On 14 July 2024, the children's stage play titled "The Odyssey of the Elements" (《元素漂流记》), performed by students from Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology in Taiwan, arrived in Singapore. (Photo by Lee Foo Mun)
The play began with the rising of the curtain and playing of soft music. In a distant Water Kingdom, a war forced the Water Drop Mother to flee with her water-element daughter. Uncertain of where to go, a gust of wind brought them to Windy, the wind element. Windy guided them to the warm Fire Kingdom, where they found refuge.
But we all know that water and fire are naturally incompatible, so how are they going to coexist peacefully?
The water elements struggle to survive in such an extreme environment, raising awareness about the challenges faced by refugees and inspiring the audience to care about their situation. (Photo by Lee Foo Mun)
Encouraging a little more care for the vulnerable
On 14 July 2024, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology’s theater team performed “The Odyssey of the Elements” in Singapore. The students creatively drew on current issues such as war, climate change, and refugee children, ingeniously incorporating these themes into the plot. The students' meticulous design, dressing up as the elves of earth, water, wind, and fire, complemented the inspiring performances and songs beautifully.
The children’s play performance at the Jing Si Hall attracted 350 parents and children and nearly 900 online viewers.
In the play, after the water elements arrived in the Fire Kingdom, they met the children of the fire elements for the first time. As water and fire are naturally incompatible, the fire children were initially hostile toward the water elements and refused to take them in. Fortunately, the Fire Mother was considerate and sympathetic to the plight of the water element family. Not only did she allow them to stay, but she also introduced them to work in a tailoring factory.
Upon arriving in the fire kingdom, the water elements were forced to become refugees. Due to the inherent incompatibility between water and fire, there was constant friction and conflict between them. (Photo by Lee Foo Mun)
After some time, Windy met the water element children by chance and discovered that they were working as illegal child labourers to make a living. They were forced to work thirteen hours every day with only fifteen minutes of rest. Although the water element children expressed a desire to attend school, they had to continue working to support themselves.
Meanwhile, the fortunate fire element children were able to attend school happily every day. At school, their teacher taught them "Tzu Chi Kung Fu," which inspired Fire Brother to help the water element children overcome their life challenges. His goal was to ensure that they too could attend school without worrying about their living expenses.
With the lyrics, "I can't be left out when doing good things, and I can't be one of them when doing bad things," the fire element characters stepped off the stage with a bamboo bank to collect donations from the audience. Many parents gave money to their children, who excitedly ran from their seats to the fire element brothers and sisters holding bamboo banks. They eagerly contributed, hoping to help the water elements overcome their predicament.
The children excitedly ran towards the fire element brothers and sisters, casting their love, hoping to help the water elements to solve their predicament. (Photo by Tew Yu Rui)
The show captured the hearts of parents and children
In addition to addressing the challenges of integrating people from different backgrounds, "The Odyssey of the Elements" emphasised the importance of understanding, tolerance, and collaboration. It encourages everyone to show greater care and support for vulnerable groups.
Sitting in the third row from the back, five-year-old Teo Xinying was deeply engrossed in the show. She stood throughout, occasionally picking up her father's mobile phone to record the performance. Next to her were her father, Teo Wee Yong; her mother, Ong Soh Firn; and her seven-year-old sister, Teo Xinyan.
When asked what the Teo sisters would do to save the Earth, they spoke in their innocent childish voices about the lessons they had learned in school: "Don't litter, don't cut down trees, be more environmentally friendly, and save the animals."
Teo Xinying's father, Teo Wee Yong, shared that living in multicultural Singapore means everyone has their unique personalities, habits, and beliefs. Therefore, it is essential to respect, understand, and tolerate different cultural customs, and live in harmony to foster a peaceful society.
Teo Wee Yong said, "Although everyone's power is limited, the intention to do good and help others remains selfless. Assisting those in difficult situations to live peacefully aligns with the lyrics in the play: Small drops of water keep life going... Go away selfishness, care is most real."
Five-year-old girl Teo Xinying (third from right) standing throughout the show. Sitting next to her are her father Teo Wee Yong (second from right) and mother Ong Soh Firn (first from right). (Photo by Tew Yu Rui)
Before the performance began, audience member Lim Zhen Long and his daughter arrived with great enthusiasm and emptied their bamboo bank into the large bamboo bank. Last year, Lim Zhen Long watched the play titled "Elves Save Life" with his child and found it very educational. Today, his family, spanning three generations, came to watch "The Odyssey of the Elements" again.
Lim Zhen Long hopes to nurture kindness in his child through watching children's stage plays. He lamented that living in Singapore, a blessed land, makes it difficult to understand the hardships of refugees. He feels fortunate and believes that depositing small amounts of money into the bamboo bank daily, though it may seem like a small effort, it can eventually form a sea of love over time.
Before the performance, Lim Zhen Long and his daughter donated to the large bamboo bank. (Photo by Tew Yu Rui)
Students from the previous Parent-Child Bonding Class used recycled materials and their creative drawing talents to make cute little notebooks. At the end of the performance, the children presented these homemade gifts to the performance team.
(Photo by Tew Yu Rui)
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