On hot and humid night in northern Thailand, a group of performers in colorful costumes, accompanied by crashing gongs and drum beats, draw crowds to a makeshift stage.
It’s a performance of Teochew Opera Luo Shen (The goddess of the Luohe River) staged by the professional troupe Qing Nang Yu Lou Chun, which has enjoyed over 80 years of history in Thailand.
Thanks to a vast number of Chinese immigrants who brought the Teochew dialect across Southeast Asia, Teochew Opera used to be a favorite form of entertainment in Thailand.
Xu Qing’an, 54, a veteran performer, has seen the troupe’s peak. “When I first came to Thailand in the 1990s, the troupe had over 100 actors with thousands of visitors every show.”
As one of the best-known Teochew Opera troupes in the Southeast Asian country, the troupe was once invited to perform for the Thai Royal family.
“But now, things are completely…
