Chinese New Year started yesterday, but nothing stops us from joining the celebrations today, even while sitting in front of our computers, maybe dreaming of Xiqu, or Chinese Opera.
To celebrate the Year of the Horse, Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA; the West Kowloon Cultural District is the largest cultural project in Hong Kong, focused on providing a vital district for the local arts scene) launched a programme of traditional Cantonese Opera performances at the Bamboo Theatre, on the future site of West Kowloon’s Xiqu Centre, a venue still under development.
Chinese Opera is a form of art integrating singing, acting, speech, martial arts, gongs, drums and body movements and is also characterised by rich and colourful costumes accompanied by extraordinary make-up. Usually the plots revolve around themes such as mistaken identities, sacrifice, patriotism and romantic love that transcends time.
The Chinese New Year celebrations started at the Bamboo Theatre a couple of weeks ago, with works such as The Lady's Sash, written by Tang Ti-sheng, about jealous military officer Zhao Shizhen whose impulsive behaviour almost ends up causing the death of his wife, and with shows that combined various excerpts from Kunju and Yueju performances (both are Chinese types of opera, recognised by the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritages of the World).
In the next few days the Bamboo Theatre will offer further shows, including the comedy Contention for the Seal (2 - 3 February) written by Lee Siu-wan, starring Leung Siu-ming and Chan Wing-yee, and following the vicissitudes of two generals, Shangguan Yunlong, the son of the Minister of War, and Situ Wenfeng, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, who fight against each other until an invading enemy prompts them to put aside their differences, and Two Heroic Families (4 - 5 February 2014), written by Poon Cheuk, focusing on marriage, sibling relationships and the complications of love.
The costumes in Cantonese Opera are strictly linked to the main theme of the play and the character role. Costumes such as ceremonial robes, armours, gowns and cloaks, are characterised by fantastically visual palettes and elaborate embroideries and brocades and are paired with matching headgear and hairpieces, footwear and facial make-up.
While each character's make-up has its own distinct characteristics, the main colours employed are usually white colour foundation and red rouge in different shades applied over the white foundation to the cheeks and eyelids.
Fashion constantly borrows different elements from various countries, mixing cultures and traditions, blurring genders and identity while erasing dress codes. It would be interesting to see how some elements of Cantonese Opera costumes would be reinvented and integrated in contemporary fashion.
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