姓郭桥的大旗手 The Flag Bearer from Koay Jetty

 

“只是好玩罢了！”

我问他怎么想到参加槟城大旗鼓游行表演，他说，那时1980年代，没有什么娱乐，邻居在玩练习大旗，自己也就跟着玩。

反正有的是时间。

还有精力。

住在姓郭桥，家里养猪，放学回家就和小伙伴们跳进海里游泳。

“猪粪不就在水里？”我问。

他哈哈大笑，说：“管得了那么多啊！”

那么，练习大旗哪里好玩？最难的是什么？旗子很重吗？

“没有很重啦！”他摇摇头，自顾自地说：“就在街上玩啊。每年跟很会的人去走。”

边走边表演？

一年一度的槟城大旗鼓游行在2025年12月20日和27日分别在乔治市和北海举行，我参加的是乔治市的活动。

我想起那天傍晚6点跟着游行队伍从柑仔园布朗操场 (Padang Brown)，走了将近4.7公里，途经槟榔律（Jalan Penang）、车水路（Jalan Burma）、琼花路（Jalan Sri Bahari）、牛干冬（Lebuh Chulia）、椰角街（Pitt Street，现官方名称为Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling），莱特街（Lebuh Light），最终抵达旧关仔角（Padang Kota Lama）时，已经10点多了。

好奇又兴奋，完全忘了腿酸口渴肚子饿。

总共有42个大旗鼓和舞龙舞狮等队伍参加。很有缘的，我前前后后比较接近观看的是首次应邀参加的新加坡队伍，联合了17个组织，老、中、青、少，有男有女，80多人浩浩荡荡。

在广福宫（观音亭），狮子列队向庙里的观音菩萨行三鞠躬礼。槟州旅游及创意经济事务委员会主席黄汉伟先生小时候在“香港酒吧”前骑楼看游行，老店依旧。《南洋风华》书中，我研究的崔大地挥毫“仰生皮料行”匾额已经撤下，此地成了西方旅客出入的旅店。其中一位双臂布满纹身，来自德国的少女问我：“今天是什么日子？在庆祝什么啊？”

不像马来西亚新山柔佛古庙带有华族五帮融合意味的游神；也不同于新加坡面向推广观光的表演盛宴妆艺大游行，槟城的大旗鼓游行是个跨民族的技艺同乐会，除了华人节目，还有马来和印度族歌舞—庆祝什么？旁边的伦敦青年说：“是圣诞节吗？”

很荣幸参与莫家浩博士的学术团队，执行《新加坡与马来西亚的多元文化妆艺游行：初始.源流与遗产价值》（Multicultural Chingay in Singapore and Malaysia: Origins, Sources, and Heritage Value）的研究计划，为支持新马两国联合以“Chingay”的名义申遗略尽绵力。

用文图学的视角观察大旗鼓游行，首先吸引眼球的必然是大旗。将数米竹竿撑起的鲜艳大旗边走边抛往天空，然后因应风向快步用头或是用口顶住接着，这是依靠身体速度和平衡训练的技术传承。大旗并非传统的装饰或宗教载体，而是构成游行意义核心，将身体实践转译为公共可见的文化文本的视觉装置。

观众或随行随看；或定点观赏，和能否接住大旗一样，存在机会变数。于是每一次抛举都是立即的验证，无论种族性别，面对的是重复/复数地被看见。成功、失败，也都是暂时的，观众为成就鼓掌叫好；为失手加油打气，大旗鼓游行的集体“乐在其中”，令人欢心感动。

即使如今，姓郭桥拆除了，姓郭桥大旗手成了出租车司机。在机场下车前，他说：“明年还有大旗鼓游行，再来玩啊！我带你去吃大碗又便宜的海鲜！”

我这才正面看清他黝黑方正的脸，那曾经多少年为了迎接大旗朝向太阳的脸。

 

2026年1月17日,新加坡《联合早报》“上善若水”专栏

“Just for fun!”

When I asked how he came to take part in the Penang Big Flag and Drum Parade, he said that back in the 1980s there was hardly any entertainment. Neighbors were practicing big-flag routines, so he simply joined in.

