Hong Kong audiences have been awaiting a rerun of the Cantonese opera "The Return of Lady Wenji", and their wait will finally be over in August. Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the opera forms part of its "Chinese Opera Festival". Performers will include Cantonese opera stars Yuen Siu-fai, Chan Ho-kau, Yau Sing-po, together with renowned artists Lee Lung, Chan Wing-yee and Lai Yiu-wai.

     The original script of the play and the character of Cai Wenji were written and tailored for Chan Ho-kau by playwrights Yuen Siu-fai and the late Yip Siu-tak in 1997. The story depicts the helplessness and sadness of Wenji as she returns from foreign lands to her homeland, leaving her husband and son behind. In particular, Yip was invited to write the lyrics for the singing part in the scene "Farewell to the Wife". When the play debuted, the superb performances of Yuen Siu-fai and Chan Ho-kau and their intricate interpretation brought out the most intense melancholy of the couple's eternal farewell and the separation of mother and son.

     For the return journey to Han, Chan Ho-kau brilliantly interpreted Wenji's yearning for her husband and son, her complete devastation striking the hearts of the audience. In this rerun, Lee Lung and Chan Wing-yee have been specially invited to act as Dong Si and Lady Bian respectively. The accompanying percussion and ensemble music by the Ko brothers complement and highlight the emotional performance of the opera stars of different generations. Cao Cao, another of the play's leading characters, will be played by Yau Sing-po. In the end, Cao's wife, Lady Bian, speaks of how Cao has ruined Wenji's happiness, despite his good intentions. Performing the theme song in the final scene, Chan Ho-kau brings out the desolation of a mother and a wife who can never reunite with her family, to an accompaniment by the Ko brothers.

     The story takes place in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280). Cai Wenji, the daughter of Cai Yong, is famous for her accomplishments in literature and music. She is captured by a Xiongnu (Huns) chieftan, the Wise Prince of the Left, during the chaotic times of war. He admires her artistic gifts and finally wins her heart, so the two become husband and wife. Twelve years later, Cao Cao has gained power and is the prime minister of Han. He remembers his old friend, the historian Cai Yong, who had left no heir to continue his monumental written work, "The Book of Han". So he sends an envoy to the Huns, expressing his willingness to pay a large ransom for Cai's release and return to Han. He envisions that she will pick up the work from where her father left off, and, feeling grateful and indebted to him, she would write him favourably into the historical archives. What Cao has misunderstood is that while he may have had good intent, the heartless severance of Cai from her family in Hun will take away all her happiness. A wife and mother, she will never be able to see her husband and son again. She is so heartbroken that she grieves to the end. On her long journey back to Han, Lady Cai pours out her heart in a song cycle with lyrics, which she writes, and which includes the masterpiece, "Eighteen Variations on a Hu Pipe Melody".

     "The Return of Lady Wenji" will be staged at 7.30pm on August 7 and 8 (Tuesday and Wednesday) at the Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre; and at 2.30pm on August 12 (Sunday) at the Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall. Tickets priced from $150 to $450 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk).

     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.

     A Meet-the-Artists session featuring Yuen Siu-fai and Lai Yiu-wai with Barbara Tang as moderator will be held at 7.30pm on August 15 (Wednesday) at AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Admission is free. Limited seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     HKMC Annuity Limited (HKMCA), wholly-owned by The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC), announced today (July 5) the official launch of the life annuity scheme and named the scheme "HKMC Annuity Plan" (the Plan). Hong Kong Permanent Residents aged 65 years or above can register their intent to subscribe for the Plan within the Registration Period which will last for three weeks' time from July 19 to August 8.
 
     The HKMCA held a launch ceremony for HKMC Annuity Plan today. The Chairman of the HKMC and the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said at the ceremony, "The Plan launched today will offer another option of financial arrangement for retired people. Under the Plan, retirees can turn part of their savings into life-long streams of guaranteed, stable and fixed annuity income, so that they can make early planning and better enjoy their retirement lives. Since the Annuity Plan was announced last year, the feedback from the community has been very positive. I am glad to announce that if there is an oversubscription of the Plan by the public, the HKMCA is prepared to double the first tranche quota from currently HK$10 billion to HK$20 billion."
 
     The Plan is an insurance product. The insured can immediately receive a guaranteed stream of fixed income after paying a single premium. The annuity is payable monthly for the whole of life of the insured.

     The Chairman and Executive Director of the HKMCA and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Mr Norman Chan, said, "The HKMA will lend its full support and collaboration to the Plan. Apart from providing the capital required, the HKMA will invest and manage the premium received by the HKMCA, with a view to obtaining a stable long-term investment return, in order to provide a solid foundation to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of the Plan. The Plan can offer the public an attractive financial arrangement for retirement and can also foster the development of the local annuity market."

