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Chinese Opera Festival to present Guangdong Quadrangle folk concerts

     The Chinese Opera Festival will present “Guangdong Quadrangle – Four Folk Music Types in Concert” in June and July. The programme will showcase four indigenous art forms of Guangdong folk music which are worthy of preservation because of their historical and retention values.
 
     To encourage a comprehensive revival of these musical folk art forms, the renowned percussion ensemble leader Ko Yun-kuen will lead a five-piece ensemble in a revival of sounds of the “bayin” troupes in their heyday. Yuen Siu-fai, a renowned Cantonese opera actor, and Leung Hoi-li, a young singer of “nanyin”, will perform the narrative singing items of “banyan”, “moyuge” and “nanyin”. A Cantonese music ensemble led by Yu Siu-wah and Chan Chi-chun will perform classics such as “Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake” and “The Peacock in Its Full Glory”. Yuen Siu-fai, Ng Chin-fung and Sun Kim-long will sing the classic repertoire, including “Jia Baoyu’s Lament for the Wrong Match in the Arranged Marriage” and “Waiting in the West Chamber under the Moon” in the classic singing style.
 
     The titular “Guangdong Quadrangle” is a figurative description of the combined showcase of four indigenous Guangdong musical art forms. They are “dabayin”, narrative singing, Cantonese music and the Cantonese operatic song in classic singing style. Among the local community “Dabayin” is also called “luogugui” or “percussion in a cabinet”. In 1854, when Cantonese opera was banned, the “bayin” troupes used “suona” in two different sizes (and hence two different pitches) to mimic the vocal ranges of “sheng” (male) and “dan” (female) roles in Cantonese opera. Narrative singing is one of the essential elements of the ballad-singing system in Guangdong, and can be subdivided into “nanyin”, “moyuge” (singing with woodblock beat), “banyan” and “longzhou”. Among them, “nanyin” and “moyuge” have been inscribed onto the listing of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
 
     Cantonese music is distinguished by the south China temperament. The Cantonese operatic song in classic singing style involves the ancient provenance of the central plains, where Chinese traditional theatre originated. Today almost all Cantonese opera productions are performed in the Cantonese dialect, and few actors can sing with the correct enunciation and vernacular traits in the classic singing style. Traditional theatre is an art that needs to be passed on from mentor to mentee with one-on-one attention. As old veteran artists bow out, there are no followers to carry on their legacy. It is necessary for the present generation to safeguard these art forms that are on the verge of extinction. 
 
     The programme includes the “dabayin” pieces “Jin-Fan-Kai”, “An Ingot of Gold”, “The Advent of Spring”, “Wuzhao Pass”; Cantonese music “A Monk Misses His Wife”, “The Toll of the Temple Bell”, “Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake”; narrative singing performances featuring “moyuge”, “The Fable of the Ungrateful Wolf” and the “nanyin” excerpt from “Nocturnal Lament”; and the Cantonese operatic songs in classic singing style “Jia Baoyu’s Lament for the Wrong Match in the Arranged Marriage”, “Waiting in the West Chamber under the Moon”, “Rendezvous at the Monastery of Sweet Dew”.
 
     Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District, “Guangdong Quadrangle – Four Folk Music Types in Concert” (with Chinese and English surtitles) will be staged at 7.30pm on June 25 and 26 (Tuesday and Wednesday) at the Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall; and at 7.30pm from July 4 to 7 (Thursday to Sunday) at the Tea House Theatre, Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District. Ticket price ranging from $230 to $430 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) and the Xiqu Centre Ticket Office. For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.cof.gov.hk/2019/en/guangdong.html.
 