After all, there was plenty of time.

And plenty of energy.

Living at Koay Jetty, his family raised pigs. After school, he and his friends would jump straight into the sea to swim.

“Aren’t there pig droppings in the water?” I asked.

He burst out laughing. “Who cares about that!”

So what was fun about practicing the big flag? What was the hardest part? Was the flag heavy?

“Not that heavy!” He shook his head and continued casually. “We just played with it in the streets. Every year we’d walk along with people who were really good at it.”

Walking and performing at the same time?

The annual Penang Big Flag and Drum Parade was held on December 20 and 27, 2025, in George Town and Butterworth respectively. I took part in the George Town event.

I recalled following the procession from Padang Brown at 6 p.m. that evening, walking nearly 4.7 kilometers. We passed Jalan Penang, Jalan Burma, Jalan Sri Bahari, Lebuh Chulia, Pitt Street (now officially Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling), and Lebuh Light. By the time we reached Padang Kota Lama, it was already past 10 p.m.

Curious and excited, I completely forgot about sore legs, thirst, or hunger.

A total of forty-two groups took part, including big flag and drum troupes as well as dragon and lion dance teams. By a fortunate coincidence, the group I watched most closely before and after was a Singapore team participating for the first time. It brought together seventeen organizations—elderly, middle-aged, youth, and children, men and women alike—more than eighty people marching in impressive formation.

At Guangfu Temple (the Guanyin Shrine), the lions lined up and bowed three times to the Bodhisattva Guanyin inside the temple. Mr. Wong Hon Wai, Chairman of the Penang State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee, recalled watching parades as a child under the five-foot way in front of the old “Hong Kong Bar.” The old shops were still there. In Nanyang Style and Splendor, I had studied Cui Dadi’s calligraphy for the plaque of “Yangsheng Leather Shop,” which has since been removed; the site has now become a hotel frequented by Western travelers. One young German girl, her arms covered in tattoos, asked me, “What day is it today? What are you celebrating?”

Unlike the Johor Bahru Ancient Temple procession, which emphasizes the integration of the five Chinese dialect groups, and unlike Singapore’s Chingay Parade, staged as a grand spectacle to promote tourism, the Penang Big Flag and Drum Parade is a cross-ethnic gathering of shared skills and joy. In addition to Chinese performances, there are also Malay and Indian songs and dances. Celebrating what? A young man from London standing nearby asked, “Is it Christmas?”

I felt honored to participate in Dr. Moh Kah Hoh’s academic research team, working on the project Multicultural Chingay in Singapore and Malaysia: Origins, Sources, and Heritage Value, contributing in a small way to the joint effort by Singapore and Malaysia to apply for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status under the name “Chingay.”

Viewed through the lens of Text and Image Studies, what first catches the eye in the Big Flag and Drum Parade is, of course, the big flag itself. A brightly colored flag mounted on a bamboo pole several meters long is tossed into the air while moving forward, then swiftly caught—using the head or even the mouth—depending on the direction of the wind. This is a form of embodied skill transmission that relies on speed and balance training. The big flag is not a traditional decorative or religious object; rather, it forms the core meaning of the parade—a visual device that translates bodily practice into a publicly visible cultural text.

Spectators may follow along as they watch, or stop at fixed points. Just like catching the flag, chance and uncertainty are always present. Every toss becomes an immediate test. Regardless of race or gender, participants face being seen again and again. Success and failure are both temporary: the audience applauds achievements and cheers on missteps. The collective “joy of participation” in the Big Flag and Drum Parade is deeply heartwarming.

Even today, Koay Jetty has been demolished, and the flag bearer from Koay Jetty has become a taxi driver. Before I got out of the car at the airport, he said, “There’ll be another Big Flag and Drum Parade next year—come again! I’ll take you to eat seafood that’s cheap and served in huge bowls!”

Only then did I clearly see his dark, square face—the face that, for so many years, had been lifted toward the sun to迎接 the flying flag.

January 17, 2026
“Shangshan Ruoshui” Column, Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore