September Highlights: Events, festivals and cultural happenings in Hong Kong

Fall season settles in with a series of exciting and must-see arts, culture, watch and jewellery exhibitions around town. From lantern-frenzy Mid-Autumn Festival to the annual Jewellery & Gem Hong Kong to the trendy fashion runway of Centrestage, here are the hottest events, festivals and cultural happenings in Hong Kong to see this September.

Street/Park
Until 19 Sep
Joining the world’s most prestigious athletic stage at the Tokyo Olympics this summer enabled skateboarding to break new ground in the sports world. It also resulted in a huge bump in popularity and status locally. K11 Musea extends the cool vibe of the uber-hip subculture by hosting the city’s largest indoor skatepark pop-up experience. Skate over to Victoria Dockside for workshops, showcases of rare sneakers and a presentation of artist-collaborative skate-deck designs courtesy of leading brands.

Price: Free entry
Location: 605, 6/F, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, K11 Musea, Tsim Sha Tsui
For more info: k11musea.com

Boundless Union
3-25 Sep
Understanding the beauty and balance of nature may be foreign to many Hongkongers, but an exhibition by two Korean artists brings it within reach. Staged by Axel Vervoordt Gallery Hong Kong, Boundless Union showcases the talent of Bae Bien-U and Kwon Dae-Sup. The intrinsic ideas of nature are brought into focus by the large- and small-format photographs of Bae’s Sonamu (Pine Trees) series and Kwon’s Moon Jars installation – a compelling display of motion in stillness.

Price: Free entry
Location: 21/F, Coda Designer Centre, Wong Chuk Hang Road.
For more info: axel-vervoordt.com

Natural and Organic Asia
7-9 Sep
The global pandemic has shaken the city into a new normal of self-care and clean eating, so there is no better time for industries to focus on health and wellness. Answering the demand for a healthier, greener lifestyle is Natural & Organic Asia, the city’s annual convention for sourcing products that will sustain a more caring world. From fresh produce to beauty items, trade professionals and business visitors can find everything green at their fingertips.

Price: Free entry (registrations required)
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
For more info: naturalandorganicasia.com

Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TE
8-12 Sep
Arriving in timely fashion at its usual exhibition space, the annual Watch & Clock Fair showcases a slew of horological devices from high-end feats to everyday choices. The five-day event runs in tandem with Salon de TE, where professionals and connoisseurs can admire the latest achievements of watch manufactures and designers by means of a parade, product launches and sharing sessions on market trends. The last day is open to the public, while international buyers can log into the Click2Match virtual platform for full online access of the event and showcases.

Price: Free entry (registrations required)
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
For more info: hkwatchfair.hktdc.com

Hong Kong Coin Show
9-11 Sep
The eighth edition of this annual coin exhibition is set to open its doors at The Mira Hong Kong. Collectors can polish their knowledge through presentations by more than 100 leading numismatic organisations and dealers from around the world, and take advantage of educational seminars and free appraisals. There are exciting live auctions by Stack’s Bowers, Spink & Son and Hong Kong’s Rarehouse, while on-site services provided by coin grading experts PCGS and NGC are always popular.

Price: Free entry (registration required)
Location: 18/F, The Mira Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
For more info: hongkongcoinshow.com

Centrestage
10-12 Sep
What’s going to be the next hot fashion trend? An avant-garde piece, or perhaps a modern cheongsam? Centrestage returns this month for its sixth fashion showcase. Spotlighting branded fashion apparel and designers’ collections, it is expected to draw some 240 local and international labels. The three-day event, sponsored by Create Hong Kong and cosmetics brand NARS, will have fashionistas out in force over a frenzied weekend.

Price: Free entry
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
For more info: centrestage.com.hk

Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong
17-20 Sep
Undeterred by the global pandemic and travel restrictions, the region’s most-anticipated fine jewellery event, Jewellery & Gem World HK returns. Its first omnichannel edition opens its doors, both physically and virtually to see, touch and feel a wide range of pieces, while treating international viewers to an extended all-access platform of the newest products and information-packed webinars. The online access will be made available from 13th until the end of the month.

Price: Free entry
Location: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
For more info: jewellerynet.com

Mid-Autumn Festival
21 Sep
Mooncakes, firecrackers and paper lanterns – if there is one festival that delights both young and old, it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival – the most anticipated time for families in the latter half of the year. Under the light of the full moon, the city prepares for night-long festivities of mooncake munching, candle-lighting, all-out dining and a load of lantern fun for the wholly family. With Covid-19 cases currently under control, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is also set to return for the festival on the 21st of this month. Keep your eyes peeled for celebrations across the city.

Location: Various locations
For more info: discoveryhongkong.com

Waiting Heart
24-26 Sep
Revitalising the classical performance art of Cantonese opera, this joint presentation by the Hong Kong Dance Company and Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop delivers beauty, elegance and romance. Waiting Heart tells of a poet’s enduring love and is based on Legend of the Purple Hairpin by playwright Tang Ti-sheng. The Cantonese opera-cum-ballet starring, directed and choreographed by Yang Yuntao is a stellar example of storytelling through dance.

