Touring troupe to tell stories of local communities through nanyin

     A programme entitled "Singing Nanyin as We Go", which is organised by the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Office, will be launched in January next year. Under the programme, troupe group The Gong Strikes One will tour Hong Kong's 18 districts, using nanyin to recount the history of local communities and bringing cultural insights to members of the public.
 
     Speaking at the launching ceremony at the Witty Street Tram Depot today (November 25), the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, said that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has made great efforts to promote nanyin in recent years, exploring new opportunities for nanyin creation and performance. These include the holding of nanyin related programmes in this year's Hong Kong Flower Show, the Muse Fest HK and the New Vision Arts Festival, which aims to bring nanyin into local communities and people's daily lives, as well as preserving this local performing art which has great cultural value.
 
     She also expressed the hope that the programme will attract young people's attention and raise their interest in nanyin and other ICH items, especially through the performances by young musicians.
 
     Troupe group The Gong Strikes One has been invited to perform traditional nanyin repertoires with new lyrics specially composed for the 18 districts of Hong Kong from January next year to June 2020. The first performance will be held at the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum on January 20.
 
     Other officiating guests at the launching ceremony included the Chairman of the Culture, Leisure and Social Affairs Committee of the Central and Western District Council, Mr Stephen Chan; the Chairman of the Community Affairs and Tourism Development Committee of the Southern District Council, Ms Lam Yuk-chun; the Assistant Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Heritage and Museums), Mr Chan Shing-wai; and the Head of the ICH Office, Ms Cissy Ho.
 
     Nanyin is a musical performing art sung in the Cantonese vernacular, which became a kind of popular music for the people of Hong Kong around the beginning of the 20th century. With its easily communicable lyrics and singers' improvisation of colloquial phrases, people found the songs catchy and easy to remember, so nanyin resonated with the public. Nanyin was inscribed onto the first Representative List of the ICH of Hong Kong in August last year.
 
     The programme is presented by the LCSD and organised by the ICH Office. For details of the programme and performance schedule, please visit the website of the ICH Office www.lcsd.gov.hk/ICHO, or call 2411 2001.