GOING TO NANYANG (Lai Fan)

TINGKAP PROJECTGOING TO NANYANG (Lai Fan) GOING TO NANYANG (Lai Fan) sung in Hainanese by Stefano Chen Mai Ying (real name Yan Yue Ying) is a local Hainanese singer-songwriter who used to be the lead musician of the Hainanese opera troupe. She became known to local radio listeners for frequently appearing on the radio interview program “Xiang Yin Archaeology” hosted by Chong Keat Aun (who won the Best New Director at the 2020 Golden Horse Awards and had been a host and program producer for the national radio station RTM for 12 years).Mai Ying gained even more fame for her Hainanese songwriting, making her well-known in the Hainanese-speaking world, including Hainan Island in China. Almost every Hainanese person knows Mai Ying because of her music. In 2009, Chong Keat Aun commissioned Mai Ying to write a documentary song called “*來番(Lai Fan) ” based on her ancestors’ historical experience of “going south to Nanyang,” recording the emotional journey of Hainanese pioneers who travelled to Southeast Asia at that time.Mai Ying’s father is from Wenchang, Hainan, but she had never heard her father talk about his experience of “Lai Fan” when she was young. She was also at a loss as to how to write about it. Fortunately, a phone call from a fan and friend she had met during a recent performance in Kelantan came to her aid.This Hainanese fan in her 70s, known as Sister Mo Li, shared with Mai Ying how her grandfather often talked about his experience of “Lai Fan,” saying that the sailboats used at that time were simple and couldn’t withstand strong winds and waves. It was a matter of life and death, and after landing, they worked hard to save enough money to return home and reunite with their loved ones. Often, in the middle of the night, they would cry alone on the deserted beach, and the sorrowful cries could even move mountains. After calming their homesickness, they would wait for their dreams to reunite with their families.“A journey to Nanyang starts, but only faith leads the way……”*note:“來番(Lai Fan)” or “過番(Guo Fan)” in Chinese refers to going abroad, it can also be specifically referred to as “migrating to Southeast Asia for work or business purposes”, particularly to Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia or Singapore to work or do business.——————————————————————《來番歌》月娘，月娘，圓又圓帆船飄揚，生死存亡隨天安掛念爹娘，掛念家鄉獨自流淚哭崩山望洋興歎，咬牙勤做工來番無驚死，驚死無來番吃得苦中苦，方為人上人悲歡離合放一旁想親人後等入夢勤勞操做，為見親人Translated Lyrics of “Lai Fan” ( Going to Nanyang)Moon Lady, Moon Lady, round and roundSailboats sway, life and death follow fate’s soundMissing my parents, missing my hometownAlone, tears flow, mourning mountains to the groundGazing at the vast sea, sighing with regretBiting my teeth, working hard without neglectNo fear of death in a foreign landDeathly fear without a trip to foreign sandEnduring the hardest of hardships,That’s how one becomes the bestSorrow and joy set asideDreaming of loved ones by my sideWorking hard to see them once againIn toil lies the path to kin. PrevPrevious“THE SWALLOW” NextFANGZHI MANGNext