Han Lao Da is a Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

an playwright, as well as founder and principal of Han Language Centre. Han received the Cultural Medallion

Cultural Medallion

The Cultural Medallion is a Singapore cultural award conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film....

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

Xiangsheng

Xiangsheng , sometimes translated as crosstalk, is a traditional Chinese comedic performance in the form of a dialogue between two performers, or, much less often, a solo monologue or, even less frequently, a multi-player talk show. The language, rich in puns and allusions, is delivered in a rapid,...

 contributions in Singapore.

Life

Although Han was born in Singapore, his forefathers were from Wen Chang province in Hainan

Hainan

Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

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

Ma Ji

Ma Ji , born Ma Shuhuai , was a xiangsheng performer in China. He was one of his generation's most popular and influential xiangsheng performer and was mentor to many later xiangsheng performers.- Biography :...

 . 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 Ma Ji, 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.

Awards

• 1990: Cultural Medallion (Theatre), by the National Arts Council Singapore
  National Arts Council Singapore
  The National Arts Council of Singapore was established in September 1991 "to nurture the arts and make it an integral part of life in Singapore.-History :...
  
  .
• 1994: National Book award, by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations.
• 1995: Broadcast award, by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Published works

Singapore National Library

National Library, Singapore

The National Library in Singapore is located on an 11,304-square metre site between Bugis Junction and the Bras Basah Complex at 100, Victoria Street...

(Call Number Chinese 792.2028 TT)

Full-length drama

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