The Grand Substitution

Farewell My Concubine

January 1993 •Chinese

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

Ye Tang - The Peony Pavilion

January 2001 •German

My Next Step

November 2015 •Chinese

MY NEXT STEP follows a young Kunqu Opera artist YANG Yang(28 year-old) over the course of several years. It offers its audience a glimpse into the world of Kunqu, and a magnifying look into the ambivalence of a young man struggling to find a way out for a fading art.

Beijing Opera Go Go Go

Invalid date •Chinese

Zeng Hongqi, a rap-loving senior, is forced to lead the opera club for credits. Despite recruitment struggles and opposition from the student union president, an unexpected opportunity leads the club to a crucial competition.

Qin Xianglian

January 1955 •Chinese

Qing (i.e. Qin) Xianglian was the wife of a man named Chen Shimei, who won the first title of national examination and awarded as husband of the emperor's daughter. Then Qing (i.e. Qin) sues Chen as a murderer who plans to kill his wife and son. In spite of the royal power, gownsman Bao Zhen settles the lawsuit and sentences Chen to serve his head.

The Magic Lamp

January 1964 •Chinese

Adapted from one of China's most well-known fairy tales, the Goddess of Mount Hua falls in love with a young mortal scholar Liu Yanchang and gives birth to a baby son, Chenxiang. When Chenxiang grows up, he seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother whom he has never met.

Farewell to a Warrior

April 1976 •Chinese

Shaw production

She Sings for the World

August 2023 •Chinese

A Chinese Canadian son sets out to make a film on his mother, who was once known as the first ever Chinese Opera Singer to have performed Pingju Opera in English in late 1980's China.

Kill A Criminal in His Marriage Ceremony

August 1987 •Chinese

So Siu Siu

April 1962 •Chinese

The film opens with a travelogue, showcasing West Lake and the real Mainland Chinese locations used by the film to which only the Left Wing of Hong Kong Cinema had access to at the time. The title character is a young woman raised by her courtesan aunt in the West Lake scenic resort area in Hangzhou. Siu Siu is perused by a local Official, but falls in love with the son of the Prime Minister. They marry, but are separated by the Prime Minister who arranges another marriage for the son. Siu Siu remains at West Lake, where she regretfully uses the desire of the earlier Official to help another of the girls find happiness.

Bamboo Theatre

September 2019 •

This film is a portrait of unique cultural space for Spirits, Gods and People. While permanent theatres are commonly built in most cosmopolitan modern cities, Hong Kong preserves a unique theatrical architecture, a Chinese tradition that has lasted more than a century - Bamboo Theatre.

My Way

December 2012 •English

When facing a path with no future or precedent success, will we ever choose to stay? Cheuk Cheung’s My Way explores the Cantonese Opera tradition of male Dan performers, men who play female roles, against the backdrop of a Hong Kong society increasingly putting less value on art. Although female performers have long been part of the mainstream of Cantonese Opera, the film follows the stories of two young men who are still fascinated by the art of the male Dan, striving to find their own way to carry on the practice. A moving and searching look at the struggle for identity, My Way is a colourful, musical and moving film which offers a unique and highly personal look at perseverance in the face of a changing society.

White Powder and Neon Lights

January 1947 •

This is the first 16mm Cantonese film in full colour, shot on 1940s state-of-the-art Technicolor film stock. Opera star Man-ha (Leung Bik-yuk) enjoys tremendous popularity during her performances in San Francisco, but drowns herself in the vices and temptations of the big city. Increasingly, she fails to show up for performances, almost causing the theatre to go bankrupt. When she sees her lover for the scoundrel that he is, she also sees the errors of her own ways and saves the theatre, restoring it to glory. Joseph Sunn Jue established the Grandview Film Company in Hong Kong during the 1930s and continued making films in the USA during wartime by collaborating with Chinese opera performers in exile there. Wong Hok-sing, an opera actor himself, directed, wrote and starred in this film. He staged a spectacular play-within-a-play at the end, not only to promote the art of Cantonese opera but also to boost solidarity among overseas Chinese through difficult times.

The Stage

Invalid date •Chinese

The Rainbow Pass

January 1964 •

The Rainbow Pass is a Chinese Opera starring Sammo Hung in a child role

杨门女将

January 1960 •Chinese

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian

July 1964 •Chinese

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian is a Hong Kong Chinese Opera musical starring Jackie Chan in a child role.

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1)

August 1966 •

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2)

August 1966 •

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

River Of Fury

May 1973 •Chinese

River Of Fury presents the self-discovery and awakening of a young man (Danny Lee), who has been exposed and fallen for the lucrative powers of wealth. Lily Ho played a role in sharp contrast with Lee, which has helplessly fallen prey to the irresistible temptations of wealth under the influence of her mother. Once again, Ho demonstrates her remarkable talent in Chinese opera following her Beijing-opera showcase in The Warlord (co-starring Michael Hui Kwun-man).