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and dramatic training that performers opera compulsory in school’s music
have to master. class can let students learn Cantonese
Cantonese opera with singing and opera. But such teaching methods are
spoken scripts delivered in Canton- inefficient to cultivate children’s inter-
ese dialect is popular in Cantonese- est or increase their participation in
speaking regions, such as Guangdong, Cantonese opera.
Hong Kong and Macau. Its variegated In 2005, to help develop Canton-
costumes, distinctive singings and ese opera, the Home Affairs Bureau
symbolic gestures attract people from (HAB) set up the Cantonese Opera
all over the world. In 2009, it was in- Development Fund (CODF) for local
scribed onto the UNESCO’s Repre- associations. CODF aims to support
sentative List of the Intangible Cul- and fund different kinds of projects
tural Heritage of Humanity. to help promote Cantonese opera.
However, the younger generation Meanwhile, some non-governmental
in the city may not know how to ap- associations also offer funding to sup-
preciate this traditional art form. port Cantonese opera, such as the
Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and
Is education enough? Dance Fund. But resources are still
While teaching Cantonese oper- limited, so not all schools have the fi-
atic music is compulsory in the HK- nancial ability to seek help from Can-
DSE Music curriculum, not all music tonese opera associations to train mu-
teachers are equipped with the knowl- sic teachers.
edge to teach it.
Li Yin-hing, Program Officer of the Nowhere to perform
Cha Duk Chang Children’s Cantonese Li points out small opera associa-
Opera Association, says: “If a school tions struggle to find suitable perfor-
teacher teaches Cantonese opera by mance venues due to expensive rents
himself or herself, he or she will play in private sites. “For some local small
pieces of traditional music and vid- troupes, we cannot afford the rent for
eos of Cantonese opera, or just open performance sites if there is no sub-
a textbook and ask students to sing a sidy,” she says.
Cantonese opera song together.” Cantonese opera associations find Wong Ching-han brings her son, Cheng Tin-
In Li’s view, making Cantonese it hard to book public performance ho, to Cantonese Opera class every Saturday

Children warming up for the class Cha Duk Chang Children’s Cantonese Opera Association
in The Mills in Tsuen Wan