     The distribution channel of the Plan covers 20 retail banks in Hong Kong (see Annex 3) with a total of around 700 designated branches. There is a two-stage distribution process:

First stage – Registration of Subscription Intention (July 19 to August 8)

     Applicants can obtain the Subscription Intention Forms at any one of the Agent Banks' designated branches* starting from next Monday (July 9), and submit the completed Subscription Intention Forms within the Registration Period (July 19 to August 8). Alternatively they can register online their intent to subscribe for the Plan at the HKMCA website within the Registration Period. The applicant is not required to pay premium at this stage but will need to fill in some basic personal information, the Intended Subscription Amount and choose three Intended Agent Banks which will assist in completing the application procedures in the second stage.  Applicants should fill in the Intended Subscription Amount according to their needs and affordability.
 
     A random balloting will be conducted by the HKMCA for all eligible applicants to determine their application sequence. According to this application sequence and the order of preference of the three Intended Agent Banks as indicated in the Subscription Intention Form by the applicant, the applicant will be assigned to an Agent Bank to attend a scheduled sales meeting. 

     The HKMCA will try its best to satisfy the demand of the applicants as much as possible under prudent risk management principles. The HKMCA will set an allotment threshold if the total subscription amount exceeds the final issue size. Applicants whose Intended Subscription Amounts are smaller than or equal to the threshold will be fully allotted. Other applicants will only be allotted up to that threshold. However this only represents the Allotted Amount to the applicant in the first stage because the final premium amount that can be accepted will depend on the results of the financial needs analysis conducted for the applicant within the second stage of the application process.
 
Second Stage – Completion of the application procedures (End-September 2018 to March 2019)

     Applicants will receive the notices of allotment result in succession starting from mid-September, and will be arranged to attend the sales meetings to complete the application procedures. Financial needs analysis will be conducted during the sales meeting to confirm whether it is appropriate for the applicant to fully purchase the Allotted Amount. The applicant will pay the premium after the sales meeting, and receive the Guaranteed Monthly Annuity Payment commencing from the next month. Due to an expected large number of applicants, the sales period for the Plan this time to complete all of the distribution procedures is expected to last for half a year until March 2019. 
 
     In case the processing capacity of the applicant's three Intended Agent Banks is fully-utilised, the applicant may be assigned to other Agent Banks with capacity or to the Application Servicing Centre set up by the HKMCA to complete the application procedures.
 
     Detailed information of the Plan will be uploaded to the HKMCA website (www.hkmca.hk) next Monday. The public can also obtain an illustration summary of the annuity benefits for reference through the HKMC Annuity Plan Online Calculator from next Monday onwards. For public enquiries, please call 2512 5000.

*Not only confined to the designated branches of the three Intended Agent Banks chosen by the applicant. The list of designated branches of the Agent Banks participating in the distribution of the Plan can be found at the HKMCA website.

    

     The Government announced today (July 5) the appointment of Mr Victor Lam Wai-kiu as Government Chief Information Officer following an open-cum-in-service recruitment exercise. Mr Lam will take up the appointment on July 6, 2018 to succeed Mr Allen Yeung Tak-bun, who has departed upon completion of agreement.

     Concerning Mr Lam's appointment, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, said, "Mr Lam possesses sound professional skills, broad experience and proven management abilities. I have every confidence that Mr Lam will take a proactive role in championing the development of information and communications technology, smart city and e-government in Hong Kong. I also trust that colleagues of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will continue to give of their best under Mr Lam's leadership to meet the challenges ahead."

     Mr Law thanked Mr Yeung for his dedicated service to the OGCIO in the past three years, particularly for his contributions to the formulation of the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint.

     Brief biographical notes on Mr Yeung and Mr Lam are set out below:

Mr Allen Yeung Tak-bun
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     Mr Yeung was appointed as the Government Chief Information Officer from July 2, 2015 to July 1, 2018. He was the Chief Corporate Development Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation prior to joining the Government.

Mr Victor Lam Wai-kiu
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     Mr Lam joined the Government as an Analyst/Programmer II in August 1985. He rose to the ranks of Chief Systems Manager in April 2004, Assistant Director of Information Technology Services in October 2007 and Deputy Director of Information Technology Services in October 2011.

  

     Hong Kong Customs seized about 500 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $1.3 million and a duty potential of about $1 million at Man Kam To Control Point on July 3.

     Customs officers intercepted an incoming truck declared as carrying vegetables at Man Kam To Control Point in the evening on July 3. After inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes in 44 foam boxes mix-loaded with 251 boxes of vegetables onboard the truck.

     The 49-year-old male driver was arrested and the truck was detained. Investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, July 5, 2018 is 102.4 (up 0.3 against yesterday's index).