Josephine Teo sings classic Cantonese song for resident during Jalan Besar GRC live show

Teo was very fluent in Cantonese.

Jason Fan | July 04, 2020, 09:56 PM

On July 4, 2020, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo took part in a live show conducted by Jalan Besar GRC, speaking fluently in a mix of English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Teo is the new anchor minister of Jalan Besar GRC, taking over former Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

Towards the end of the session, Teo, along with Senior Minister of State Heng Chee How, flexed their dialect skills in a rather unique way: by singing a classic Cantonese song, from start to finish.

Things have improved in Jalan Besar

During the live show, the host introduced an elderly Chinatown resident, who spoke mostly Cantonese, and her 35-year-old son.

The show, which lasted around 40 minutes, started with a discussion of the resident's early days living in Chinatown, and the struggles she faced over the years.

The resident, who have lived in Chinatown since 1972, recounted her early days in Singapore, sleeping on the floor in a small room with six other people.

She said that back then, "they were not humans, but sardines", referring to their cramped living conditions.

Throughout the show, Teo and Heng engaged with her, as she told them stories of improving conditions within the neighbourhood, and her joy when she finally moved into her own four-room HDB flat.

Teo very comfortable with Cantonese

They also spoke about the improvements made by the Jalan Besar team, in terms of active aging efforts, such as the Senior Citizen's Club, where members socialise together regularly.

In particular, Teo showed off her fluent dialect skills by conversing with the resident in Cantonese, even translating certain segments for the benefit of the host on multiple occasions.

Towards the end of the session, both Teo and Heng flexed their fluency in Cantonese by singing a classic Cantonese song 两忘烟水里, or Losing Ourselves in the Watery Mists.

The song is the theme song of a popular Hong Kong TVB drama which was first aired in 1982.

At the end of the song, Teo told the resident in cantonese that "this generation's happiness is only possible because of her generation's efforts," and dedicated the song to her.

You can see the full video here:

Image from Jalan Besar GRC