Legend has it
Chinese Culture Festival in Hong Kong
Now in its third edition, Hong Kong’s Chinese Culture Festival returns with a programme built around the art of transformation, of ancient stories reborn and of classical forms reinvented
Since its inaugural edition in 2024, the Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) has welcomed more than 900,000 attendees each year; among them, the 20 to 59 age bracket now accounts for 70 per cent of those surveyed, representing a significant increase when compared with the first edition.
The Chinese Culture Festival aims to present Chinese culture as a living, evolving tradition rather than a conventional heritage showcase. According to Veron Lam, Chief Manager of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Cultural Presentations Section, the initiative focuses on showcasing how tradition can absorb new influences and generate modern forms. The 2026 edition, which takes place from June to September under the theme “Legends”, carries that idea further.
A legend transformed
The opening programme Lady White Snake, produced by the Shanghai Grand Theatre with internationally renowned ballet artist Tan YuanYuan as artistic director, takes one of the most familiar stories in the Chinese cultural canon and reimagines it in a way few adaptations have ever attempted. The tale of Bai Suzhen – the white snake spirit who falls in love with a mortal scholar – has been told across centuries of Chinese opera, fiction, film, television and animation. Tan YuanYuan’s production does not retell it. Instead, it reframes the legend from a psychological angle: not a love story but a spiritual exploration of a woman’s journey of self-discovery.
Within a stage design that fuses oriental aesthetics with technology, the production constructs two parallel realms where the ancient White Snake, Xu Xian and the monk Fa Hai are reimagined as wife, husband and psychotherapist in the contemporary world, with Xiao Qing, the Green Snake, embodying the untamed id in pursuit of selfhood that flits between the two worlds. The choreographic language moves fluidly between ballet, Chinese dance, contemporary dance and martial arts, offering a modern reinterpretation of the millennial folk legend. The iconic scenes, Borrowing the Umbrella on the West Lake and Flooding of Jinshan Temple, are retained, but in this production are experienced in an entirely new frame. Through the interplay of reality and illusion, the production creates a dialogue between contemporary life and the ancient world, resonating with today’s audiences.
A city at the heart of an era
This year, a curated selection of programmes focuses on the Sui and Tang dynasties, designating Luoyang – one of the great cosmopolitan centres of the ancient world – as the City in Focus, a choice whose unique history anchors the 2026 festival’s curatorial coherence. With Luoyang at its cultural heart, the Tang era stood as one of the most remarkable epochs of Chinese civilisation, defined by openness, creativity and cross-cultural exchange. “That spirit, and what it shows Chinese civilisation is capable of, is what drew us to Luoyang,” says Lam.
The Luoyang thread runs across multiple strands of the programme. On stage, the Luoyang Yu Opera Troupe, directed by Guan Meili, a disciple of the legendary Yu Opera master Ma Jinfeng, presents signature Ma School works including Mu Guiying Takes Command. In the exhibition galleries, two complementary programmes build a remarkably rich picture of the era: the “Heluo Culture Bonds Hong Kong” exhibition draws on three thematic sections of Henan intangible cultural heritage, from tricolour glazed ceramics to Luoyang paper-cutting. Meanwhile “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Prosperity and Magnificence―Civilisation of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province” exhibition brings more than 165 pieces and sets of artefacts from 11 Shaanxi cultural institutions, including 18 National Grade-One relics, some of which were unearthed from Famen Temple and Hejia Village.
The opera at the heart of the festival
Now in its 14th year as a brand programme, the Chinese Opera Festival (COF) sits at the heart of the CCF. The 2026 edition, themed “Righteousness and Loyalty in Chinese Opera”, showcases six distinct genres: Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Cantonese Opera, Yu Opera, Hebei Bangzi Opera and Shangdang Bangzi Opera. Both Yu Opera and Shangdang Bangzi Opera are rare treasures on Hong Kong stages, with the Luoyang Yu Opera Troupe and Shangdang Bangzi Opera Theatre of Jincheng City making their highly anticipated local debut. “Chinese opera is not a single tradition but a vast family of genres, each shaped by a distinct geography and history,” explains Lam. “Each carries its own emotional register, its own way of defining human experience. That extraordinary breadth is exactly what we want new audiences to discover.”
The COF opens with “Showcase of Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles”, led by Xi Zhonglu, celebrated as the foremost wusheng (martial male role) performer of his generation. Joining him are leading wusheng artists from four major mainland troupes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Hubei, performing repertoires from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. The China Theatre Plum Blossom Award winner Shi Xiaming leads the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre in the complete two-part staging of Tang Xianzu’s A Dream Under the Southern Bough. And in A New Cantonese Opera Ancient Tune of Guangling, Cantonese Opera virtuoso Loong Koon-tin will portray Ji Kang, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, and stage the performance with Tang Mi-ling, Yuen Siu-fai, Liu Kwok-sum and a cast of emerging artists.
