Chinese opera headdress maker exhibits work from his 60-year career in Hong Kong
Master craftsman Chan Kwok-yuen has been making ornate Cantonese opera headpieces since the 1950s. Some of his work is going on display in Times Square, Hong Kong. He reflects on changing times for the traditional art form
Pliers in hand and surrounded by gold beads and silver trinkets, 80-year-old Chan Kwok-yuen is in his creative element as he adds the finishing touches to an intricate headpiece set to go on display in Causeway Bay.
It’s a fengguan (phoenix crown), he says, modelling the traditional style of Chinese headgear worn by noble women for official occasions in Ming dynasty (1368-1644) China. Brides also wore them.
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Chan, or Brother Yuen, as he is affectionately known, has been making traditional Chinese opera headpieces for more than 60 years. This month Times Square is celebrating his work with a show of his ornate pieces in its exhibition gallery in the mall’s piazza.
Today Chan spends less time creating and more time teaching, passing on his skills to the next generation. He says while Cantonese opera is a fading tradition, he does not believe it will die completely.
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“The government is now subsidising some groups and I have been hired to teach students about the tradition. Now I have tens of students, and several of them have done very well in my course. They’re almost as good as me now,” says Yuen, surrounded by boxes overflowing with headpieces for the show.