Chinese remake of blockbuster 'Little Nyonya' captures attention of Singaporean audience

SINGAPORE -- The remake of the local blockbuster The Little Nyonya has captured the attention of the local audience.

Local media reported that the drama, which was recently shown on China's Central Television, has topped Chinese microblogging site Weibo's real-time search rankings.

The Little Nyonya was a hit in Singapore in 2008, while the new one, which is available in Singapore via the iQiyi streaming platform, also has players in the old version. Moreover, its screenwriter Hong Rongdi is also the screenwriter for the former one.

The show is co-presented by Beijing iQiyi Technology Co. Ltd., G.H.Y Culture & Media (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. and some other partners and co-starred by actors and actresses from China, Singapore and elsewhere.

Koh Chin Yee, Vice President of South Seas Society (Singapore) mentioned The Little Nyonya in a webinar on the exchanges between people in China and Singapore from the perspective of popular TV series on Monday evening. He noted that the Chinese migrating to the Southeast Asia as early as the 15th century is the first generation of Chinese migrants here. They are called Peranakan Chinese, and the female Peranakans are called Nyonya.

He went on to say that the story of The Little Nyonya is always soul-touching for the Singaporean audience, as it epitomizes the history of Chinese migrating to the Southeast Asia in a time span of several hundred years.

Vickie Chong, who was present at the startup ceremony of the show in October 2018 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, said she was amazed at the details of the real-life scenes set up for the show, such as the man-made sunlight and the moss on the wall, she recalled.

The new TV series also aroused the interest of Katie Zheng, founder of the Katia Verde Art Gallery in Singapore. Her gallery showcases various artefects featuring Nyonya culture, such as Nyonya oil paintings, Nyonya Kebayas and Sarongs, stylish handmade beaded shoes and other Peranakan crafts.

According to her, these items of intricate art possessing multicultural influences. are not only welcomed by the local Peranakan community, but are also loved by international tourists who show their passion for Southeast Asia heritages and arts.

The Little Nyonya 2020 which is featuring Peranakan culture will spark a new tourism boom and a new wave of cultural understanding, once the COVID-19 situation has improved worldwide, she added.