Hong Kong’s own voice
Hong Kong’s position at the meeting point of Chinese heritage and global exchange grants it a rare cultural fluency. “We aim to be the window into Chinese culture for the world,” says Lam, “and the perspective from that window is uniquely shaped by where we stand.” The musical Pan Yu Lin, produced by Actors’ Family and supported by the China National Arts Fund, integrates drama, music, dance, visual arts and multimedia to chronicle the life of Pan Yulin. The production traces the journey of China’s first female Western-style painter as she moved between Shanghai and Paris, between Chinese tradition and Western modernism. “That layered perspective is precisely Hong Kong’s contribution to this conversation,” Lam continues. As an original Hong Kong production, it demonstrates the breadth of creative voices the festival brings together.
Also supported by the China National Arts Fund, young local music talent Ma Wai-him (alias DidaBoy) takes a distinct approach by fusing suona and houguan, traditional Chinese double-reed wind instruments, with jazz. His recital embodies a core philosophy championed by the festival, that cultural heritage is not a matter of passive preservation, but an act of dynamic, creative reimagining.
Beyond the stage
The CCF’s reach extends well beyond the theatre walls. The “Encountering Chinese Culture” Performing Arts Carnival brings stage highlights and intangible cultural heritage performances straight into the community, while the “Chinese Opera En Route to Campus” initiative delivers Kunqu Opera, Peking Opera and Cantonese Opera directly into schools. On screen, the Hong Kong Film Archive’s “Journeys to the West: Cinematic Dialogues Across Time” series presents six films in three cross-era pairings. This includes the world premiere of the newly 4K restored A Chinese Odyssey Part One – Pandora’s Box (1995) and A Chinese Odyssey Part Two – Cinderella (1995), exploring how a singular legend transforms across generations of cinema. In addition, a new “Generations Together 1+1” ticketing scheme extends this cultural invitation further still, specially designed to bring different generations to the same performance.
Designated a Signature Arts and Cultural Flagship Project in Hong Kong’s 2025 Policy Address, the CCF enters its third edition with expanding ambition and a rapidly growing audience. What the 2026 programme makes abundantly clear is that Chinese culture is not a fixed inheritance to be merely displayed, but a living tradition – proving that the most enduring legends are always the ones that continue to find new ways to be told.
“We want the CCF to be an international destination, a festival that draws visitors to Hong Kong specifically to experience Chinese culture, leaving them with a profound sense that this culture is alive, deeply relevant and entirely worth the journey.”
The Chinese Culture Festival 2026 runs from June to September. To discover more, visit ccf.gov.hk
Tan YuanYuan, Artistic Director of Lady White Snake
As a highly experienced dancer and performer, you are taking on the role of Artistic Director for the first time to produce a dance drama. What was the most significant challenge about this transition from performer to director?
The transition brought a fundamental shift in responsibility ― from being responsible for oneself to being accountable for an entire production. Years on stage, and the exacting attention to detail that a performing life demands, sharpened my artistic judgment and gave me the confidence to make creative decisions across every element of the work. That same experience kept me open to other art forms and ways of thinking which helped me to make Lady White Snake what it is: a work that brings oriental stage aesthetics and a contemporary spirit into honest conversation with each other.
From the vast repertoire of Chinese folk legends, what initially inspired you to choose The Legend of the White Snake and adapt it into a dance drama for
the stage?
As a child, I often heard my mother retelling this story, and that connection to it has stayed with me ever since. From Shanghai to the international stage, I have performed classic Western ballets for more than 30 years, and throughout that time I have wanted to integrate ballet with Eastern culture to tell Chinese stories well.
Lady White Snake offers new contemporary symbolism by reimagining an ancient legend. It is no longer a traditional love story, but an exploration of self-discovery and the awakening of female power. In bringing it to the stage, we draw on ballet, Chinese dance, contemporary dance and martial arts. Through physical expression and emotional depth, the work traces the inner transformation of each character, while remaining rooted in an oriental aesthetic that speaks to audiences today. I hope that audiences can feel the charm and recognise the enduring vitality of Chinese culture.
Zhou Ke, Director of Lady White Snake
Lady White Snake reframes the classic legend as a psychological drama, a spiritual exploration of a woman’s journey of self-discovery rather than a love story, with Fa Hai reimagined as psychotherapist and Xiao Qing
(Green Snake) embodying the untamed id. Can you share the idea behind this?
If the evolution of the Lady White Snake story traces the changing image of women from the Tang and Song dynasties, then what dilemma do women face today? Did Lady White really ascend to heaven with Xu Xian and live happily ever after? What, too, of the Green Snake? Was she a servant, a sister or another facet of Lady White herself? It was from these questions that the current dance drama took shape.
The white snake and the green snake represent two sides of a single person. The former embodies the gentle, virtuous image of womanhood that society expects: she represents the ego. The latter is full of curiosity, adventurous spirit and desire ― she represents the id. Meanwhile, Monk Fa Hai symbolises human obsession, while Xu Xian is a symbol of traditional values, representing love, family and career success. When a husband shapes his wife in the name of love, causing her to lose her sense of self, how different is that from imprisoning her beneath a pagoda? The external pagoda may have fallen, but the one within the mind remains.
