“Our vision is to integrate cultural activities into tourism and promote culture through tourism,” Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said while announcing the festival. “By introducing the festival to international visitors, we are also bolstering the economy.”
The impressive range of music, dance and multi-arts stage performances, film shows, exhibitions, talks, meet-the-artists sessions and masterclasses is designed to offer something for individuals from different backgrounds, from the uninitiated to seasoned arts lovers. Here are seven of the greatly anticipated highlights that are not to be missed.
1. Opening programme: dance drama Five Stars Rising in the East
The festival will get under way with Beijing Dance Drama and Opera’s debut in Hong Kong of its acclaimed dance drama, Five Stars Rising in the East.
The production was inspired by the real-life discovery in 1995 of a beautifully preserved, colourful brocade armguard dating from the mid-to-late Eastern Han dynasty (25BC-220AD) to the Wei and Jin dynasties (2nd to 3rd centuries) at the ancient Niya ruins in Xinjiang.
It tells the story of a Han dynasty general and his interactions with the son of the leader of the Northern State and the daughter of the leader of the ancient Jingjue State, which initially are filled with animosity caused by their cultural differences, but later develop into a deep friendship.
The title of the show is based on the eight Chinese characters embroidered along two sides of the uncovered armguard, which literally mean: “Five stars rising in the East are auspicious signs for the Central Plain”.
The production presents a fusion of traditional aesthetics from the Han dynasty (206BC-A220AD) – one of the most prosperous and influential periods in ancient Chinese history – and contemporary elements. Do not be surprised to see tap dancing and contemporary dance in the mix as the show is meant to transcend time and space to deliver the message that all ethnic groups can exist in harmony.
The award-winning production, which features innovative choreography, distinctive characters, punchy plot lines and plenty of humour, has been performed nearly 100 times since it made its premiere in 2021.
“One audience member admitted to having watched the show more than 15 times, while discovering something new with each viewing,” says Dong Ning, deputy general manager of Beijing Performance and Arts Group, and producer of the production.
A photo exhibition, titled “Glowing Beauties – a Photo Exhibition on Ethnic Costumes”, will complement this opening programme with a journey of cultural discovery, centred around the unique brocade armguard, featuring images of the distinctive cultural practices, costumes and traditional ways of life of 56 ethnic groups in China.
2. Cyrano de Bergerac – a Cantonese Opera Interpretation
The Chinese Opera Festival – another flagship event organised by the LCSD that features an exceptional programme of various styles of Chinese opera – has been included as a core programme of the inaugural Chinese Culture Festival.
This year, audiences will have the rare opportunity to appreciate two regional opera genres that have seldom been performed in Hong Kong: North Road Bangzi opera and Liuzi opera. The former is one of the four Bangzi opera genres from Shanxi province in northern China, known for its passionate, bold tunes and energetic performances, while the latter, developed in eastern China’s Shandong province 600 years ago, is characterised by dynamic actions and dramatic facial expressions.
One of the highlights of the festival is the not-to-be-missed Cantonese opera version of the classic French play, Cyrano de Bergerac, about a talented nobleman and army cadet who is too self-conscious about his large nose to express his love for his beautiful and intellectual distant cousin, Roxane.
The reimagined show’s witty and poignant love story, written and directed by renowned Cantonese opera virtuoso Law Ka-ying, transports the audience to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Law and his wife, acclaimed television actress and performing artist Liza Wang, hope to show that Cantonese opera is a versatile art form capable of expressing ideas from different cultures and different times.
When the Chinese Culture Festival’s programme was announced, Law revealed that developing the innovative East-meets-West opera took him a decade. “I initially doubted the compatibility of a French play and Cantonese opera, but the outcome has truly surprised me,” he said.
3. City in focus – Shanghai
Each year, the festival will select a Chinese city to showcase its rich cultural heritage and allow people from all sides to exchange their own proud cultures, with Shanghai taking this year’s spotlight. Gifted maestros from the city will immerse us in their local culture through various artistic expressions.
Led by the renowned performer Chen Shaoyun, Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company will present a mesmerising performance of the Peking opera classic, The House of Wulong, about a Chinese historical figure, Song Jiang, who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song dynasty in the early 12th century.
The Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, founded in 1952 – the first Chinese orchestra with a modern, full-scale set-up in China – will enthral audiences with a selection of captivating performances in its “New Oriental Chinese Music Scene” concert, featuring music by a range of different composers including Tan Dun, all under the baton of the acclaimed conductor Tang Muhai. Over the years, the troupe has become known for its lyrical timbre, distinguished style and virtuosity.
