HKU Bulletin October 2008 (Vol. 10 No. 1)

C antonese opera may not be general ly associated wi th schoolchildren, but a new project to encourage young people to appreciate the ancient art form has met with an enthusiastic response in several schools across Hong Kong. Over the past two years hundreds of students have taken part in a pilot scheme to incorporate Cantonese opera into the formal curriculum. Initially, four secondary schools signed up for the project, but this year that has increased to seven, with plans to include another three schools in the coming academic year. The aim is to promote one of the world’s oldest forms of Chinese opera to a new generation. The brainchild of Dr Ng Fung Ping, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, the ‘Integrated Cantonese Opera in Education’ project is taking advantage of the new senior secondary curriculum to integrate Cantonese Opera into Chinese Language classes. Ng said: “We started in 2006 after a number of Cantonese opera stars alerted us to the fact that interest in Cantonese opera was waning. They said audience numbers were dwindling and there were very few new opera singers coming through. They urged us to do something in schools to prevent this art form from disappearing altogether.” “Sadly, Cantonese opera is no longer a profession that young people choose to join. We put this down to them being more interested in television and cinema than in going to the theatre, and so they are less aware of this part of their culture. Also Cantonese opera, from the point of view of the professional performer, is very difficult to learn, it takes many years of dedicated practice – it can take up to 20 years of stage performances to perfect it.” The opera is thought to date back to the Song Dynasty of the 12th century and involves music, singing, martial arts, acrobatics and acting. It has remained popular with older generations in southern China and, in Hong Kong, can still be viewed in the traditional outdoor ‘bamboo temporary theatres’ on outlying islands and small towns in the New Territories. Initially introduced to junior secondary school students, Ng is now preparing for the new senior secondary curriculum. “This has given us a window of opportunity. We are very lucky that at this moment the schools are planning an educational reform. Without it our project would not be possible.” Ng’s scheme has developed courses to train teachers and establish a school-based evaluation system to ensure that the opera is taught as part of the formal syllabus rather than as an extra-curricula activity. This is more likely to ensure that it is taken seriously as a study option. The elective module will include 28 contact hours, 35-40 lessons, all of which are being designed and prepared by Ng and her team. They are also training the teachers. As part of the project, which comes under the auspices of HKU’s Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research, opera stars and scriptwriters have also been drafted in to give talks in the classroom, and professional actors have toured the schools giving performances. One of China’s oldest art forms, Cantonese Opera, is being introduced to a new generation of youngsters. COVER STORY Breathing New Life into an Ancient Art Form 10 11