The production brings together ballet, Chinese dance, contemporary dance and martial arts. How does that work in reality?
We wanted to place Western ballet and Chinese dance in dialogue on the same stage, seeking integration through contrast. Ballet’s rigorous training and refined aesthetic system make it the natural language for the domesticated wife, while Chinese dance, with its freedom and expressiveness, better captures Xiao Qing. For the women caught in the repetition of daily life, contemporary dance felt most authentic. And for the great dramatic set pieces, such as Snake-Monk Battle and Flooding of Jinshan Temple, a combination of Chinese martial arts and classical dance choreography gave us what we needed.
Loong Koon-tin, Cantonese Opera virtuoso
Ji Kang, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, is a scholar-hero defined by his artistic integrity and unyielding spirit. How do you feel his story speaks to the “Legends” theme of CCF 2026?
Ji Kang was the spiritual leader of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” and an outstanding scholar, thinker and musician in the Wei and Jin eras. During those troubled times, he fought against the powerful political camp of the day with an unyielding integrity that ultimately cost him his life, an act that became a legend in itself.
Despite Ji Kang’s exceptional talents, he chose the company of friends instead of succumbing to power. Even when sentenced to death, he remained calm, performing the Ancient Tune of Guangling one final time. He used his life to defend his dignity and left behind a piece of music that has echoed across the centuries. This speaks directly to the festival’s theme of “Legends”, because true legends are never about flawless deeds, but about those who dare to stand tall in the face of tragic fate, and whose spirit continues to influence generations long after they are gone.
Ancient Tune of Guangling sits within this year’s Chinese Opera Festival theme of “Righteousness and Loyalty”. How does Ji Kang’s story embody those values, and what does Cantonese Opera bring to that narrative?
Ji Kang’s “loyalty” was not blind devotion, but loyalty to his own heart and principles. His wife was a descendant of the Cao royal family, and as he watched the Sima clan gradually seize power, he refused to submit. This steadfast adherence to both his origins and his convictions is what “loyalty” means here. As for “righteousness”, his decision to stand up for the Lü brothers ultimately cost him his life, a gesture of justice that remains deeply moving.
I believe Cantonese Opera is the ideal form through which to tell this story. Ji Kang’s character holds both tragic gravity and romantic charm, and the opera gives full expression to both. The silence of the execution ground, the mournful strains of the guqin, the stillness of 3,000 grieving literati create a powerful tragic beauty, achieved through minimal gesture and movement rather than elaborate staging. The lyrics of Cantonese Opera are elegant, beautiful and condensed, and are as refined as Tang and Song poetry. Works like Ancient Tune of Guangling, interpreted in Cantonese Opera, can shift the audience’s point of view onto the upright Ji Kang and feel his aloof scholarly style.
The production features both experienced artists like Yuen Siu-fai and Tang Mi-ling alongside you, as well as younger artists. How does performing with artists across generations shape the experience for an audience who may be new to the form?
For new audiences, established artists offer something invaluable: the reassurance of mastery. Their vocal tone, physical expression and distinctive personal styles, refined over decades, demonstrate the full depth of what Cantonese Opera can achieve. Younger performers bring a different quality: fresher energy and a natural vitality in the younger roles.
Seeing both generations share the same stage allows audiences to witness operatic heritage in the act of being passed on. That sense of living continuity is, perhaps, what draws new audiences closest to the art form, not just watching Cantonese Opera, but understanding where it has come from and where it is going.
Yao Gongbai
You will be giving the premiere performance of Flowing Water sourced from the version of Zhifa Huican Quejie tablature collection of 1821. How does this fit within the broader programme of “Resonance of Strings and Harmonics”?
High Mountain Flowing Water is one of the most celebrated works in the guqin repertoire. Like much of the instrument’s repertoire, it has rarely remained unchanged across the centuries. This recital presents the earliest known realistic version of Flowing Water, the parent source of the piece as it is performed today, offering a rare glimpse into how the music has evolved over the past two hundred years.
Guqin tablature tells a performer how to play, but the sound itself must be discovered. How do you approach bringing a piece from 1821 to life for a modern-day audience?
Guqin tablature only records the pitch and limited rhythmic pauses of a piece. As for the full rhythm and melody, they are gradually revealed by the arranger through repeatedly interpreting the notation, sounding out the music note by note, and bringing out the rhythmic flow and melodic line. The 1821 version of Flowing Water achieved its realistic expressiveness and artistic conception through my repeated playing and meticulous refinement.
You are among the inaugural representative inheritors of the art of guqin as a national-level Intangible Cultural Heritage. What does that responsibility mean to you?
As a national-level representative inheritor of guqin art, I feel both a responsibility and an obligation to carry forward not only the traditional skills of the instrument, but also the broader body of guqin scholarship that surrounds it. My aim is to help more people understand guqin music and its place within traditional Chinese culture, not simply by learning about its long history, but by experiencing, firsthand, the particular beauty of this ancient music as it was always meant to be heard.
