Puteri Hang Li Po

Posted on May 7, 2007

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1459-1477 was the Glorified years of Sultan Melaka (Kegemilangan Kesultanan Melaka), and thy majesty who rules then was Sultan Mansur Shah. Melaka was a famous and important port for all sea-merchants to stop by and trade due to it’s strategic location and the monsun wind factors. Then Emperor of China Ming Jing Zong (1,450 1,465 A.D.), seventh emperor of Ming Dynasty married off (gave away, if i may say) his daughter Princess Li Po to Sultan Mansur Shah as an diplomatic act of bridging closer the relationship of China and Melaka. Sultan Mansur Shah sent his trustee Tun Papateh Puteh with a group of 500 servants and troops to escort Princess Li Po from China to Melaka in 1458. The princess was crowned as Puteri Hang Li Po and was made as the 2nd wife of Sultan Mansur Shah.

This act of diplomatic action formed the ‘Peranakan’, which is also known as the Baba And Nyonya. People from China and Melaka married hence the Peranakan.

Each Dynasty the clothing fashion varies, so here are a few:

Sheng Yi

Sheng Yi

Ru Qun

Ru Qun(female)

One of the ethnic Traditional clothes

One of the ethnic Traditional clothes… it looks like the vietnamese outfit ‘audai’

Ming Dynasty Royalty

Qing Dynasty Royal Clothes

Black and White

Black and White Ru Qun

Drum Beating of Ming

Drum Beating of Qing… they look like eunuchs

Chinese Opera

Chinese Opera… make up so unbelievable thick

Ming Warriors

Ming Warriors outfit… bulky looking

THe Process

Sonija Kwok in HanFu… now ain’t she pretty in that outfit

I have to play Puteri Hang Li Po. Now tell me which outfit i should take?

The sketch is about Sultan Mahmud who is given the hand of marriage of Li Po from the King of China. However Li Po does not like the Sultan no matter how many advances the Sultan tries. Sultan Mahmud ordered Hang Tuah to persuade the princess to stay in Melaka; Hang Tuah tried but Li Po gave one condition: Hang Tuah must be her secret lover. As you know from history the loyalty of the people are very high towards their king, hence Hang Tuah didn’t agree to it. At the same time Sultan Mahmud was busying himself with the Prime Minister (Bendahara) talking about the flawless beauty of Puteri Gunung Ledang. Asking Hang Tuah to return Li Po to China and get ready to help him court PGL.

Whole sketch takes about 15minutes. Costumes, we are on our own! Everyone have to wear something traditional. By the way it is important because every year, the new batch of Malaysia have to perform something of Malaysia. Previously, the seniors showed the weddings of the 3 main races of Malaysia.

*did you realise the story of the history is wrong?*