Govt attaches great importance to Cantonese opera development: John Lee

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stated in a speech on Friday that the government places great importance on Cantonese opera and has facilitated its growth by establishing venues and training emerging talent.

Lee delivered a speech at the Lunar New Year gathering of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong and stated that Cantonese opera has been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2009 and is Hong Kong’s first world-class intangible cultural heritage.

He said that the government attaches great importance to the development of Cantonese opera, having facilitated the inheritance, research and promotion of it in various aspects by establishing a Cantonese Opera Development Fund to support projects related to its development.

The Hong Kong leader also said the government has made efforts to open up venues, including the Xiqu Center and the Ko Shan Theater, as well as renovations for the Yau Ma Tei Theater to foster Cantonese opera talents.

With funding from the Cantonese Opera Development Fund, it has trained emerging Cantonese opera talents and cultivated successors for the industry.

The Hong Kong leader also pointed out that Cantonese opera carries a vivid interpretation of Chinese history and culture in South China regions.

When he visited Southeast Asian countries last year, he watched several young Hong Kong actors perform a repertoire of Cantonese opera.

Lee encouraged the Cantonese opera industry to continue to cultivate the younger generation, tell and perform Chinese stories well on the world stage, and inherit the precious culture of Cantonese opera.