Overview of research work of Prof. Leung on Cantonese opera in Hong Kong and Guangzhou

It is important to recognise and transmit the importance of traditional music. Professor Bo-Wah Leung, Research Centre for Transmission of Cantonese Opera, The Education University of Hong Kong, recognises the value of this and wants to establish improved methods of communicating the cultural importance of Cantonese opera and thereby inspiring an appreciation for this among the current generation of young people as well as future generations. Bo-Wah founded the Research Centre in 2018 and this is where he leads various research projects devoted to improving how teachers can impart the importance of traditional music onto their students. Currently, Leung is working on a project called National education as cultural education: developing students' Chinese cultural identity with learning and teaching Cantonese opera in Hong Kong and Guangdong, with a view to surveying the current state of teaching the genre in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and Guangdong and determining the extent to which students' Chinese cultural identity have been developed through learning the genre. Leung believes there are significant research gaps regarding Cantonese opera and he is exploring the transmission of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong through school music education, community education and higher education. In doing so, he is filling research gaps, including the transmission modes of apprenticeship and conservatory tradition; students' motivation about learning Cantonese opera; teachers' confidence and interest in teaching Cantonese opera; the undergraduate programme and curriculum for nurturing professional Cantonese opera artists; creativity of Cantonese opera artists; and informal learning in community settings.

Construction of Leisure Consumer Loyalty from Cultural Identity—A Case of Cantonese Opera

Many regions and countries hope to employ cultural leisure products to obtain economic benefits. However, in the process of globalisation, cultural standardisation has posed difficulties for vulnerable cultures in terms of cultural inheritance and sustainable development. As with many intangible cultural heritages, Cantonese opera is also facing a shrinking market. Hence, to develop the strategy of sustainable development of Cantonese opera, this research aims to clarify the connection between cultural identity and loyalty in cultural leisure consumption in the context of Cantonese opera as a leisure product. The results show that each dimension of cultural identity has a positive effect on perceived value, and two dimensions positively affect satisfaction. The path of cultural identity building loyalty is also confirmed to be through perceived value and satisfaction. Future studies and the consequences of future practices are discussed.

Inside Chinese Theatre: Cantonese Opera in Canada

Opera theatre forms an important part of Chinese Canadian cultural history. Since first appearing in Victoria in the 1860s, Chinese theatres were woven into the community’s everyday life, performing Cantonese opera, the regional genre known to the majority of Chinese immigrants who came from the Pearl River Delta of southern China. A brief survey of historical city maps from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century shows their central role in Chinese Canadian community of the Pacific Northwest. Recent discovery of a Chinese theatrical company’s daily business receipts provides a window into the performance culture and daily operations of a Chinese theatre between 1916 and 1918 in Vancouver. This vibrant period of the 1910s paved the way for full-fledged theatre operation in the following decade that brought about a new era of Chinese opera performance in Canada.