In the afternoon of April 13, students from International School went to the Canton Opera Museum to immerse in the wonders of Cantonese Opera.

In the museum, there displays the history, genres, famous actors and story backgrounds of the Cantonese Opera. The first show is a perfect example of the acrobatic fighting technique. It told about the story of Zhou Yu by narrating his experience on stage with some acrobatic fighting moves. While actors acting with the accompaniment of Chinese traditional folk music group, the audience were completely indulged in the fascinating performance. While actors acting with the accompaniment of Chinese traditional folk music group, the audience were completely indulged in the fascinating performance.

After the first show, students were invited on stage to learn how to use the two-headed spears, which were the props during the performance. Under the guidance of the Cantoneseopera teacher, they managed to play a few tricks with the spears, and got to experience what it is like to be an opera actor on stage.

The second opera was a worldwide famous one, named Never Say Goodbye.It is mostly depending on the actors’ singing technique. The enchanting voice of the actors exemplified the beauty of Canton Opera. After the second opera, students were invited on stage to learn how to dance with long silk sleeves. Taught by the opera actress, they were able to give a short dance with long silk sleeves.

The last performance is Pigsy Carrying His Bride. It is from the story that almost all Chinese are familiar with, theJourney to the West. Pigsy and Monkey King’s funny performance made everyone laugh. But through the performances, theaudience realized that the actors had made so much effort to put up such wonderful shows.

This event ended with group photo taking. This experience was filled with excitement of being indulged in the Cantoneseculture. There were language barriers, but cultural exchangeis notlimited to words. Through trying out the props and watching fabulous performance, students were able to grasp the essence of Canton culture through this experience.

writer | Joyce Ye

editor | yuchen liang