Festival set to showcase charm of Chinese culture
Tickets for the first Chinese Culture Festival in Hong Kong, to be staged from June through September, go on sale today, with discounts offered to early birds until May 3, the city government announced on Thursday.
About 2,000 artists and their production teams will bring plays, performances, movies, exhibitions, and seminars featuring Chinese culture to the city, which is expected to draw over 100,000 spectators, the government said.
At a news conference, the government said tickets for most performances at the festival will go on sale at the ticket office of the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and on the governmentrun Urbtix website.
By May 3, those who purchase more than four tickets for the same event can enjoy a discount of up to 30 percent, while people who buy tickets for more than three events at a time can also enjoy a discount of up to 30 percent.
Bulk buyers can get reduced discounts starting May 4.
The festival will open with the award-winning dance drama Five Stars Rise in the East presented by the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera on June 7 and 8. The show, which narrates the story of a general stationed on the country’s western border during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), will be held at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium.
Several arts groups gave brief demonstrations of their shows at a program parade on Thursday, including the opening drama and a drumming performance by local group Refiner Drums.
Addressing the preview parade, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, the city’s secretary for culture, sports and tourism, said that Hong Kong is a place where East meets West and has a wide international network.
He said that the festival, the first major branding project of the newly established Chinese Culture Promotion Office, aims to promote cultural exchanges and showcase the unique charm of Chinese culture to art enthusiasts and tourists worldwide.
The festival is designed to be an annual event, with each edition featuring a focus city to showcase its unique cultural attractions and foster its exchanges with Hong Kong.
Yeung said Shanghai was chosen as the focus city this year, with programs and exhibitions arranged by the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, and the Shanghai Museum.
Yeung said he hopes that the string of performances and events will deepen the public’s appreciation of Chinese culture and cultivate a stronger sense of national identity and cultural confidence among residents.
Selected plays from this year’s Chinese Opera Festival, an annual event established in 2010, will also take place alongside the festival.