Music: Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra concludes Taiwan tour with resounding success

The Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) has returned from a highly successful concert tour in Taiwan, marking an inspiring week of musical exchange from 9 to 17 December 2025. Performing to nearly 2,000 audience members across Taoyuan, Taipei and Hsinchu, the youth orchestra presented three collaborative concerts that celebrated cultural dialogue through Chinese orchestral music. Under the direction of Music Director Quek Ling Kiong, … Continue reading Music: Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra concludes Taiwan tour with resounding success

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’

When audiences first encountered Retina Manoeuvre in its early work-in-progress, few could have guessed that the performance would later tour Europe, gathering deeply personal responses from audiences who recognised themselves, despite having no connection to Taiwan at all. The project began far from the solo, autobiographical form it eventually took. Taiwanese artist and creator Ping-Hsiang Wang recalls that the original proposal involved three performers and … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’

SGIFF 2025: An Interview with Girl 女孩 director Shu Qi, and stars Bai Xiao-Ying and 9m88

When Girl opened the 2025 Singapore International Film Festival at Marina Bay Sands, the theatre was filled to its edges, with filmmakers, industry regulars, influencers, and longtime fans gathered to witness one of Asia’s most beloved stars step into a bold new role. For Shu Qi, who has spent decades defining onscreen charisma, the packed house represented both the reputation she’d built up over the … Continue reading SGIFF 2025: An Interview with Girl 女孩 director Shu Qi, and stars Bai Xiao-Ying and 9m88

★★★★☆ Film Review: Girl 女孩 dir. Shu Qi

Shu Qi’s directorial debut is deeply personal, and teases out the pain and potential of girlhood in ’80s Taiwan. Adolescence is rarely tidy. It’s unruly, bewildering, and often defined by the kind of pain we only learn how to name years later. In Girl, her semi-autobiographical directorial debut, Taiwanese star Shu Qi turns that ache into cinema. Known primarily for her collaborations with Hou Hsiao-hsien … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Film Review: Girl 女孩 dir. Shu Qi

★★★★★ Theatre Review: Final Bow《散戏》by Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group

Heartfelt, hilarious, and profoundly moving, Final Bow is a theatrical triumph that captures the bittersweet beauty of an art form standing at the end of an era and the edge of change. What makes theatre so precious is its transience. Each performance exists only in that instant, where there are no two ever alike, no recording ever truly able to capture the electricity of being … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Final Bow《散戏》by Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group

★★★★☆ Review: Human Condition VIII by Greenray Theatre Company

Hearty family comedy-drama that strikes a chord with retirees and its discussion of existential issues. Taiwan’s Greenray Theatre Company presents Human Condition VIII as part of the Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, and delivers a heartwarming, humorous, and at times bittersweet glimpse into the often-overlooked struggles of retirees. Written and directed by award-winning Taiwanese artist Wu Nien-Jen, this Singapore premiere brings the latest … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Human Condition VIII by Greenray Theatre Company

Huayi 2025: An Interview with playwright Katherine Hui-ling Chou and director Lee Yi Hsiu on Siong Leng Musical Association’s ‘The Heart of Jun – Memoirs of Zhaojun’

Renowned through Chinese history as one of the legendary Four Beauties of China, Wang Zhaojun’s importance went far beyond her looks, with diplomatic importance in her marriage that helped establish friendly ties with the Han dynasty. And while she may have long departed from this world, echoes of her existence continue to exist in our modern day, one which Nanyin music specialists Siong Leng Musical … Continue reading Huayi 2025: An Interview with playwright Katherine Hui-ling Chou and director Lee Yi Hsiu on Siong Leng Musical Association’s ‘The Heart of Jun – Memoirs of Zhaojun’

Huayi 2025: An Interview with award-winning writer-director Wu Nien-jen on the power of theatre in ‘Human Condition VIII’

Building a loyal following and domestic audience in Taiwan for over twenty years, Taiwanese artist Wu Nien-jen is finally bringing his beloved Human Condition theatre series to Singapore for the first time. Enjoyed by over half a million Taiwanese theatregoers since its inception in 2000, this year, the Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts will be bringing its latest iteration to the Esplanade Theatre, … Continue reading Huayi 2025: An Interview with award-winning writer-director Wu Nien-jen on the power of theatre in ‘Human Condition VIII’

An Interview with writer/director Nelson Chia, and actors Mia Chee and Howie Chu Po-Cheng, on Nine Years Theatre cross-country collaboration ‘Immortal Variables’

In a post-pandemic world slowly but surely finding its way back to the norm, international theatre collaborations are still a rarity, with the strong relationships and high costs that go into such productions. For local theatre company Nine Years Theatre (NYT) however, they’re leading the charge with their upcoming collaborative work – Immortal Variables, an original play co-produced with Hsing Legend Youth Theatre, the youth … Continue reading An Interview with writer/director Nelson Chia, and actors Mia Chee and Howie Chu Po-Cheng, on Nine Years Theatre cross-country collaboration ‘Immortal Variables’

Art What!: Christie’s Announces Global Sustainability Initiative

Japanese Garden 3, 2019 Sold for $4,928,500 to Benefit Global Wildlife Conservation Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, New York, 15 May 2019 © Jonas Wood LONDON – Christie’s confirmed its commitment to more sustainable operations, pledging to be net zero by 2030. The company is committing to a 50% reduction in its carbon emissions, achieving 90% diversion from landfill for its waste and providing … Continue reading Art What!: Christie’s Announces Global Sustainability Initiative