12——13/7 (Fri-Sat) 7:30pm
14/7 (Sun) 2:30pm
Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District
With Chinese and English surtitles.
Members of the audience are strongly advised to arrive punctually. Latecomers and those who leave their seats during the performance will only be admitted and allowed to return to their seats respectively during the intermission or at a suitable break.
Enquiries: 2268 7325 (Programme) /
3166 1100 (Ticketing)
Booking: 3166 1288 / www.urbtix.hk
The Fujian Fanghua Yue Opera Troupe was founded by the great master Yin Guifang, whose elegant and expressive acting style made her one of the foremost performers of xiaosheng (young male) roles. 2024 marks the 105th birth anniversary of Yin Guifang. Three leading performers, including Wang Junan, Yin's fifth-generation disciple, Li Min and Zheng Quan, will embody the elegant roles created by Yin.
The Jade Dragonfly is a work tailor-made for Wang Junan by Yin Guifang. Wang plays two characters in this story. ,Liu Yong is Wang Junan's representative work, for which she won the Plum Blossom Award. In addition to these works, the troupe will be presenting classic opera excerpts. Actors of different generations will come together to showcase the beauty of inheritance.
12/7 7:30pm
Liu Yong
Liu Yong, a Yue Opera play tailor-made by the late renowned playwright Wang Renjie for Wang Junan, for which the latter won the prestigious China Theatre Plum Blossom Award, is testament to Wang’s determination to develop and hand down the Yin (Guifang) School of Yue operatic art. Interweaving six classic poems penned by the Northern Song poet Liu Yong, the production relates the romantic, dilemma-filled and legendary life story of the poet. Wang Junan meticulously interprets Liu Yong's youthful frivolity and unappreciated talent, breaking away from his usual gentlemanly image. With a hoarse voice, he presents a lamentation of old age, allowing the audience to deeply feel Liu Yong's inner transformation in the face of changing times. The performance is extremely challenging and definitely not to be missed.
Main Cast: Wang Junan, Zheng Quan, Chen Cuihong, Zou Meiying, Mao Xiaoge, Shen Min, Xing Lihua
13/7 7:30pm
The Jade Dragonfly
In 1989, Yin Guifang tailor-made an original Yue Opera titled The Jade Dragonfly for Wang Junan, who portrayed both Shen Guisheng and his son Shen Yuanzai, showcasing the difference in maturity as a husband and a son. Li Min, who played Wang Zhizhen, showcased the contrast in her character's transformation from a girl to a mother. The production thoughtfully arranged two acts in similar settings, presenting the main themes of love and mother-child relationships, thereby creating a cohesive narrative. A unique vocal style is specifically created for the character Xu Yanzai, nicknamed ‘The deep, deep waves of the Eastern Sea’. The scene Persuading the Three Mothers constitutes the climax of the entire drama. The time-tested pairing of Wang Junan and Li Min as male and female leads is much loved and anticipated by fans of Yue Opera.
Main Cast: Wang Junan, Li Min, Chen Cuihong, Wu Minfei, Xing Lihua, Shen Min
14/7 2:30pm
Showcase of Yue Opera Excerpt Classics of the Yin Guifang Style
The three generations of artists from the Fanghua Yue Opera Troupe gather on stage to showcase their collective singing skills through classic works of the Yin School of Yue Opera. This is a rare opportunity to appreciate the beauty of these inherited masterpieces, interpreted by both seasoned artists and young stars in a single performance.
Seeking out His Wife at the Mulberry Orchard from He Wenxiu
Main Cast: Qiu Jie, Luan Xiaojie, Xing Bier, Mao Xiaoge, Wang Siying
Delivering a Message from For the Love of the Country
Main Cast: Zhao Ye, Tang Wanying
The Cold Moon over the Mountain Pass from Prince Xinling
Main Cast: Xing Lihua, Zhu Hongbo
Wedding Night from Questioning His Wife and Demanding to Find His Wife
Main Cast: Wang Siying, Zhang Qianqian
The Cold Crescent Moon from The Desolate Moon in the Lonesome Palace of Liao
Main Cast: Chen Cuihong, Chang Jing, Tang Liyun
Fortune-Telling from The Prince of the Desert
Main Cast: Mao Lexiao, Zhao Yang
Reading Romance of the Western Chamber from The Dream of the Red Chamber
Main Cast: Qiu Jie, Yu Aili
Judge Bao Begs for Forgiveness from Chisang Town
Main Cast: Shen Min, Fang Xiaoying, Liu Qiuchun, Xing Yujing
Fortune-Telling from He Wenxiu
Main Cast: Mao Xiaoge, Wu Bingyao, Zhang Haiyan, Zhao Si
The Lotus Pavilion from Questioning His Wife and Demanding to Find His Wife
Main Cast: Wang Junan, Li Min
The running time of each performance is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes including an intermission of 15 minutes.
Co-presented by
Yue opera
Yue Opera, originating from the local dialect and folk music in Shengxian County, Zhejiang Province, has evolved significantly over the past century. Characterised primarily by the Banqiang Style, which involves accompaniment by a small drum and wood clappers, Yue Opera incorporates various musical schools. Yue Opera singers do not paint faces; instead, performers convey their characters' innermost experiences through expressive acting and vocal performance, comparable to musicals. Yue Opera covers a wider range of subjects than other regional operatic genres, making it very appealing to audiences.
Yue Opera first developed from the narrative singing genre known as Luodi Changshu. In its early days, it was a modest form of theatrical entertainment with performances by a small troupe accompanied by two percussive instruments, a dugu and a tanban. This form of performance led to the troupe being called a didu troupe or xiaoge troupe. As these itinerant troupes gained wider recognition in the southeastern part of Zhejiang province, the vocal performances began to incorporate more instruments, and the melodic elements became more complex.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, the troupes assimilated vocal patterns from Shaoxing Opera and dance movements from Peking Opera to enrich their content. To differentiate themselves from the larger-scale original Shaoxing Opera troupes, they renamed themselves Shaoxing wenxi, or 'Shaoxing civil plays'. By the 1940s, Yue Opera had completed its transformation with a fully established production system, enhancements to costumes, make-up, stage sets and lighting. By incorporating outstanding features of Kunqu and stage plays, Yue Opera had matured into a full-fledged performing art.