- Alina Lee Lok-yiu and Luca Chung Yiu-tong take classes at Sing Fai Cantonese Opera Promotion Association, an NGO devoted to passing on love of this tradition to youth
- Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written
Luca Chung (left) and Alina Lee both say they love the elaborate make-up and costumes involved in Cantonese opera performances. Photo: HandoutWhen seven-year-olds Alina Lee Lok-yiu and Luca Chung Yiu-tong took the stage in elaborate make-up and costumes, elderly audience members exclaimed with wonder at the young talent.
Impressed by the children playing the roles of a couple in the Cantonese opera classic Romance of the Phoenix Chamber, viewers scrambled to take videos while mouthing along to the song.
This charity concert at Sunbeam Theatre last December was the first time Alina and Luca performed alongside adults. They admitted feeling nervous, but ultimately, they love this art. “The songs are interesting and beautiful – the hand gestures as well,” Alina said.
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Amid worries that the traditional art form is fading in Hong Kong, the young duo represent hope for a revival.
Alina and Luca have been taking classes with the Sing Fai Cantonese Opera Promotion Association since 2020. The NGO’s goal is to preserve this traditional art.
“Child Cantonese opera performers like Alina and Luca have helped attract new, bigger audiences,” said the NGO’s founder Fong Suet-ying, adding that the art’s future depended on its youngest performers.
Inspiring a new generation
Everything on a Cantonese opera stage – from costumes and make-up to subtle hand movements and props – is filled with beauty and meaning.
Listed as a Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, Cantonese opera is rich with skills and stories that have been passed down through generations.
But the art is not popular among the city’s youth. A 2018 report by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council showed that 66 per cent of survey respondents who did not take part in activities related to Cantonese opera agreed that the art form was only for the elderly.
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That is why Fong is working hard to inspire love for this tradition among a new generation. The amateur performer said she was motivated to establish a Cantonese opera school by a young girl who approached her after a performance.
“She gave me her drawing of my character and asked to be my student,” recalled Fong, who has been involved with this art for more than 30 years.
When she first started the organisation in 2008, Fong only had one student. Now, she is teaching more than 60 students aged from three to 22.
“Audience members are amazed by child Cantonese opera performers and invite their friends to watch Sing Fai’s annual performances,” she said.
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For two hours every Saturday, Alina and Luca practise singing, standing, walking and gesture on stage.
Alina was inspired to join after seeing the beautiful headdresses and costumes at a Cantonese opera performance in a mall.
Luca also became interested in lessons after watching the art form. “Their singing was so funny, and I like singing,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm for being a “powerful and handsome general”.
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Luca’s mother, Karrie Tse, said she enrolled her son in these classes to become more confident and learn more Chinese words.
But she noted that her son might not continue: “He just switched to full-day primary school classes and doesn’t have extra time. He told me he wants to stop because he’s so busy with academics.”
Coni Chan, Alina’s mother, said her daughter had not faced academic pressure yet: “As she has few extracurricular activities at the moment, she still has enough time to do homework and play.”
But it is not easy for a seven-year-old to learn this art. Her mother explained: “She needs to overcome the dull process of repeatedly practising scripts. It’s also a major challenge for her to express different emotions and facial expressions.”
Chan stressed that this art was more than just singing and acting: “She must work really hard to learn about Chinese literature, history and background to portray the characters authentically.”
Nevertheless, Alina said she hoped to become a Cantonese opera performer in the future. “I’m happy when I perform,” the girl explained.
Her mother said: “If she chooses to pursue her passion, I will support her.”
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