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SCMP Reporter

FoRget CANTO-POP stars Twins, Boy'z, Joey Yung Cho-yee  and Edison Chen Koon-hei.  There are students who are more interested in Cantonese opera, like those at Yan Chai Hospital Lan Chi Pat Memorial Secondary School.

They enjoy listening to Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin's The Flower of an Emperor's Daughter or Mak Ping-wing and Fung Wong-nui's Debts and Unending Love at Phoenix Court.

During a seminar organised by Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop (UCOW) - a charity set up to promote the arts among  teenagers - the students enjoyed a Cantonese opera performed by their  schoolmates.

When their parents went on stage to sing Debts and Unending Love at Phoenix Court, some of them sang along.

'I love listening to Cantonese opera as the lyrics have a deeper meaning than those of Canto-pop songs,' said Form One student Tin Pui-ling, a member of the school's drama club.

'I was attracted to the art by the beautiful costumes and special makeup. I enjoy it very much.'

Despite  negative comments about  Cantonese opera by their peers, Form One students Leung Yuk-san, Man Ka-wai and Leung Pang-sin said they had gained a lot from it. 'Some of my friends say Cantonese opera is boring,' Ka-wai said.

'And my parents want me to spend more time on my studies rather than listen to Cantonese opera.

'But I can actually learn a lot from it - at least my Chinese has improved.'

Yuk-san added: 'We can also have a better understanding of moral values, Chinese history and Chinese culture.'

The school has a special interest in the artistic medium because it  was established in memory of the late Cantonese opera star Lan Chi-pat. But   11 other primary and secondary schools have also joined the  Xiaoqu Teaching Experimental Programme, which uses Cantonese opera to enhance students' knowledge of Chinese history and culture.

The 13-month project is organised by UCOW and    supported by the government's Quality Education Fund.

As  influential Chinese writer Bai Xianyong said: 'As we wanted to catch up with the western world after the May Fourth Movement, our education system became westernised and the traditional Chinese arts have been ignored.

'Children in western countries have been reading Shakespeare's works, what about ours?'

Students are encouraged to take part in the Inter-school Cantonese Opera Contest on July 3, which brings the curtain down on the programme. Students can also express their feelings about opera  through writing, painting, dancing or paper-cuttings.

UCOW president Rex Ng Kwok-keung  emphasised the project  was more than just a way of promoting Cantonese opera among youngsters.

'We hope to raise the standard of Chinese writing among students and give them a better understanding of Chinese history,' Mr Ng said. 'It is also an ideal tool for moral education.'

UCOW has prepared a series of teaching materials,  including  music, lyrics, character introductions  and story backgrounds.

'Teachers can use them in different classes,' Mr Ng said.

'There is a variety of activities that can arouse students' creativity.'

For more information about the Inter-school Cantonese Opera Contest, visit www.utopia.org.hk or call 2397 1697.



Cantonese opera not Canto-pop