Guangzhou Culture Week brings Cantonese opera and dance drama to Hong Kong this October.
Guangzhou Culture Week takes place in Hong Kong in October and showcases the charm of Lingnan culture through Cantonese opera and lion dance
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of Guangzhou Municipality will jointly present the Guangzhou Culture Week in October. The Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theatre Company and the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre have been invited to Hong Kong to perform two successful stage productions based on historical events: “Princess Wencheng,” a new Cantonese opera work, and “Awakening Lion,” a great Chinese dance drama. The two programs demonstrate the unity and solidarity of the country’s ethnic groups and the heritage of national spirit passed down through generations, while presenting a new cultural face of the city of Guangzhou. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (August 27).
The details of the programs are as follows:
A new Cantonese opera “Princess Wencheng” by the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theatre Company
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Date and time: 22 and 23 October (Tuesday and Wednesday) 7.30 p.m.
Venue: Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall
Ticket prices: $180, $260, $340, $420
The new Cantonese opera “Princess Wencheng” is an epic opera based on the story of Princess Wencheng’s marriage to the king of ancient Tibet in the Tang Dynasty. It tells the story of Wencheng staying in the ancient Tibetan kingdom for 40 years to help the ancient Tibetan king Songtsan Gampo and becoming a close friend of the ancient Tibetan Tang Hao, establishing friendly relations between the peoples of ancient Tibet and the Han. Different from the traditional melancholy image of a princess in a political marriage, the play portrays Wencheng as an intelligent, playful, brave and responsible woman. Featuring a cast of renowned Cantonese opera artists, such as two-time China Theatre Plum Blossom Award winner Ou Kaiming (as Songtsan Gampo), Plum Blossom Award winners Li Jiayi (as Princess Wencheng), Li Junsheng (as Tang Hao) and Chen Yunhong (as Mrs. Li), along with magnificent sets, lighting and costumes in the style of the High Tang Dynasty and ancient Tibet, this production is a celebration of national unity and harmony that has lasted for a thousand years. The play premiered in 2022 to great acclaim.
Great Chinese dance drama “Awakening Lion” by Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre
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Date and time: 26 October (Saturday) 8pm
27 October (Sunday) 3pm
Venue: Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall
Ticket prices: $200, $260, $340, $420
“The Awakening Lion” is the first major Chinese dance drama on the mainland to perform the “Guangdong Lion Dance”, a representative element of the national intangible cultural heritage. It was named the best dance drama by the mainland’s most prestigious dance award – the China Dance Lotus Award. Set against the backdrop of the Sanyuanli Uprising against Britain during the Opium War a hundred years ago, the program reflects the awakening of Chinese national identity. The story is about two youthful lion dance dancers who achieve self-knowledge and growth in various life choices, such as emotional dynamics and the just cause of the nation. The drama integrates various symbols of Lingnan culture, such as lion dance, Nanquan (Southern Fist), Choy Li Fut style martial arts, Yingge dance (Dance of Heroes), wooden puppets and more, to create a unique dance vocabulary. Combining multimedia technology with music and costumes rich in regional characteristics, the production offers both modern appeal and visual impact. Since its premiere in 2018, the dance drama has toured the mainland over 250 times and has been well received by audiences.
Tickets for the above programmes will be available from URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from tomorrow. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. From tomorrow until September 26, an additional early bird discount will be offered when purchasing the above programmes through any of the discount programmes.
During Guangzhou Culture Week, various supplementary activities including joint sessions, a workshop and a backstage tour will be held to facilitate exchanges and sharing between culture lovers from Guangzhou and Hong Kong. For program inquiries and discounts of “Princess Wencheng”, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1770.html; for program inquiries and discounts of “Awakening Lion”, please call 2268 7323 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/dance/programs_1768.html. The above programs are also part of the Fourth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival.
Guangzhou Culture Week takes place in Hong Kong in October and showcases the charm of Lingnan culture through Cantonese opera and lion dance. Source: Press releases from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Guangzhou Culture Week takes place in Hong Kong in October and showcases the charm of Lingnan culture through Cantonese opera and lion dance. Source: Press releases from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Guangzhou Culture Week takes place in Hong Kong in October and showcases the charm of Lingnan culture through Cantonese opera and lion dance. Source: Press releases from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Guangzhou Culture Week takes place in Hong Kong in October and showcases the charm of Lingnan culture through Cantonese opera and lion dance. Source: Press releases from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
TD reminds public transport operators to provide adequate services on the first day of school
The Department of Transport (TD) said today (26 August) that major public transport operators (PTOs) have been reminded to provide adequate services, increase frequency and deploy standby services where necessary to meet passenger demand on the first day of school (2 September).
The TD has sought information from the Education Department on the locations of new schools and students commuting to schools in other districts, while reviewing traffic and transport arrangements in surrounding districts. Special routes to school areas will resume. Meanwhile, local bus companies providing services to and from Border Checkpoints (BCPs) as well as cross-border bus companies have been reminded to provide adequate services for cross-border students. The TD has also asked relevant departments to review roadworks being or planned to be carried out on major roads to minimise traffic disruption at the start of the school year.
“The operation of the TD’s Emergency Transport Coordination Centre (ETCC) will be upgraded to the highest level, joint steering mode, on the morning of September 2 to jointly and closely monitor traffic and public transport in real time on the first day of school, in cooperation with the police and PTOs. Staff will be deployed at major transport hubs and school areas across the territory to conduct on-site monitoring, including school areas such as Kowloon Tong, Po Kong Village Road in Wong Tai Sin, Kwai Shing Circuit in Kwai Chung and Braemar Hill in North Point, at land BCPs and in tunnels. They will report the current situation to the ETCC to improve service and implement relevant traffic management measures where necessary, such as adjusting traffic light timings on roads and working with the police to assist with traffic distribution,” a TD spokesperson said.
Students should familiarise themselves with public transport to and from their schools and the frequencies well in advance, particularly if they are about to start at a new school, the spokesperson added. The TD expected road traffic to be heavier overall on the day and students should allow extra time and pay attention to the latest traffic reports. They should also pay attention to road safety on their journeys, use crossings correctly to cross the roads and avoid eating, drinking, playing mobile games, using a mobile phone or listening to audio devices etc. when crossing the roads.
Motorists are advised not to drive onto school premises. Drivers of strollers should obtain prior approval from the school principal for each school they visit. Drivers of strollers and school buses should be particularly alert and cautious when driving on steep roads or narrow streets, or when turning and reversing. Speeding or overloading is prohibited. Kindergarten or elementary school children should be accompanied by an accompanying adult. Accompanying adults should assist students in fastening seat belts and ensure that they and all students are properly wearing their seat belts (if any) before strollers and school buses depart. Students should never be left unattended in vehicles. Parents should arrange in advance with schools and stroller or school bus operators where to pick up and drop off their children.
The ETCC will release the latest traffic information from different districts to the public as required. The public is requested to follow the TD’s media broadcast or mobile application “HKeMobility” or website (www.td.gov.hk). If you have any questions, please call the TD’s hotline at 2804 2600 or 1823. Details of the operators’ service are also available on their hotlines and websites:
Source: AI-generated images
