Opening event of Lingnan Arts Festival 2014 - Excerpts of Cantonese opera classic The Purple Hairpin

  More than 700 students, staff and guests of Lingnan University, as well as members of the public, attended the opening performance of Lingnan Arts Festival 2014 – Excerpts of Cantonese opera classic The Purple Hairpin – on 6 March.

  Four acts of the masterpiece, “Dropped Hairpin, Lantern Shadows”, "Farewell at the Yang Pass”, "Encounter with the Chivalrous Swordsman” and "Reunion of Sword and Hairpin”, were performed by rising stars of Cantonese opera Ling-yan, Samantha Chan Chak-lui, Leung Wai-hong, Karen Wang Kit-ching, Lam Man-sing and So Wing-kong.

  Since its debut in 1957, the libretto of The Purple Hairpin has been revised several times. As a result, some original ideas of its playwright, the late Mr Tong Dik-sang, have been lost. This performance was an attempt to restore the opera classic to its original. Some lines are thus different from those in the greatly popular album version performed by Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin and other leading artists in 1966.

  The diverse, month-long programme of Lingnan Arts Festival 2014 includes art exhibitions, Chinese, Western classical and jazz music performances, film screenings and seminars by renowned artists, writer-in-residence Su Tong and artist-in-residence Bellini Yu. For programme details and reservation, please visit: http://www.ln.edu.hk/arts/af2014/.