2021 PSPA Singers Once Upon a Time in Concubine Lane

The late 1880s tin rush turned Ipoh into a prosperous town.  The great fire in 1892 that damaged half of the town proved to be only a minor hiccup.  The British administration, town planners and local Hakka miners took the opportunity to rebuild the town following a grid planning system.  Lorong Panglima (popularly known as Concubine Lane) was established during that time.

Set in the 1910s, “Once Upon a Time in Concubine Lane” is a short fictitious story that revolves around a community living in Concubine Lane, and their fight against the opium trade and addiction. Local thugs are raking in a hefty profit from selling opium. Concubine Lane residents, mostly men, who are addicted to the substance often lose their jobs and end up in debts.

Residents in Concubine Lane are fed-up with the authorities lack of action to combat the addiction problems.  The Anti-Opium Society, comprising mostly of Concubine Lane residents, meets regularly at the Kong Kiu Bai Cafe to address the growing addiction problem. At one meeting some members of the society decide to take matters into their own hands with disastrous results.