Chinese Culture Festival 2026 to spotlight timeless legends and Sui-Tang splendour through modern lens of cultural continuity (with photos)
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Featuring distinguished artists and top-tier performing troupes from the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, the Festival will present more than 280 distinctive stage programmes and related extension activities, film screenings, thematic exhibitions, talks, workshops, as well as community and school activities.
A timeless legend: dance drama "Lady White Snake"
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The opening programme of this year's CCF is the dance drama "Lady White Snake", produced by the Shanghai Grand Theatre. With internationally renowned ballet artist Tan YuanYuan serving as artistic director, the production brings together top-tier artists from various disciplines, forming a "dream team" with popular Chinese Mainland dancers and overseas Chinese dance stars. Through a creative vocabulary that seamlessly blends ballet and Chinese dance, the production reinterprets a journey of self-exploration and discovery. The work retains classic scenes from "The Legend of the White Snake" such as "Borrowing the Umbrella on the West Lake" and "Flooding of Jinshan Temple", while employing Chinese cultural symbols like the great bell and the square and circle to construct an oriental stage aesthetic, forging resonance between the millennia-old legend and contemporary sensibilities.
A feast of masterpieces: Chinese Opera Festival
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The Chinese Opera Festival (COF), a core component of the CCF, adopts the theme "Righteousness and Loyalty in Chinese Opera" this year, presenting a selection of classic plays of legendary tales from various opera genres that honour the enduring spirit of loyalty and righteousness.
The kick-off programme, "Showcase of Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles", brings together top contemporary "wusheng" (martial male) actors from four major Peking opera troupes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Hubei. In the three-day performances, they will perform excerpts from stories based on the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "The Water Margin" and more, showcasing the exquisite skills and vocal artistry of Peking opera's martial male roles. In addition, China Theatre Plum Blossom Award winner Shi Xiaming will lead outstanding artists from the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre in bringing the complete two-part Kunqu opera masterpiece "A Dream Under the Southern Bough" to the Hong Kong stage for the first time. They will present a beautiful interpretation of the illusory journey of life, as depicted by Ming dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu. "A New Cantonese Opera 'Ancient Tune of Guangling'", featuring renowned local artists Loong Koon-tin, Tang Mi-ling, Yuen Siu-fai and Liu Kwok-sum, portrays Ji Kang, one of the "Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove" during the turmoil of the Wei-Jin era, showcasing the unyielding spirit and integrity of the literati.
This year's COF highlights three regional opera genres belonging to the "bangzi" vocal style - Yu opera (Henan Bangzi), Hebei Bangzi opera and Shangdang Bangzi opera - and has invited multiple Plum Blossom Award winners to showcase their artistry. Complementing Luoyang as the City in Focus of this year's CCF, the Director of the Luoyang Yu Opera Troupe and disciple of Yu opera master Ma Jinfeng, Guan Meili, will join Wang Hui and Jia Wenlong to perform the signature Ma school work "Mu Guiying Takes Command". From the Hebei Bangzi Opera Theatre of Hebei Province, Wu Guiyun, Qiu Ruide, Hao Shichao and Sun Na will present their representative works "Zhong Kui the Ghosteater" and "The Magic Lotus Lantern". Making its Hong Kong debut, the Shangdang Bangzi Opera Theatre of Jincheng City, led by Chen Suqin, a national-level intangible cultural heritage (ICH) representative bearer of Shangdang Bangzi opera, will perform the classic "The Banquet at Sanguan".
Brilliance on stage: distinctive productions
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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Bauhinia Culture Group will co-present two outstanding "Chinese Performing Arts Hong Kong Season" Series stage productions. The drama "The Code of The Dynasty", a Chinese-style suspense drama produced by the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, meticulously recreates Song dynasty costumes, architecture and various ICH performance forms, inviting audiences to uncover a treacherous murder mystery in the Song capital of Bianjing. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Acrobatic Troupe's acrobatic drama "Acrobatic Spectacle of Ancient Tang" revives the splendour of the Tang golden age through classic acrobatic feats such as flag spinning, plate spinning and bowls kicking on unicycles.
In the guqin recital "Resonance of Strings and Harmonics", representative inheritor of the national-level intangible cultural heritage of the art of guqin Yao Gongbai, will give his premiere performance of the guqin piece "Flowing Water", sourced from the version in the guqin tablature collection "Zhifa Huican Quejie" (1821). Choreographer Yan Xiaoqiang's multimedia dance work "Helix" harnesses the spiralling dynamics of Chinese dance to present a dialogue between traditional dance and modern technology. "City Under the Moon - Dance Drama 'Harmony in Eternal Melody'" by the Hubei Opera and Dance Drama Theater recreates 1:1 ancient musical instruments including bronze chime bells and more, embodying the cultural essence of the Chinese nation - "Rituals bring order to the universe, and music creates universal harmony".
