RED BOAT TROUPES AND CANTONESE ... - University of Georgia

Chapter Three
The Red Boat Society
The Red Boat Troupe was a highly organized society. Each full troupe had a staff of one
hundred forty to one hundred and sixty people. 52 Two red boats usually carried the entire troupe
and the crew members. A troupe that required only one red boat was called a half troupe. The
two red boats were separately called tin teng, sky boat, and dei tan, earth boat. For some larger
troupes, a third boat— the waa teng, picture boat— accommodated the large stock of properties,
costumes, and the scenery. Lau Wah Tong, a goe jan (a title for passing imperial examination on
the provincial level) and script- writer, was well known for his creative and careful designing of
red boats during the Qing dynasty. 53 He standardized and limited the number of ji ceong (boxes
for property and costumes storage) to sixteen. 54 Most red boats were leased. It is estimated that
the cost of leasing a pair of boats went from $400 late in the Qing dynasty to about $700
annually in the early years of the Republic. 55
Red boats were typically painted in red and white. A plaque was hung on the boat with
the name of troupe written in Chinese calligraphy. On each side of the boat, a piece of wood was
installed to stabilize the ropes for anchor. It was believed that these two pieces of wood
resembled the teeth of a dragon. Also, the stern of the boat was tilted slightly up, resembling the
tail of a phoenix. Hence, the term “dragon head phoenix tail” was used to refer to its beauty.
52 Wong, Toa. Hung sun time bai, 5.
53 Interview with Mr Yuen Siu Fai on Mar 3, 2008.
54 Hei sun dik yuen yung [The Use of Opera Boats] Wah Que Daily, April 21 1989, Hong Kong edition.
55 Wong, Toa, Hung sun time bai, 6.
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