Price: From HK$220
Location: Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui
For more info: hkdance.com

Tot Experiences
Until 31 Sep
In place of its negroni week, The Daily Tot has revamped their event calendar with a month full of “Tot Experiences” for its guests — all for a good cause. In support of the women of Afghanistan, the rum-bar is helping raise funds for the Women of Women foundation and help bring awareness to the current troubles the country is facing right now. Featuring a brand new Peated Mezcal Negroni (HK$130) and the zero-waste Banana Rum Negroni (HK$130), with every order of negroni, HK$10 goes to the Women for Women charity. Other events include Cuban Jazz Night on 8 Sep and a cocktail making class on 26 Sep.

Price: Price varies
Location: The Daily Tot, Hollywood Road, Central
For more info: thedailytot.com

Restoring Hong Kong’s love of Cantonese Opera

Arguably one of the few artforms to spring fully-formed from Hong Kong, Cantonese Opera is a wholly theatrical experience comprising equal parts singing, acting and martial arts. One of the many sub-categories of xiqu (Chinese opera), it also boldly integrates an array of elaborate costumes, exotic make-up and exaggerated facial expressions that all play a part in interpret themes of classical Chinese history and folklore.

Transcendentally popular for generations, the last half-century or so has not been kind, with it gradually fading from public acclaim. Of late, however, there have been signs of something of an uptick in its fortunes. Whether this is a blip in its continued decline or the beginning of a more sustained renaissance is, of course, debatable.

Restoring Hong Kong's love of Cantonese Opera gafencu magazine (2) — Tea House Theatre Experience, Cantonese Opera Excerpt Performance: The White Dragon Pass courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

From the late ’60s on, however, the continuing rise of the film industry more or less eclipsed Cantonese Opera. With showing movies proving more profitable and less logistically challenging than staging performances, the city’s local opera sector became increasingly marginalised. Adding to its woes, as real estate values soared, several well-established performance spaces, including the Prince’s Theatre and the Ko Shing Theatre were demolished prior to being developed.

It was a process that continued well up to the end of the millennium. In 1998, for instance, the city’s oldest surviving opera house – the ’30s-built Yau Ma Tei Theatre – closed its doors for the last time. This left the Sunbeam Theatre as the artform’s only remaining venue. Although, in 2009, UNESCO designated Cantonese Opera as part of China’s intangible Cultural Heritage, the move came too late for many of its historical locales and its once mighty troupes.

Xiqu Centre courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

This honorific, however, did come at a time when there were signs of something of a rebirth. Indeed, in 2012, the Yau Mau Tei theatre reopened as the first new Cantonese opera venue for several generations. Seven years later, it was joined by the government-funded Xiqu Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui and all the signs were this legendary artform might be heading back into favour – and not just among the more nostalgic, older city dwellers.

In fact, contrary to popular belief, Cantonese Opera has never just been aimed squarely at elderly aficionados. Underlining this, a number of local educational bodies, notably the D. H. Chen Foundation, have bankrolled such initiatives as the Cha Duk Chang Children’s Cantonese Opera Association in the hope of nurturing a new generation of theatregoers and performers.

Restoring Hong Kong's love of Cantonese Opera gafencu magazine (4) — Cha Duk Chang Children’s Cantonese Opera Association

In perhaps the most positive sign of affirmation, in 2009, Cantonese opera became a compulsory part of the music syllabus in all primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong. Later, in 2018, as sign of its incorporation into the digital age, online viewing of contemporary performance became widely available for free through various local government websites. Despite such positive moves, the battle to restore Cantonese Opera’s cultural ascendancy is far from over. In many ways, the biggest challenge is to convince up and coming generations that it remains both vibrant and, most of all, relevant to them.

Restoring Hong Kong's love of Cantonese Opera gafencu magazine (11) — Actress Christie To Wing-sum of the Tea House Rising Stars Troupe courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

In the case of 27-year-old Christie To Wing-sum, a professional member of the Tea House Rising Stars Troupe, she has been appearing in Cantonese operas since she turned four. Assessing how the artform is currently perceived, she says: “While Cantonese operas don’t seem to resonate with many local teenagers, some of whom seem to find it old fashioned, a lot of my friends have come to see me perform and have become increasingly open to it.”

“From the late ’60s, the rise of the film industry more or less eclipsed Cantonese Opera”

However, gaining the youth’s attention is not the only obstacle standing in the way of this Cantonese artform’s revival. According to the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, its long hiatus has also resulted in a shortage of new products, musical arrangements and a limited pool of suitably accomplished performers.

The latter problem partly derives from the long and arduous training process involved, which requires both strenuous vocal coaching and a strict physical regime. Expanding upon the particular challenges, To says: “Most of the Cantonese opera actors in Hong Kong are only ever employed on a freelance basis, making it difficult, in terms of both time and budgetary constraints, to maintain a regular training schedule. The majority also have to prepare their own costumes, which is, again, prohibitively expensive.”

Naomi Chung, Head of Xiqu for the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, is, however, confident that all such difficulties can be overcome, saying “Cantonese Opera has always been self-reliant and will never stop evolving. It’s market driven and it always finds an audience.”

