What Chinese Opera fans in Hong Kong can look forward to during two-month festival

Culturally and geographically linked to Guangdong, Hong Kong takes pride in being where Cantonese opera continues to flourish. The city is also a centre-stage for other genres and regional styles of Chinese opera, including Peking opera and Kunqu that are familiar to audiences locally and abroad.

Audiences curious about the depth and diversity of Chinese opera will be treated with a feast at this year’s Chinese Opera Festival, from June 14 to August 12, as a number of troupes specialising in rarer forms of the art such as Pingdiao, Puxian and Xiqin will make their debut at the multivenue event.

“Pingdiao, Puxian and Xiqin operas have a long history and were inscribed in the first listing of [the] National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China in 2006,” says Dinah Choo, a manager and Chinese opera specialist at the festival’s organiser, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. “Each of them features special stage actions. The festival is believed to bring our audience the diverse regional genres noted for their definite charm.”

Performed in the Ninghai dialect in circuitous singing to relatively gentle and subtle tunes, Nanhai Pingdiao is, however, best known for its exclusive stunts. One of the signature performances is called shuaya – tusk stunt or teeth playing. Its performers hold pairs of wild boars’ buckteeth in their mouths while they sing, read and dance-act. The stunt has been said to share the same status as the face-changing stunt of Sichuan opera. The Pingdiao Art Heritage Centre of Ninghai, formerly known as the

Pingdiao Troupe of Ninghai and the Yue Opera Troupe of Ninghai, will bring titles including Meeting the Judge from Li Huiniang and Jinlian Killing the Bandit Lijiao to the festival for the first time.

Puxian opera is one of the five major opera genres of Fujian. Originally known as Xinghua opera of the Putian and Xianyou regions, Puxian is dubbed the “living fossil” of Southern Opera of the Song and Yuan dynasties because of its long history and repertoire of about 5,000 titles. Puppetry has a key influence on the performances of Puxian opera, which is performed in Puxian dialect.

In addition to its rich vocal style and stage presence, Puxian opera is also known for its stunts. “Sedan-chair carrying”; “chair routine”; “floor-sweeping skirt”; “the three-legged cane” and

the hoe routine” are among the visual characteristics. They will be performed by Fujian Puxian Theatre, also for the first time at the festival, bringing Hong Kong audience titles such as The Imperial Scholar and the Beggar and Thrice Begging Fan Lihua.

Hong Kong audiences who grew up with Cantonese opera might know little about Xiqin opera, but it is believed that the two actually share the same origin.