decades. "Through him, they can learn about good values and, hopefully, the traditional art form of Chinese opera too."

He has added lots of action to the story to keep younger audiences engaged.

The festival will feature five local Chinese opera troupes, each representing a different dialect. The other four troupes are Chinese Opera Studio (Teochew), Chinese Opera Ensemble (Hainanese), OperaWorks (Singapore) (Cantonese) and Tian Yun Beijing Opera Society (Peking).