【Friday Beyond Spotlights III】Naomi Chung: Modernizing Cantonese Opera Cantonese opera in current days Cantonese opera has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009. Introducing the history of this art form, Naomi explained, “The Cantonese opera has a long, storied history. We believe that in the 18th century, some governors from the northern regions traveled down to the southern parts with their entire families. At that time, they performed in a languag

【Cantonese Chess Chanting: A Rhythmic Art Where Every Move Echoes the Spirit of Jianghu】Cantonese chess chanting, an art form where players announce each Chinese chess move aloud in a vibrant, operatic style, inherently carries its own "soundtrack"—a single utterance conjures the aura of the martial world (jianghu). Modeled after the singing techniques of Cantonese opera, this practice transforms verbal calls into melodic performances, blending controlled breathing, elongated tones, and dramatic

CANTONESE OPERA WITH INTERNATIONAL APPEAL Dramatic, acrobatic, colourful Cantonese opera, traditionally performed in bamboo theatres in Hong Kong’s rural villages, has been staged in grand venues such as the 戲曲中心 Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District 西九文化區, and in historic buildings like the Yau Ma Tei Theatre. In fact, it is the first of Hong Kong’s cultural traditions to be inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. See why John Clifford,