林鶴宜。〈步下戲臺的肉身神像：新加坡歌仔戲扮仙戲的「不完美複製」與靈媒的介入共演〉。《民俗曲藝》232 (2026.6): 107–59。
Lin Ho-yi. “Embodied Divine Images Stepping Off the Stage: ‘Imperfect Copying’ and the Co-Performance of Spirit Medium Intervention in Singaporean Gezaixi ‘Deity-Impersonation Plays’ (Banxianxi).” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 232 (2026.6): 107–59.
Abstract
「扮仙戲」是廟會演劇在「正戲」開始前祈福性質的儀式短劇，可以說是華人酬神演劇文化的固有內涵。1932年，歌仔戲自臺灣傳入新加坡，廣受歡迎。當其在廟會演出「街戲」時，「扮仙戲」受到和其他華族方言群在同一祭祀空間演出家鄉戲的影響，無可避免的因為「不完美複製」（imperfect copying）而發生「變異」（variation）。而在草根性和巫術化的信仰氛圍下，經過戲班和靈媒的介入操作，更形成從「無意」錯誤到「有意」調整的連續過程，造就了文化選擇（cultural selection）下的新內涵。
根據筆者田野觀察，新加坡歌仔戲扮仙戲的「變異」包括：劇目的變化、空間的移動，以及靈媒的介入共演。其中，尤其以淡濱尼「仙姑殿」「仙姑」介入共演的例子最值得一提。「仙姑」既是一位靈媒，更是歌仔戲「做活戲」的狂熱者和專家。她將自己扮飾為何仙姑造型，以「即興」的方式讓儀式和戲劇並存，完美結合。這種「以戲為祭，由祭入戲」的呈現，透過空間意義的轉變，賦予參與者「執法事者╱演員」，「信徒╱觀眾」的雙重身分。不僅創造性的豐富了酬神演劇的內涵，應證了人類學家們對「儀式」與「戲劇」相互涵蓋、意義流動的關係詮釋，也和新加坡華人移民過程所形構的民間信仰特質相互呼應。
“Deity-impersonation plays” (banxianxi) are short ritual
dramas that function as blessings, being performed before “the main play” (zhengxi)
during temple festivals. They can be regarded as an intrinsic part of the
Chinese ritual theater culture for deity worship. “Taiwanese folk opera” (gezaixi)
was introduced from Taiwan to Singapore in 1932, where it gained immense
popularity. When staged as “street opera” during temple festivals, its banxianxi
performances were inevitably influenced by other Chinese dialect groups
staging their own native operas within the same ritual space. As a result,
processes of “variation” emerged through “imperfect copying.” A grassroots and
shamanistic religious milieu, combined with the intervention and manipulation
of opera troupes and spirit mediums, gave rise to a continuous process ranging
from unintentional errors to intentional adjustments, ultimately generating new
meanings under the dynamics of cultural selection.
Based on the author’s field observations, variations of gezaixi
banxianxi in Singapore have undergone changes in repertoire, shifts in
performance space, and the participation of spirit mediums. The most noteworthy
example is the “Xiangu Dian” (Temple of the Immortal Lady) in Tampines, where
the “Immortal Lady” (Xiangu, also known as He Xiangu) herself takes part in the
performance. The Immortal Lady is both a spirit medium and an enthusiastic
expert in gezaixi “living plays” (zuohuoxi). By dressing up as He
Xiangu, she allows ritual and theater to coexist through an “improvisational”
approach, achieving a perfect fusion. This presentation of “theatrical
offerings as rituals, with rituals entering into the plays” transforms the
space and bestows upon the participants dual identities: as enforcers of the
ritual/actors and “believers/audience.” This not only enriches the meaning of
the deity worship performance but also affirms anthropological interpretations
of the interrelationship and fluidity of meaning between “ritual” and “drama.”
Furthermore, such performances resonate with the popular religion
characteristics shaped by the process of Chinese immigration to Singapore.
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