Anna Chau: face-switcher

HK Magazine: What exactly is face- changing?
Anna Chau: Face-changing is a traditional Chinese performing art. It is considered a "Grade II national confidentiality art," and is not supposed to be taught to foreigners. It's basically about switching one latex-thin face mask for another as fast as possible. It's similar to western magic - only there are less tools and it doesn’t need much concealment. I can change my face to become anyone I want: Spider-man, a witch. I can even switch my face to look like a member of my audience.

I used to be very serious about mask-switching. We are supposed to stick with the Chinese theatrical masks. But people here want entertainment more than art, so I just do whatever they want. I may not be an artist, but I am definitely an entertainer. Everyone’s happy. I'm happy!

HK: Any trade secrets you're willing to spill?
AC: Whatever I am doing in front of you is just a distraction from what I don’t want you to see. But the ultimate secret of the trade, of course, is to keep it a secret.

HK: What was it like when you first arrived in Hong Kong from the mainland?
AC: I arrived in Hong Kong in 1987. I thought it was a place full of opportunities, and if I was willing to work hard, I would be able to achieve whatever I wanted.
Of course, things were a bit different when I really started living here. I went from a hero to zero. I was one the top performers on the mainland national team. But here, I didn’t speak Cantonese. I knew nothing about the culture. I couldn’t communicate! But I have an outgoing personality and I make friends easily. Pretty soon I was referred to some jobs.

HK: What was your first job here?
AC: I was paid by the government to perform Chinese folk songs in the parks. I was mostly entertaining empty seats. I also taught singing but I couldn’t stand it. There is a lot of satisfaction watching people improve their singing. But I didn’t really know how to deal with my tone-deaf students. They gave me headaches so I quit. Of course, people kept saying, “But the money!” But as always, I believed in myself and I knew I could do more than that. I was determined to do something else.

I signed a contract with a record company and starred in a few karaoke videos waving the Chinese flags and stuff... Soon, the boss of the company became a monk. So I formed a production company with my friend.