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South China Morning Post

Chinese Culture Festival upholds traditions while embracing innovation

Hong Kong's Chinese Culture Festival returns next month after last year's successful debut which attracted nearly 900,000 visitors during the four-month event. Advertisement This year's line-up of activities, which will also continue until September, promises much more ambitious plans in celebration of the inheritance, exchange and innovation of Chinese culture and history. It will feature more than 280 programmes, including world-class performances, film screenings, exhibitions, as well as a rich array of specially curated events and community and school activities. About 3,000 leading artists from 13 Chinese provinces, alongside overseas artists and local talent, will showcase their work at a range of different venues across the city. Ivy Ngai, chief manager of the Cultural Presentations Section at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, says the success of last year's festival led to many organisations asking to collaborate with organisers. Their participation has helped to enrich the programming this year by introducing innovative influences including absorbing contemporary elements to many classic productions, she says. New festival theme music, which combines elements of popular tunes, contemporary orchestra and traditional Chinese melodies, was unveiled at an event publicising this year's programmes. It was composed by award-winning musician Chris Babida, known for his work on the 2008 Beijing Olympics song, Light the Passion, Share the Dream. Advertisement The emphasis on innovation will be seen right from the opening programme, Dongpo: Life in Poems on June 13 and 14 – a dance performance which reinterprets the work and story of Su Dong-po, a Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) literary giant, by blending traditional and contemporary music, dance, poetry and painting. The production will be performed by the prestigious China Oriental Performing Arts Group and directed by Shen Wei, an internationally renowned multidisciplinary artist.