     There will also be talks and exhibitions. All talks will be held at AC2, Level 4, Administration Building of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Free admission for the talks and exhibitions with details as follows:
 
Talk – The Dying Art of Narrative Singing in Cantonese Music
May 3 (Friday) 7.30pm
Speaker: Yuen Siu-fai
Moderator: Chan Chi-chun
 
Talk – “Of Guangdong” and “In Music” – The Two Essential Elements of Cantonese Music
May 22 (Wednesday) 7.30pm
Speaker: Yu Siu-wah
Moderator: Chan Chi-chun
 
Talk – “Dabayin” and Cantonese Operatic Song in Classic Singing Style
May 29 (Wednesday) 7.30pm
Speakers: Yuen Siu-fai, Ko Yun-kuen, Ko Yun-hung
Moderator: Musette Tsang
 
Talk – The Way Forward for the Four Indigenous Musical Arts of Guangdong
July 16 (Tuesday) 7.30pm
Speakers: Yuen Siu-fai, Yu Siu-wah, Ko Yun-kuen, Ko Yun-hung
Moderator: Chan Chi-chun
 
Exhibition – The Four Indigenous Musical Arts of Guangdong: Where Have All These Genres Gone?
June 7 – 23 / Foyer Exhibition Area, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
June 20 – July 8 / Foyer, Hong Kong City Hall
June 25 – July 7 / Exhibition Gallery, Ko Shan Theatre New Wing
July 1 – October 1 / Arts Resource Centre, 10/F, Hong Kong Central Library
July 3 – 8 / Foyer, Tuen Mun Town Hall
July 23 – August 4 / Exhibition Corner, Yuen Long Theatre read more

East Asia

Unemployment and underemployment statistics for February – April 2019

     According to the latest labour force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for February – April 2019) released today (May 20) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 2.8% in February – April 2019, same as that in January – March 2019. The underemployment rate also remained unchanged at 1.0% in the two periods.
 
     Comparing February – April 2019 with January – March 2019, movements in the unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) and underemployment rate in different industry sectors varied, but were generally small in magnitude.

     Total employment increased by around 4 600 from 3 860 400 in January – March 2019 to 3 865 000 in February – April 2019. Over the same period, the labour force also increased by around 6 500 from 3 970 800 to 3 977 300.

     The number of unemployed persons (not seasonally adjusted) increased by around 1 900 from 110 400 in January – March 2019 to 112 300 in February – April 2019. Over the same period, the number of underemployed persons decreased by around 900 from 38 900 to 38 000.

Commentary

     Commenting on the latest unemployment figures, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong said, “The labour market stayed tight in February – April 2019, with the unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) and the underemployment rate remaining unchanged at 2.8% and 1.0% respectively.”

     “When compared to the preceding three-month period, movements in sectoral unemployment rates varied but were mostly small in magnitude. On a year-on-year basis, the unemployment situation improved in many major service sectors. In particular, the unemployment rate of the retail, accommodation and food services sector declined further on the back of sustained expansion in inbound tourism.”

     Looking ahead, Dr Law said, “The labour market is expected to remain largely stable in the near term. Nevertheless, given the still challenging external environment, the Government will keep a close watch over development of the local labour market.”

     He noted that the Labour Department (LD) is running a special programme – “Career Let’s Go” from May to August 2019 to help this year’s secondary school leavers find suitable work. Among others, various training courses will be organised under the “Youth Employment Start”. These include assisting graduates to enhance their job-interview skills; and providing graduates with career assessment and career consultation services.

     On large-scale job fairs, the LD will co-organise the Hong Kong International Airport Career Expo 2019 with the Airport Authority Hong Kong from May 31 to June 2 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Ample vacancies involving the aviation industry and airport operation will be provided. The LD will also organise the Kowloon East Job Fair from June 20 to 21 at the Yau Tong Community Hall and about 50 employers will participate.  

Further information

     The unemployment and underemployment statistics were compiled from the findings of the continuous General Household Survey.

     The survey for February – April 2019 covered a sample of some 26 000 households or 74 000 persons, selected in accordance with a scientifically designed sampling scheme to represent the population of Hong Kong.

     Data on labour force characteristics were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the sampled households.

     In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organization.

     Detailed analysis of labour force characteristics is given in the “Quarterly Report on General Household Survey” which is published four times a year. The latest issue of the publication contains statistics for the quarter October – December 2018 while the next issue covering the quarter January – March 2019 will be available by end-May 2019. Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp200.jsp?productCode=B1050001).

     For enquiries about labour force statistics, please contact the Household Statistics Analysis Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2887 5508 or email: ghs@censtatd.gov.hk). read more

East Asia