The Bygone Age Of Letter Writing In Old Singapore | A Frame In Time 2 | Full Episode

In Ong Kim Seng’s painting of the 'Night Calligrapher’, we see a man seated and at work in a long alleyway. A lone female customer waits patiently by his side. Letter writers played the important role of helping Singapore’s migrant forefathers write letters to their loved ones in their city of birth. They also doubled as calligraphers for Chinese New Year couplets and ancestral altars.
From this artwork, the story launches into the trade of letter writing. It brings us back to a time when the simple act of communicating to friends and family back in their home countries was no easy task. The narrative spurs an exploration into the past world of letters and airmails. What have we traded contemplative old-fashioned letter-writing for? Progress, convenience, or instant gratification?
WATCH MORE A Frame In Time: kzbin.info/aero/PLkMf14VQEvTY1cT43PwHVNuUxDpdyJ5iI
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About the show: Helmed by Singaporean filmmaker Kelvin Tong, the second season of A Frame In Time paints an intimate portrait of days gone by in Singapore focusing on post-independence events.
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[@karonng]

My heart melted watching this understated and all the more sweet love story. The production team did a great job in hooking the viewer with the romance interspersed with historical facts of Singapore, that on hindsight, enriched my understanding of my homeland.

[@VENUSFTW]

Underrated. One of the best films put out by CNA about Singapore's history

[@anna_wong]

Love this! Love the short drama like this showcasing the past history with a mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien!

[@shannontan92]

I first saw this on CNA and am glad i chanced up on this again on YT. To the team involved in the production, especially so the storyboarding of this episode, i can't tell you how impressed i am with the episode and storytelling. Pleased to say that Netflix has got nothing on us when it comes to telling our own stories! Well done team CNA!

[@weili3]

Both actors spoke very good Cantonese. Very good illustration of the past!

[@Waipaul]

This brought back so much memories of the olden days gone by, stories told of and by majies themselves as my grandfather once stayed in the Chinatown area. Love the fact that dialects are allowed in this production which we were deprived of for too many years. The Cantonese and Hokkien dialects made it all the more authentic. Even my sons appreciate watching this. Well done, CNA.

[@sgholidae]

I have just finished watching on TV and came to comment. This video deserves an award. So lovely and touching.

[@chroniclesofalazyriderbyde9504]

This is really one beautiful story. It reminds me of my late father brought me to Chinatown in the night to walk around for the first time when I was kid. The 1981 too.. so coincidentally. And I remember that the first street which I walked at Chinatown Street. And there was a letter writer who sitting down there that night writing lunar new year greetings. Seriously, unbelievable to be able to watch this on KZbin after so many years. 😊

[@anthtan]

It was amazing to watch Ong Kim Seng paint a masterpiece in this documentary. It would be great to interview and capture other artists in action too.

[@weemingneo5155]

Love the story. Reminds me of "In the Mood for Love". The use of the various dialects and other languages...👍 authentic!

[@sasasobot9803]

Love the human feel of the film, great mix of love story, documentary, history, education. Keep on doing the great work!

[@great5grace]

0:00 Premiere 7:29. Scene 2 of the love story drama 29:27 A touching romance scene of the love story. 44:34 A concluding scene from this heart warming love story.

[@A.K.Kulshreshth]

This is a wonderful combination of history, art and story...

[@tikauknow]

Majie love story is soo sweet!! luv luv luv. 💜💜💜

[@timothyt0102]

I had felt from the beginning the Majie had a love crush on the letter writer. Didn't understand why the letter writer was so hesitant. She was clearly hinting at something else...

[@tikauknow]

@@timothyt0102 I see.. for me, at first majie really want to learn how to write and want to more get educated and maybe just want someone to talk with and then love come, we never know about the future. :)

[@RambutanLaw]

The video is of good quality. However, I am a bit skeptical about this though. Ma jies aren't normal maids. A lady has to take a celibacy vow (by extension refraining themselves from romance) to become a ma jie. A break to the vow was treated as a betrayal to the ma jie communities. Of course, no vow can suppress anyone feelings. She feels what she feels. But considering that was a time where people treat such vow seriously, I am wondering how likely the ma jie put her in a situation that might lead her to break the vow.

[@timothyt0102]

@@RambutanLaw yeah. The fact she was considering leaving the life of the ma-jie during the last 2 segments mean she was being pushed by a situation or someone which details were left out. She eventually became a tour guide.

[@share_accidental]

sadly she couldn’t be with him anyway. majies can’t marry

[@novemberchild1]

sterling production by cast and crew, kudos

[@jaylook06]

well produced and touching story!

[@EuniceNg78]

I remember the letter writer and the shop with the uncle making the lion heads and da tou wa wa near Ang siang hill on my way home from school.. my primary school was further up the hill.. I was amazed how real the lion heads looked then.. the lion heads were laid out to dry outside the shop I recall a few letter writers in Chinatown. That was more than 30 years ago.

[@thuoo7804]

Back when knowing chinese/mother tongue. was still useful in singapore. Man like you only needed to be literate and get paid for writing a few characters on a piece of paper.

[@daniellian3690]

Time has change - nowadays u can be a millionaire by making silly videos online. Lol

[@thomascsc82]

Brovo to actor n actress. This is a great documentary.

[@clementihammock7572]

From a Vintage Night Calligrapher‘s Painting crossed depicting many household stories. Oh yes, watch, bicycle and sewing machine. Another was the Sammo Hung’s Movie 洪金宝 "八两金“，一个转，一个插头，两只脚。

[@PepperLim]

Wonderfully told!

[@18000rpm]

Loved it! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@sjv9147s]

Really enjoyed this.

[@tuapuikia]

I can speak Cantonese, Hokkien, and mandarin.

[@share_accidental]

was that a chindian family? that’s so cool!

[@great5grace]

1:48. How Ah Siew the majie (Life long maid known for their faithfulness) saved Tay (letter writer) from the gangsters.

[@scheherazade304]

In what dialect do they speak? I recognize the lady’s Cantonese.

[@johnsony6191]

both the man and the woman speaks Cantonese. By the way, your name seems to be Vietnamese, can you tell me that whether Vietnamese language similar to Cantonese?

[@share_accidental]

with the gangsters, they spoke hokkien as majority of chinese people here are hokkien. to each other, they spoke cantonese since it’s their shared dialect.

[@share_accidental]

spoiler alert it’s quite inspiring that the majie became a tour guide.

[@angelineyeong4441]

In the early days, those who helped with letter writing did not use ballpoint pen. They wrote letters using calligraphy brush.

[@share_accidental]

i guess because the beginning said it’s 1978. they switched to pens by then? idk

[@adichew]

That looked more like a fountain pen-which the majie looked close to ruining by driving it into the paper at that angle!

[@snacksized_biteme7473]

This is amazing. We need more quality programs like this!