IN THE 1980s, Cantonese opera singer Lam Fung performed to rapturous fans in Yau Ma Tei's Temple Street.Twenty years later, he struggles to make an impression. On a recent evening at the Yuet Wan Singing Club, the 58-year-old belts out a cover of a song of one of his idols, the late Cantonese opera master Sun Ma Tsai. But apart from a couple of die-hard fans, revellers continue carousing, ignoring him even when he thanks them for their 'big lai see': two $20 notes a couple of satisfied customers have placed on a tray next to his microphone.
'I feel very sad,' he says, after his performance. 'Now very few people admire the music.'
Lam is part of a dying breed of Cantonese opera singers who perform at places such as Yuet Wan, a yuet kuk gou tan, or Cantonese opera club. 'The government has never promoted Cantonese opera and now people prefer to listen to Canto-pop,' Lam says, adding that a handful of clubs in the area have closed in the past few years, leaving only six to continue the tradition. With few newcomers and existing performers in their twilight years, Lam fears the art form will disappear in the coming decade.
It is not clear when singing clubs specialising in Cantonese opera first appeared in Hong Kong, but, according to several performers, including veteran Hon Wui-sing, they were a popular form of entertainment after World War II in tea houses such as Koh Sing in Western district, which has since closed, and Lin Heung in Central.
In the 1960s, as television audiences swelled, some clubs closed, forcing performers to sing outdoors, for example, in front of the Tin Hau Temple on Temple Street. However, a government clampdown on noise control in the mid-1980s forced many street performers indoors and prompted a renaissance in Cantonese opera - albeit a short-lived one - as restaurants started featuring singers in the hope of boosting business. In 1987, an opera-singing teacher apparently opened the first club on Temple Street, giving refuge to those evicted from their outdoor spot and providing a comfortable setting for fans of the music. Soon, others followed suit.
By charging an entrance fee of only $30 a head, the clubs provide cheap entertainment to the poor and elderly - most regulars being in their 50s and 60s who visit for either of two sessions: between 3pm and 4pm, or from 8pm to midnight. But nowadays, many who frequent the clubs visit for the little extras management provides, instead of for the music.