Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Chinese Opera Festival (COF) 2023 opens today (June 16) at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. After a three-year hiatus, this year’s COF will bring together nine quality operatic programmes from June to October to showcase the splendour of Chinese operatic arts in the city.
 
     The opening programme of COF 2023 consists of performances by the Peking Opera Theatre of Beijing, highlighting the artistic legacy of Peking opera master Zhang Junqiu who was famed for his “qingyi” (virtuous female) roles and lauded as one of the four best performers of “dan” (female) roles. The first performance of tonight’s opening programme is the classic play, “Top Scholar as Matchmaker”, which premiered in 1960 and is celebrated as one of Zhang’s iconic works. This time, his disciple Wang Rongrong, currently the leading exponent of the Zhang style and a winner of the China Theatre Plum Blossom Award, starred in the role of Princess Chai and led the Theatre cast to deliver a splendid performance, receiving warm applause from the audience.
 
     The COF 2023 has invited an excellent line-up of Chinese opera troupes to stage stunning performances. Apart from the Peking Opera Theatre of Beijing, there are the Centre for the Safeguarding of Qu Opera of Henan, the Sichuan Opera Troupe, the Wuhan Han Opera Theatre, the Zhejiang Wu Opera Research Centre and the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre of Jiangsu. Moreover, veteran local Cantonese opera artists as well as renowned Yue opera performances will stage “The Art of Wusheng Roles in Cantonese Opera” and “A Stellar Meet featuring Plum Blossom Award Winners in Yue Opera” respectively. The grand finale of the COF, “Bless This Land – Cantonese Opera Showcase under the Bamboo Theatre at Victoria Park”, will be held outdoors at a large makeshift bamboo theatre erected at Victoria Park. A series of extension activities, including talks, meet-the-artists sessions, exhibitions and Chinese opera film screenings, will be held throughout the festival period to promote the artistry and culture of Chinese traditional opera.
 
     Since its inception in 2010, the COF has curated quality operatic programmes with the aim of promoting the artistry and culture of Chinese traditional opera. For more information on other fascinating programmes of the COF 2023, please visit www.cof.gov.hk.

     To promote greater knowledge and understanding of the artistic features of Chinese opera, the Chinese Opera Festival (COF) 2023 will organise a number of free art talks and exhibitions from May to August. These informative and educational events will delve into different theatrical genres, staging formats, repertoire appreciation and stage aesthetics from various perspectives.

Talks on art of Chinese opera
——————————-

     This year’s COF will showcase the story of the White Snake in various theatrical genres, and different art groups will feature a number of classic excerpts. The two sessions of “Talks on the Art of Chinese Opera” will discuss excerpt performances and crossover presentations of theatrical stories, respectively. Both talks will be hosted by Adjunct Professor of the Department of Cultural Studies of Lingnan University Professor Li Siu-leung, with details as follows:

Topic: Chinese Opera Excerpts as Theatre in Practice: What to Perform? How to Enjoy?
Date and time: May 27 (Saturday), 3pm
Content: To discuss the significance of excerpts, as a common staging format, in terms of theatrical performance, and the various perspectives on the appreciation of excerpt performances.

Topic: Crossover Presentations of “The Legend of the White Snake” as Exemplified by Wu Opera, Peking Opera and Sichuan Opera
Date and time: June 3 (Saturday), 3pm
Content: To examine the similarities and differences among the three theatrical genres, as well as their respective aesthetics and cultural meanings through the story of the White Snake.

Talks and demonstration lecture on art of Kunqu opera
————————————————————-

     “The Peony Pavilion” is a classic play in Kunqu opera that enjoys timeless popularity on the stage of Chinese opera. This year’s COF will again present the three-part full version of “The Peony Pavilion – The Youth Version”. In the three sessions of the “Talks on the Art of Kunqu Opera”, seasoned Kunqu researcher Cheung Lai-chun is invited to examine this famous opera from different angles. Details are listed as follows:

Topic: Classic Arias and Performances of “The Peony Pavilion” That Inject Poetry onto the Theatre Stage
Date and time: May 28 (Sunday), 3pm
Content: Taking several classic excerpts from the play to illustrate how texts are transformed into staging visual imageries with finesse in Kunqu opera.

Topic: Love Blessed by Mortals and the Gods Alike in “The Peony Pavilion”
Date and time: June 4 (Sunday), 3pm
Content: To introduce Du Liniang and several main characters of the play, as well as their importance in the development of the story.

Topic: Theatre Aesthetics as Shown in the Different Stagings of “The Peony Pavilion”
Date and time: June 11 (Sunday), 3pm
Content: To explore the influence of stage aesthetics on Kunqu opera by reviewing several stage versions of the play.

     The “Talks on the Art of Chinese Opera” and “Talks on the Art of Kunqu Opera” will be conducted in Cantonese at AC2, 4/F, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Admission is free with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

     Moreover, the COF will organise a demonstration lecture, “From Scholar to King – on the Acting in the ‘The Peony Pavilion’ and ‘The Prophecies of Taoist Monk Iron Headgear'”, which will be hosted by performer Zhou Xuefeng from the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theatre of Jiangsu. Zhou will share his performing experiences over the years and demonstrate techniques with other performers and the musicians of the troupe. The lecture (conducted in Putonghua) will be held at 7pm on July 31 (Monday) at the Theatre (Block I, Middle Zone), Jao Tsung-I Academy. Registration details of this talk will be announced in due course.

Thematic exhibitions
————————————————————-

     Apart from talks, three thematic exhibitions will also be held at various venues. The exhibition “An Enchanting Convergence of Chinese Opera” will present the unique charisma of Chinese opera by using 3D video and animation techniques. “The Art of Wusheng Roles in Cantonese Opera” exhibition will introduce the intricate artistry of “wusheng” (martial male) characterisation through precious photos and textual explanations, while “The Art Form and the Repertory” exhibition will display the distinctive features and photos each performance of this year’s festival. Details are listed as follows:

“An Enchanting Convergence of Chinese Opera”
Date: May 31 (Wednesday) to June 18 (Sunday)
Venue: Foyer Exhibition Area, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

“The Art of Wusheng Roles in Cantonese Opera”
Date: May 31 (Wednesday) to June 18 (Sunday)
Venue: Foyer Exhibition Area, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Date: July 13 (Thursday) to August 20 (Sunday)
Venue: Arts Resource Centre, 10/F, Hong Kong Central Library

“The Art Form and the Repertory”
Date: June 20 (Tuesday) to July 9 (Sunday)
Venue: Foyer, Hong Kong City Hall
Date: July 18 (Tuesday) to August 10 (Thursday)
Venue: Exhibition Corner, Yuen Long Theatre

     In addition to the stage performances and the above-mentioned talks and exhibitions, extended activities including meet-the-artists sessions and Chinese opera film shows will be held throughout the festival period to promote the artistry and culture of Chinese traditional opera. For more information about the events, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.cof.gov.hk/2023/en/index.html#outreach.

     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the COF has curated quality operatic programmes with the aim of promoting the artistry and culture of Chinese traditional opera since its inception in 2010. COF 2023 will once again bring together an excellent line-up of Chinese opera troupes to stage nine quality operatic programmes covering a variety of theatrical genres, including Peking opera, Qu opera, Sichuan opera, Han opera, Cantonese opera, Wu opera, Kunqu opera and Yue opera, from June to October, showcasing the splendour of Chinese operatic art in all its glory. Tickets are now available at all URBTIX outlets and at the Xiqu Centre Ticket Office. For more details, please visit www.cof.gov.hk.