Getai goes to Pulau Ubin

For the first time, an outdoor concert will be held on the island tonight to celebrate deity Tua Pek Kong's birthday
Sandra Leong, Straits Times 23 May 08;

THE Chinese Seventh Month festival may be a while away but if you are hankering for some getai action, hop on a bumboat to Pulau Ubin tonight.

Er, Pulau where?

Yes, the sleepy north-eastern island, well-known to Singaporean daytrippers for its nature trails and kampung-style seafood - is for the first time hosting a three-hour getai show at its town square in celebration of Chinese deity Tua Pek Kong's birthday.

The event's organisers, most of whom are committee members of Ubin's Tua Pek Kong temple, are offering free bumboat rides to entice mainlanders to make the crossing. The one-way fare from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pulau Ubin is usually $2.50.

The show, called A Night With Tua Pek Kong, is the culmination of week-long festivities that began on Sunday. Every year, the programme has included a nightly Teochew opera show.

One of the organisers, Mr Vincent Chew, 39, a long-time Ubin resident who runs the Chew Teck Seng provision shop, says the committee decided to buck tradition this year by introducing a getai show on the final night.

He jokes: 'When we have Teochew opera, only Pek Kong is watching. The getai will bring in more people, especially youngsters.'

Tua Pek Kong is the Taoist god of prosperity and his devotees pray to him for good luck.

Committee members raised about $12,000 from friends and supporters of the Tua Pek Kong temple to put on the show, which will be headlined by popular getai emcees: former jailbird Zhong Yaonan, more popularly known as Ah Nan; and Taiwanese compere Hsu Chiung-Fang.

Mr Chew is hoping about 500 people will turn up and has deployed some Ubin residents to help with crowd control. Restaurants around the getai stage will also stay open till late to cater to the crowd.

Says Ah Nan in Mandarin: 'I haven't thought of a programme yet because if I do, it won't be funny at all. But it will be like going back to the kampung.'