4. Festival showcases local talent
In addition to the exceptional mainland Chinese troupes, the inaugural festival will showcase local talent who have made significant contributions to the promotion of Chinese culture. Some of these outstanding works are recognised by the China National Arts Fund.
The Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra will enchant audiences by performing a selection of classic Chinese musical compositions by Hong Kong composers and showcasing the unique artistic expressions of the city.
The Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble will perform “Voices of Hong Kong – Everlasting Cantonese Music” to demonstrate the synergy and enduring beauty of traditional and contemporary music in the city, while the Hong Kong Xiqu Troupe will present a new Cantonese opera production, Ma Xianglan, featuring different generations of Cantonese opera performers.
The festival will also feature a concert by the renowned Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, known for its virtuosity and passion for bringing traditional Chinese music to life, and the beloved Hong Kong Dance Company.
5. Best of China
Hong Kong’s Chinese Culture Festival brings together exceptional performers from various Chinese regions to highlight their artistry and promote the rich tapestry of the nation’s culture. Many of these acclaimed performers are recipients of the prestigious China Theatre Plum Blossom Award – the country’s highest theatrical accolade.
One notable Plum Blossom winner, Yang Xiayun – known for her stunning performances – will appear in two full productions of Wu opera, a regional operatic genre from eastern China’s Zhejiang province, alongside other members of the Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Centre.
She will play the title role in Mu Guiying, about a distinguished and feisty woman general during ancient China’s Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), known to be far ahead of her time. Yang’s extraordinary acrobatic stunts are sure to captivate audiences.
She will also appear in the grand production, Sun Wu Kong Thrice Beat the Bony Demon, while five excerpts, featuring traditional Wu opera singing and martial arts sequences, will be performed by a new generation of talent, together with Lou Sheng, another Plum Blossom winner.
Yang, a seasoned artist, is dedicated to passing on her cultural inheritance to help provide more opportunities for the industry’s young talent. The average age of the artists training and performing alongside her at the centre is only 27.
“It is essential that we pass down the art form through generations, and this can only be achieved by nurturing and involving young individuals,” she said.
6. Something for everyone
The Chinese Culture Festival’s programme also features an array of activities that aim to foster deeper appreciation of Chinese culture including thematic talks, exhibitions, meet-the-artists sessions and masterclasses.
With a focus on students, the festival has curated two special initiatives: “Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series” and “Chinese Opera En Route to Campus”. These programmes are designed to provide youngsters with unique opportunities to explore and embrace Chinese culture. Students can attend open rehearsals and special performances to help them gain insights and an exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse of how the industry works.
For families, the internationally acclaimed China National Acrobatic Troupe will perform “Me and My Youth”, the opening programme of the International Arts Carnival 2024, featuring endless somersaults, trick cycling, pole swaying and plate spinning, which is guaranteed to dazzle audiences of all ages.
LCSD will also host the free “Encountering Chinese Culture” Carnival at Sha Tin Town Hall and New Town Plaza on June 9, which will include stage performances with Chinese cultural characteristics, “Library-on-Wheels”, inspiring cultural booths and a foyer concert featuring Chinese music.
7. Multimedia display of Chinese culture
Two beloved 1950s films based on Cantonese opera classics, The Legend of Purple Hairpin and Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom, written by master playwright and librettist Tong Tik-sang, will be featured during the Chinese Culture Festival.
Tong penned a series of four Cantonese operas, The Legend of Purple Hairpin, Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom, The Reincarnation of Lady Plum Blossom, and Princess Chang Ping, known as the “Dynastic Tetralogy”, for the Sin Fung Ming Opera Troupe in the 1950s.
This series of masterworks provided materials for the public to reinforce their sense of identification with traditional Chinese culture while criticising the ills of autocratic monarchy.
The two films selected for screening, Hairpin and Butterfly, were adapted into screenplays by Tong himself and released in 1959. The black-and-white films, both directed by 1930s-to-1970s filmmaker Lee Tit, offer audiences the chance to enjoy a cinematic presentation of these timeless love stories.
The festival is also presenting a series of Chinese opera films that have drawn inspiration from Western films or classic stories, at the Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum. These adaptations provide a unique audiovisual experience, where Chinese culture blends with the world of cinema.
At the cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive, films on the Shanghai-style and Qi school of Peking opera, which will be the focus of the film shows, and those about the Monkey King, Bony Demon and Mu Guiying, will also be featured.