Page 30 - 152 Varsity Ebook

very Saturday, Cheng Tin-ho,
10, goes to the Mills, a revital-
Eized arts and cultural complex
in Tsuen Wan to attend a class. It is
not piano or ballet class that many
children in Hong Kong join but Can-
tonese opera.

The underlying mask of
Cantonese opera
His mother, Wong Ching-han,
admits that she had no knowledge or
interest in the traditional Chinese art
before getting her son studying in the
Cha Duk Chang Children’s Canton-
ese Opera Association. “Originally,
Cantonese opera was just noise in my
mind,” she says, adding that she hoped
her son would learn to be patient by
attending the class.
But her interest in this centuries-
old art has grown. “When I pass by
Sunbeam Theatre, I will start checking
out the upcoming shows,” she says,
and no longer finds Cantonese opera
noisy, but an art to appreciate.
The Cha Duk Chang Children’s
Cantonese Opera Association’s site
inside the Mills is divided into two
parts. One for visitors to take pic-
tures with different Cantonese opera
costumes, another one for students
to learn skills and methods of vocal

Behind the Masks

Can the opening of Xiqu Centre rejuvenate Cantonese opera?

By Alice Wang