Poetic Record of Local Customs: Bamboo Branch Verses of Singapore (1888–1941)

During the colonial period, Chinese poets in Singapore frequently adopted the short poetic genre called “Bamboo Branch Verse” to depict local customs, cultures, and their diasporic experiences. This genre has a folksong origin, and is traditionally used by literati writers to describe local folkways and secular love in exotic places. Li Qingnian’s Nanyang zhuzhici huibian shows that no fewer than 4,197 pieces were published in Malaya and Singapore from 1888 to 1950. Based on Li’s compilation yet adopting a more critical approach in handling his source materials, this article studies the content and generic style of Singapore’s zhuzhici and its relation to local society, from 1888, the year the first set of zhuzhici poems was published, to 1941, before Singapore was occupied by the Japanese army. It first reviews the tradition of zhuzhici writing and attempt to clarify its generic distinctiveness, so as to link the zhuzhici in Singapore with its origin and to point out what is new and unchanged. Second, it examines how writers used the miniature form of zhuzhici for social criticism and to respond to the colorful, complex Nanyang cultures. Finally, it focuses on Khoo Seok Wan’s poems to explicate the relationship between zhuzhici and print culture, his attitude toward local customs, and how he applied local languages, cyclic form, and explanatory notes in the genre.