This year, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Hong Kong Member Association (HKL&A) will continue to present multiple outstanding stage programmes at the CCF, including "Heluo Dance Gala: Tang Figurines Treading the Tune", "City of Lights: Spirits of the Past", "Echoes of the Silk Road•New Sounds of Hu Music" Concert and "Beautiful Hong Kong 2.0" - A Cross-Media Music Theatre. These events demonstrate the unity of the local cultural sector in promoting Chinese culture.
Supported by the China National Arts Fund (CNAF), the musical "Pan Yu Lin" by Actors' Family integrates drama, music, dance, visual arts and multimedia to portray the artistic pursuits and resilient character of Pan Yulin - China's first female Western-style painter. Also supported by CNAF, local suona player Ma Wai-him will perform at the "DidaBoy - Ma Wai-him: A Journey of Music and Joy" recital with a jazz band, creating new cross-genre sounds.
More exciting programmes include the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Cross-disciplinary Series: Grand Dance Poem "In Between - Wu Guanzhong's Ink Odyssey" co-presented by the Hong Kong Dance Company and the LCSD; the One Table Two Chairs Charitable Foundation's Nanyin Theatre "Siu Hei's Musical Journey: Poetry in Nanyin"; Hong Kong Music Lover Chinese Orchestra's "Tang Resonance - The Sound of Golden Bell IV: Zhang Haiyue and the HKMLCO"; the Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble's "The Echoes of Origin and Fate: Wong On-yuen and Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble"; and the LCSD Music Office's 2026 "Music-Get-Together" Music Office Trainees' Concerts - Chinese Music. Other contributing programmes include the Inner Mongolia Art Theatre's dance drama "Cavalry"; the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre's "The Diary of Song 2026"; the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra's The 50th Orchestral Season Opening Concert "Thousand Reeds, One Universe"; and Zuni Icosahedron's children arts tech music theatre "5 Elements East West".
Screen classics, legacy of the masters
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The Hong Kong Film Archive presents several thematic film series, including "Journeys to the West: Cinematic Dialogues Across Time", with the premieres of the newly 4K digitally restored versions of "A Chinese Odyssey Part One - Pandora's Box" (1995) and "A Chinese Odyssey Part Two - Cinderella" (1995); "Realising Art in Social Realism: The Miracle of Union Film" and "Gems of Chinese Opera Film". "Legacy and Vision: Conversations with Chinese Cultural Masters" lecture series organised by the HKL&A invites leading experts from various cultural and artistic fields to promote traditional culture through diverse topics.
For the dates and venues of the above-mentioned programmes, film screenings and lectures, please see the Annex. Tickets (except for certain programmes) will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from April 14 (Tuesday) onwards. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. A limited-time offer is available from April 14 to 30 for purchasing tickets of selected CCF programmes. The CCF also offers various discount schemes, such as group booking discounts, package booking discounts and the newly introduced "Generations Together 1+1" discount. For programme enquiries and various concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321/2268 7323/2268 7325 or visit the CCF website at www.ccf.gov.hk.
All-Access: free exhibitions and activities
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The "Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" exhibition, jointly presented by the LCSD and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, will feature a selection of over 165 pieces/sets of artefacts from Shaanxi and Hong Kong. The exhibition offers visitors a glimpse into the splendour of the Sui and Tang dynasties, while also unveiling the commercial and military ties with Hong Kong during the era. The HKL&A will organise two exhibitions: "Heluo Culture Bonds Hong Kong" Exhibition and "Echoes of the Sui & Tang: Ancient Attire and Modern Design" Exhibition. Featuring cultural relics, dynamic ICH demonstrations, reconstructed Sui-Tang attire and cross-disciplinary contemporary design, the exhibitions showcase the enduring vitality of Heluo culture and Sui-Tang aesthetics.
This year, the "Encountering Chinese Culture" Performing Arts Carnival will take place at Metroplaza in Kwai Fong, featuring excerpts from distinctive stage programmes and intangible cultural heritage performances. The Hong Kong Public Libraries will host a series of exhibitions, book displays and story theatres to introduce the social development and cultural landscape from the Han to Tang dynasties, bringing Chinese culture into communities across Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival 2026 will showcase enchanting lanterns on diverse themes, inviting the public to celebrate the festive season together.
The "Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series" encourages teachers and students to cultivate greater interest in Chinese culture through participating in a diverse range of CCF activities. The "Chinese Opera En Route to Campus" touring programme brings explanatory sessions, demonstration performances, interactive games and roving exhibitions directly to schools, enabling students to discover the artistic characteristics of Kunqu opera, Peking opera and Cantonese opera.
The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public's sense of national identity and cultural confidence, thereby facilitating patriotic education. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2026, please visit the above-mentioned CCF website.
Ends/Thursday, April 9, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:58
Issued at HKT 16:58
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