October is not only the season of harvest; it also marks the climax of the CUHK 50th anniversary celebrations. An array of art performances was presented in the month, enriching cultural lifeon campus.
On 6 October, over 40 performers of the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe were invited by Lee Woo Sing College to perform at Sha Tin Town Hall. Programmes included the well-known Thousand-hand Bodhisattva, My Dream, ballet, Latin dance, dance drama, ethnic and Western music. The performers of the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva, who overcame their hearing impairment to master rhythm in a soundless world and move in elegant synchronicity, impressed the audience.
At the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 7 October, over 1,400 guests attended the Meeting the Master's Fund Raising Gala organized by Lee Woo Sing College. Famous artists including Mr. Mei Baojiu, Ms. Ling Bo, Miss Paula Tsui, Mr. George Lam, Ms. Chan Po-chu and Miss Mui Suet-see, Mr. Warren Mok,and Miss Tai Lihua, performed Peking opera, Huangmei opera, Mandarin and Cantonese pop songs, Cantonese opera, Western opera and dance. A fusion of cultural performances by renowned artists, the event received more than $10 million in donations towards the University's development as of the end of September 2013.
With the support of Dr. Koo Ti-hua, director of the China Peking Opera Arts Foundation, founder of the KOO Ti Hua Foundation for the Promotion of KunQu Opera; Dr. Lee Woo-sing, permanent honorary president of the Shanghai Fraternity Association of Hong Kong and College Patron of Lee Woo Sing College; Mr. Fan Shi-hoo Hamen, vice-chairman, and Mr. Fung Siu-to Clement, chairman, Shaw College Board of Trustees; Mr. Ho Kin-lap and the Shanghai Commercial Bank Limited, 'An Operatic Journey of Cultural Heritage through Peking, Kunqu and Cantonese Traditions' was held from 8 to 10 October. At the invitation of the University, Shanghai Opera School, which is affiliated with Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Ling Lung Cantonese Opera Troupe, respectively presented Peking and Kunqu operatic excerpts, as well as a Cantonese opera performance about Confucius.
The history, cultural, aesthetics and artistic values embodied in Peking, Kun and Cantonese operas are internationally recognized. The three major traditional Chinese operas have made the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The event is a valuable opportunity to appreciate the beauty of opera and to promote the art. English subtitles were provided for the benefit of non-Chinese speakers.