In order to help find just such an audience, the Authority is currently hosting free Cantonese Opera-related programmes at its dedicated Xiqu Centre, as well as staging contemporary interpretations of classic works. In particular, this has been channeled through two particular programmes – the Tea House Theatre Experience and the Experimental Chinese Opera Festival – both primarily intended to popularise Cantonese opera among up and coming generations.

In the case of the former, this majors on nurturing local young actors and crew members and attracting a new generation of theatregoers, with martial arts performances incorporated for that particular purpose. In the case of the latter, this focuses more on cultivating new productions and playwrights in order to better serve a wider demographic of attendees than are traditionally drawn to xiqu events.

Curtain Call: Preserving Cantonese opera is an uphill task

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Hong Kong is fighting an uphill battle to preserve one of its traditional art forms, Cantonese opera.

Shrill music fills the Lyric Theatre in Wan Chai on a Monday night as theatre-goers settle in for an evening of singing, acrobatics and acting. Moments earlier, the small gathering of elderly women and a sprinkling of men had turned the Lyric Theatre’s foyer into a hive of activity. Excited chatter filled the air as groups caught up with old friends, sipped on wine and perused the programme for that evening’s show, Prime Minister of Six States/Excerpts from the Paichangxi Repertoires of Cantonese Opera.

However, by the time the first ear-splitting musical note signalled the start of the opera, the crowd had barely managed to fill half of the 1,181-seat theatre.

In many ways, this scene is representative of the current state of Cantonese opera, a performance art propped up by a passionate but relatively small – and ageing – audience. How much longer, many wonder, can it survive?

On average, at least four Cantonese operas are reportedly staged in Hong Kong every day. UNESCO gave the art form “intangible cultural heritage” status in 2009, indicating that it should be protected and preserved.

In the early days, Cantonese opera was performed in temples or in bamboo sheds used as makeshift theatres. At the start of British rule in Hong Kong, street shows of Cantonese operas were typically held in these bamboo sheds, but the number of Cantonese operas held in the structures had dwindled from 158 in 1970 to 34 by 2010.

To get to the roots of Cantonese opera you need to go back even further to the reign of Emperor Jiajing (1522-1566) of the Ming Dynasty. The art form is a mixture of Yiyang and Kun tunes of the Ming Dynasty; the Xiqin and Han opera of the early Qing Dynasty; regional operas from the provinces of Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Hunan, Hebei and Guangxi; and local Guangdong music.

Another recent production, The White Silk Gown (new edition), was held at the new wing of Ko Shan Theatre in Hung Hom, and featured Yu Jiulin as the 20-year-old scholar Xu Jizu. Like many performers, Jiulin discovered Cantonese opera at a young age.

“I was born in Kunshan, where Kunqu originated,” he says, referring to the oldest form of Chinese opera. “Kunqu instructors held an audition at school and they picked me. I was still young at that time – only 16 years old.” His case is atypical. Tales of Chinese legend told through song, dance and elaborate costumes just don’t seem to resonate with audiences under 30 anymore. It’s one of the main reasons why people like Dr Dorothy Ng Fung-ping are pushing to expose Cantonese opera to children in an attempt to spark an interest early on.

In 2007, the University of Hong Kong started a programme to incorporate Cantonese opera into primary and secondary school curriculums. The project was spearheaded by Ng Fung-ping, who at the time was an assistant professor at the Faculty of Education.

Ng Fung-ping and her team trained teachers on how to integrate Cantonese opera into the curriculum, developed teaching materials and introduced students to texts and performances.

To date, more than 50 schools have incorporated the programme. The spread of Cantonese opera to new audiences will soon stretch beyond the classroom with the construction of the West Kowloon Cultural District. Situated on 40 hectares of reclaimed land on the harbour front, the arts hub will feature the Xiqu Centre, one of three major performing arts venues planned for the cultural district.

But even with the construction of world-class venues to host Cantonese operas, if younger generations only watch the performances and don’t actively participate in them, there’s still a real danger that opera could shrink from public view.

“My concern is how Hong Kong educates and develops top-class artists, because the top practitioners of Cantonese opera are getting old and some have passed on,” says Ng Fung-ping. “Even if we have the audience and the venues, if we do not have the right mechanisms to produce top-level performers, then we have a problem.”

Convincing children and young adults to step up and start performing could be tricky, though. Performers undergo specialist training to make sure they can do the unique gestures and singing styles that characterise Cantonese opera.

For many performers, this requires years of study in the mainland and Hong Kong, and some even take a degree course – the first of its kind in the world – at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. Once performers have completed their training, the hard work is just beginning, as some operas can take years to go from planning phases to the stage.

For instance, it took three years of preparation to put on stage The White Silk Gown. Indeed, the movements of every cast member have to be carefully plotted and perfected, culminating in a performance that has been years in the making. When the opera draws to a close the audience slowly files out and once again the foyer is filled with chatter before people head home to share their experience with family members who might not turn away from the TV to listen.

Text: Andrew Scott