Newsletter No. 274

Capturing Flowing Water and Moving Clouds Prof. Chan Sau-yan on Chines e Oper a Informatio n Centr e and Cantonese Opera in Hong Kong C antonese operais a major operain Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macau. Until the 1960s, it was also the dominant form of popular culture in Hong Kong. Todayits most important developments are still found in Hong Kong, ofall the places where its colourful songs, acrobatics and dance have flourished. Cultural Symbiosis Between Hong Kong and Guangdong Prior to 1949, Hong Kong, located at the southern ti p o f Guangdon g Province , had been part of the South China famil y and, a s such , it s cultur e ha d ha d a symbiotic relationshi p w i t h tha t o f G u a n g d o n g. I t wa s c o mm o n f o r Cantonese oper a artist s an d t he i r troupes t o shuttle between Hong Kong , Macau an d Guangzhou . Cantones e opera als o played a pivotal rol e i n th e development o f H o n g Ko n g cinem a and it s influence ca n be felt t o thi s da y i n th e films o f Stephe n Chow , amon g others. A f t e r 1949 , H o n g Ko n g an d Guangzhou embarke d o n a separat e c o u r se o f d e v e l o p m e n t . M a n y influential player s o f Cantones e oper a stars settle d i n th e B r i t i s h co l ony , sending creativ e spark s f l y i n g i n th e 1950s wh i c h sa w th e proliferatio n o f new opera s an d oper a theatre s i n th e t e r r i t o r y. I n th e en s u i n g decades , however, it was eclipsed by other form s of cultura l entertainment . World's Firs t Systematic Keeper of Our Operatic Heritage The Chinese Opera Information Centr e of the CUHK Departmen t o f Music, the on ly centra l repositor y fo r Chines e opera researc h materials i n th e wo r l d , was establishe d i n Marc h 200 0 by th e Cantonese Opera Research Programme, as c o m m i s s i o n e d b y t h e A r t s Development Counci l (ADC) . The ai m of th e centr e i s t o preserv e Chines e opera researc h material s an d mak e them accessible to the public and futur e gene r a t i ons. Prof . Ch a n Sau-yan , director o f the centre and founder of the programme, sai d tha t th e centr e w i l l r un fo r fou r o r fiv e mor e year s afte r which a Chinese opera archive, simila r i n na t u r e t o th e H o n g K o n g F i l m Archive i n Sa i Wan Ho , ma y possibl y be se t u p . Th e Can t ones e Op e r a A d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t i s p r o p o s i n g t h e establishment o f a n archive . A t presen t th e centr e i s allocate d HK$300,000 b y th e ADC eac h year fo r t h e p u b l i c a t i o n o f a b i a n n u a l newsletter, h i r i n g o f t w o researc h assistants, organizatio n o f talk s an d w o r k s h o p s, a n d p r e s e r v a t i o n o f materials. I t als o host s visit s b y th e p u b l i c s u c h a s c o m m u n i t y organizations, schools , an d tourists . The centre collects all kinds of material s on Chines e oper a — i n p a r t i c u l a r Cantonese oper a — suc h a s books , photographs, libretti , an d othe r relics . It conduct s interview s w i t h ol d oper a artists an d liais e w i t h the m an d thei r f am i l y f o r d o n a t i o n s o f p e r s o n a l memorabilia. Cha n said that the centr e does no t le t th e fam e o f it s target s dictate what it acquires; all materials are w e l c o m ed ex cep t p e r h a p s stag e costumes which requires much storag e space. W i t h i n it s collections , books , records, open-ree l tapes , videotape s a n d C D s a r e h o u s e d i n t h e department's Chines e Musi c Archive . From time t o time , the centr e consult s a r ch i v i s ts f r o m mo r e expe r i ence d establishments suc h as the Hong Kon g F i l m A r c h i v e an d th e H o n g K o n g He r i t age Mu s e u m o n p r ese r va t i o n techniques. Lack of Government Support Chan believe s tha t th e governmen t i s partly responsibl e fo r th e fadin g f r o m the limeligh t o f Cantones e oper a afte r the r o a r i n g 1950s . ' I n H o n g Kong , Cantonese oper a has not