During a music theatre performance at the Museum of Costal Defence, the Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble presented the martial arts culture unique to Chinese communities through instruments including the yangqin, pipa and huqin.

From just a few bars of music, audiences were immediately transported to the world of legendary martial arts master Wong Fei-hung.

A storyteller dressed in a traditional Chinese costume vividly narrated the growth story of the character “Wong Siu-hung”, who aspired to learn martial arts like Wong Fei-hung and help the weak in society.

Audience participation
The melody reverberated through the museum, evoking the collective memory of the local audience, both young and old, who were captivated by the performance.

“It is amazing! Can you hear the echo? It feels more immersive. I have been exposed to Cantonese opera and Chinese music since I was young, so I really appreciate and encourage these performances,” said audience member Mr Lau.

During the music theatre performance, the audience was invited to interact with the storyteller. A parent, Mr Wong, encouraged his child to try some martial arts moves with the storyteller and break a foam board with one hand.

“My child really enjoyed the performance. He is very interested in classical Chinese music and I hope to expose him to Chinese culture at an early age.”

Nurturing talent
The Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble has been selected as a Community Cultural Ambassador for the sixteenth time. Through hosting nearly 1,000 music theatre performances, instrument workshops and lectures, the ensemble has widened its audience base as well as enriched the experience of local young musicians.

“Their average age is under 30. They are graduates of the Academy for Performing Arts and need a platform to showcase their skills after graduation. The Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme is an ideal platform which allows us to design different types of programmes and stage many shows to share our music with the public,” Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble Executive Director Chan Chiu-yin explained.

Community connection
The Leisure & Cultural Services Department's Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme was launched in 1999. About 20 ambassadors are selected each year to bring performing arts to public spaces in different districts, such as parks, shopping malls and community halls. 

The scheme covers five art forms including Chinese opera/operatic singing, dance, music, theatre arts and multi-media, with the ceiling sponsorship fee set at $700,000 for each project.

Leisure & Cultural Services Department Senior Manager (Audience Building) Nelson Lai noted that the scheme aims to popularise performing arts.

“Performing arts such as ballet, contemporary dance or classical music may seem too high-brow or inaccessible to some members of the public. They have to buy tickets and go to concert halls or theatres to enjoy these performances. We hope that regular folks on the street can appreciate performing arts too, so they will gradually become the audience who will go to the theatre and concert halls.”

To align with the Government's focus on youth development, from 2024, the scheme will prioritise local young arts groups or artist ensembles to serve as ambassadors.