Chinese Culture Festival 2025 to hold free Chinese opera talks and exhibition
To promote the culture and artistic features of Chinese opera among members of the public, the Chinese Opera Festival (COF), as a core part of the Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2025, will organise a number of free talks, masterclasses and an exhibition from May to August to introduce various theatrical genres, performance styles, repertoire appreciation and more from various perspectives.
Talks on the Three Kingdoms Opera
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Veteran Cantonese opera performing artist Yuen Siu-fai will host four talks to discuss the classic plays from the "Three Kingdoms" story that will be staged in this year's COF from the perspectives of character portrayal, the art of adaptation, strategic plots in the storylines and genre variations.
Topic: Character Portrayal in Staging "Three Kingdoms" Stories: Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wei
Date: May 17 (Saturday)
Topic: On the Adaptation of Stories from the "Three Kingdoms" for the Stage - With Examples from Excerpts and Full-length Plays
Date: May 24 (Saturday)
Topic: On the Strategic Plots: "Invoking the East Wind" and "Returning to Jingzhou"
Date: May 31 (Saturday)
Topic: Stories from the "Three Kingdoms": From History and Literature to Traditional Theatre
Date: June 7 (Saturday)
Talks on the Art of Kunqu Opera
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This year's COF features three Kunqu opera performances. Three talks will be given by seasoned Kunqu art researcher Cheung Lai-chun, who will guide audiences through the culture and stories behind the plays as well as their exquisite stage interpretations.
Topic: Appreciation of "Fifteen Strings of Cash"
Date: May 18 (Sunday)
Topic: Appreciation of "Kneeling by the Pond" from "The Lioness Roars" and "Rendezvous at the Pavilion" from "Red Pear Blossom"
Date: May 25 (Sunday)
Topic: Appreciation of "Entrusting His Son" from "The Beauty Washing Silk by the River" and "Cancelling the Birthday Celebrations" from "The Pavilion of Chanting in the Wind"
Date: June 1 (Sunday)
Talks on the Culture of Chinese Opera
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This year's COF features regional operatic genres that are rarely seen by Hong Kong audiences - Yuediao opera of Henan and Qinqiang opera of Shaanxi, along with selected Chinese operas based on the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Scholar of Chinese opera Lum Man-yee will deliver two talks, covering the evolution of "Three Kingdom" operas and the characteristics of female performers playing "xusheng" (bearded male) role in Yuediao and Qinqiang traditions respectively.
Topic: Staging "Three Kingdoms" stories: from Southern Operas of the Song and Yuan Periods to Regional Operas of Today
Date: June 8 (Sunday)
Topic: Heroine Women Playing Middle-aged Men: the "Bearded Male" Cross-dressing Roles in Yuediao Opera of Henan and Qinqiang Opera of Shaanxi
Date: June 15 (Sunday)
The Talks on "Three Kingdoms" Opera, Talks on the Art of Kunqu Opera and Talks on the Culture of Chinese Opera will be conducted in Cantonese and will be held at 2.30pm at AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Admission is free, and online registration is required (www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1839.html#tab_13_0). Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Masterclasses and Demonstration Talk of Kunqu Opera
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Main cast members of the Zhejiang Jingkun Art Center (Kun Opera Troupe) will host masterclasses and a demonstration talk delving into the techniques of sheng (male) and dan (female) role performances as well as the art of music and singing of Kunqu opera respectively.
Masterclasses of Kunqu Opera:
Venue: AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Moderator: Chan Chun-miu
Topic: The Crafting of Dan (Female) Roles in Kunqu
Date and time: August 14 (Thursday), 2pm
Master: Hu Ping
Topic: The Crafting of Sheng (Male) Roles in Kunqu
Date and time: August 14 (Thursday), 4pm
Master: Zeng Jie
Demonstration Talk of Kunqu Opera:
Venue: Theatre, Block I, Jao Tsung-I Academy
Moderator: Cheung Lai-chun
Topic: Kunqu Classics as a Living Tradition
Date and time: August 18 (Monday), 5pm
Speakers: Wu Xinyi, Wang Hengtao
Masterclasses and Demonstration Talk of Kunqu Opera will be conducted in Putonghua. Admission is free, and online registration is required (www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1839.html#tab_13_0). Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Exhibition
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A "Three Kingdoms in Chinese Opera" Exhibition will be held at Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Yuen Long Theatre from May to August. The exhibition will illuminate the make-up, costumes and stage artistry of key characters in Chinese opera "Three Kingdoms" repertoires, showcasing the arts across opera genres. Admission is free.
Period: May 27 (Tuesday) to June 7 (Saturday)
Venue: Foyer Exhibition Area, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Period: July 16 (Wednesday) to August 1 (Friday)
Venue: Exhibition Corner, Yuen Long Theatre
In addition to the above-mentioned talks, masterclasses and exhibition, extended activities including meet-the-artists sessions, a backstage tour and a demonstration performance of Peking opera will be held during the CCF period to promote the artistry and culture of Chinese traditional opera. For more information about the events, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1839.html.
The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public's national identity and cultural confidence. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from both the Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2025 will be held from June to September. Through different performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, including selected programmes of the COF, "Tan Dun WE-Festival", film screenings, exhibitions, as well as community and school activitiesand more, the festival provides members of the public and visitors with more opportunities to enjoy distinctive programmes that showcase fine traditional Chinese culture, thereby facilitating patriotic education and contributing to the inheritance, transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture in Hong Kong. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2025, please visit www.ccf.gov.hk.
