In 1928, China’s Liu Shuo Tian set sail from Swatow Harbour to Singapore. In 1998, his grandson Liu Xiaoyi began his journey towards Singapore from Swatow Airport. Their paths never crossed; Liu Shuo Tian was a muffled memory framed in a family photo, and Liu Xiaoyi but a name in the family almanac, the erosion of its imprint slow but sure. One story, two lives, 70 years apart; the uncanny overlap of their journeys down south, and how their fates seem to be inextricably entwined.
Inspired by real-life events, and spanning a century, Citizen X traces the great migration towards Nanyang from the 1920s, spanning tumultuous events in China’s history. These include the war with Japan, the Civil War, Cultural Revolution and the eventual economic reforms and opening up of the country. Follow the waves of change and its impact on this family rooted in nothing but flux, their fates and future determined by change and change alone.
Following successful collaborations on Citizen Pig in 2013 and Citizen Dog in 2018, Oliver Chong and Liu Xiaoyi embark on the long-awaited last instalment in their ‘Citizen’ trilogy.
More information here: www.esplanade.com/festivals-and-series/huayi-chinese-festival-of-arts/2021/citizen-x