develope d a s quickly a s it should have. To start with , we l ac k a f i r m a n d clea r p o l i c y . Compared t o Wester n dramati c arts , Chinese oper a ha s receive d meagr e funding from the government; al l loca l opera troupe s ar e self-financed . Th e government has invested a lot of mone y i n to cu l t u r a l group s specializin g i n Western performin g arts , for th e sak e of European and American expatriate s here. It' s tim e t o change, ' h e pointe d out. Cha n als o feel s tha t governmen t officials are not interested in Cantones e opera. T h e closur e crisi s o f Sunbea m Theatre in North Point is a case in point. The g o v e r nme n t dec l i ne d t o he l p , calling i t a "commercial decision'" , h e said. Sunbea m Theatre , f o u n d e d i n 1972, is Ho n g Kong' s onl y remainin g Cantonese oper a theatr e — a far cry , according to Chan, from the 1930s when there were abou t fiv e o r six . Hong Kong Best Positioned to Develop Cantonese Opera Chan p o i n t e d ou t th e i r o n y o f th e situation, give n tha t th e developmen t of thi s ar t f o rm ha s been the stronges t i n H o n g K o n g d e s p i t e t h e government's lac k of enthusiasm. 'If w e w a n t Wes t e r n c u l t u r e , w e ca n g o overseas fo r th e bes t performances , instead o f concocting second- o r third - class Western culture locally. Cantonese opera we ge t here , on th e othe r hand , is the best on earth. Hong Kong shoul d be proud,' he said . According t o Chan , Hong Kon g i s also the onl y plac e i n the wo r ld tha t i s sys t ema t i ca l ly p r e s e r v i n g Chines e opera materials . O n th e ma i n l a n d , mu ch i n f o rma t i o n o n Chines e oper a was lost during the Cultural Revolutio n a n d t h e r e i s als o n o o r g a n i z e d preservation o f operati c material s a t present du e i n par t t o what Cha n call s 'an excessiv e enthusias m fo r thing s new an d Western that Hong Kong, too , h ad experience d and , f o r t u n a t e l y , overcome.' N o n e t h e l e s s h e see s t h e g o v e r nme n t 's c omm i t me n t t o th e centre as a first step in its promotion o f Hong Kong' s indigenou s operati c art . The g o v e r nme n t ha s als o se t u p a Cantonese Oper a Advisory Committe e to advis e th e Home Affair s Burea u o n the p r o m o t i o n , p r e s e r v a t i o n a n d deve l opment o f th e ar t f o rm . Cha n himself i s a non-official member o f th e committee. Promoting Appreciation C h a n b e l i e v e s t h a t on e w a y o f popu l a r i z i ng Cantones e oper a i s b y having librett i translated int o English . 'Shakespeare i s w i d e l y r ea d a n d u n d e r s t o od a s a r e s u l t o f B r i t i s h colonialism. Chines e does not have th e benefit o f colonialism so it must rely o n translation.' Othe r way s o f enhancin g appreciation of this dramatic art include publishing reference materials, runnin g courses in universities, and training u p curators an d full-time staff . 'Every countr y or city should value its own histor y an d culture . I f w e sa w Tong Tik-san g (唐滌生) as ou r o w n Shakespeare, w e wo u l d realiz e tha t i t is o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o p r e s e r v e Cantonese opera,' Chan concluded. The centre functions , above all , as a keeper of our cultura l memory. It is only whe n this memory i s intact that a meaningful present ca n b e create d ou t o f it . I n Gabriel Garci a Marquez' s novel . One Hundred Years of Solitude, a p l agu e causes th e inhabitant s o f a village t o lose thei r memorie s i n stage s — first , the abilit y t o recollec t thei r childhood , followed b y th e name s an d function s of familiar objects ; then identities begi n to vanish; people d o not recognize on e another an d some even lose a sense o f their ow n being . Cu l t u r al memo r y , a s th e stor y implies, is at the heart of our humanit y as individuals an d a s societies. Piera Chen 3 No. 27 4 4t h Marc h 200 6

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDE2NjYz