A TROUPE of talented Shanghainese children have put down their school bags for a week to commemorate the 100th birthday of Madame Soong Ching-ling (1893-1981), the wife of Sun Yat-sen, in the territory.
The Shanghai Little Companion Art Troupe is staging its debut variety show at the Ko Shan Theatre today and the local audience is in for a treat.
The troupe, which arrived here with 40 members, 29 of whom are between the ages of eight and 17, was set up by Madame Soong in 1955 in Shanghai, 17 years after she founded the China Welfare Institute (CWI) on Seymour Road in Hongkong.
Though the troupe is not a professional performing group, it has already toured Japan, the United States, North Korea and Australia.
Chinese traditional folk dances, ballet dancing, orchestral music, vocal recitals and Peking opera are some of the highlights of the two-hour programme.
The CWI was established primarily to promote children's health care, cultural education and welfare. After World War II, the institute moved to Shanghai, running three children's welfare offices providing food, medical treatment, and education for the poor.