Cultural construction boom aims to offset Hong Kong's business-like image

The theater stage is bathed in a luscious lavender hue, a color that in Chinese tradition signifies nobility and mystery — and portends things to come. A young couple, pure of heart, fall in love only to see their romance thwarted by the machinations of a corrupt bureaucrat. They declare their devotion to each other, expressing themselves in song and precisely choreographed hand movements and poses.

I am watching a snippet of the Cantonese opera "The Story of the Purple Hairpin," written in 1957 by Tong Tik-sang. It's part of a taster program that includes narrative singing, musical performances and excerpts from 20th-century versions of traditional dramas. The audience is served oolong tea and morsels of dim sum and as English subtitles appear on an LED panel above the action, I reflect on similar efforts in Japan to capitalize on culture.

The venue for this event is the Hong Kong Academy of the Performing Arts, the atrium of which bears a strong resemblance to the cozy 1970s vibe of London's Royal National Theatre on the South Bank. The troupe, however, are looking forward to moving into a spanking new home, the Xiqu Centre, set to open late 2018.

In the meantime, "Forty Years of Cherished Love," a drama based on the life of Northern Song Dynasty poet Lu You, and "Mu Guiying Routing Hongzhou," a more martial tale of legendary female warrior Mu Guiying, can be seen at the Ko Shan Theatre, Kowloon, in July.

The spectacle of the mask-like painted faces, the bright colors and ornamentation of the costumes, the wailing of the music and the crash of percussive accompaniment can be bewildering to uninitiated tourists. The abridged format of the taster performance, however, is aimed at the younger generation of Hong Kong natives, for whom there is concern that the local identity, in the face of mainland China, the British colonial legacy, Japanese anime, Justin Beiber or what have you, needs reinforcing.

Up to 1997, that is to say until the U.K.'s lease ran out, the image of Hong Kong as a place that focused its energy on making money was a popular one, not least among the Hong Kongese themselves. But the regional tourist board, after a survey conducted in 1996, cottoned on to the fact that Hong Kong being considered a cultural desert might not be good for business. An area on the southwestern edge of the Kowloon peninsula that had previously been set aside for private development was repurposed by the Hong Kong government in 1998. The result, which is still under construction, is the establishment of several high-profile visual and performing arts venues.

The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) is by any standards one of the world's most ambitious art and culture projects currently in development. Besides the Xiqu Centre for Cantonese opera there will be a Lyric Theatre Complex for dance and theater, the M+ Museum of visual culture, and a Hong Kong branch of the Beijing Palace Museum. An Art Park, waterfront promenade and Freespace, a combination open-air venue for large-scale festivals and black box theater, are also part of the development. A total of 15 venues are planned, with openings staggered over the next few years.

Of course, there has been controversy. Covering an overall area of 40 hectares, and granted a budget of HK$ 21.6 billion (¥310.5 billion) in 2008, WKCD is still mostly a huge building site, and Hong Kong residents have been collectively drumming their fingers on the table as the project has gone through various growing pains, only to get stuck in an extended adolescence. Changing plans and management personnel, cost and schedule overruns, concerns about transparency — the WKCD has provided plenty of drama over the years, and it's not even open yet.

While the prestige buildings are being constructed, interim events have been organized by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), the project's administrative body, using resources as they become available. Last year saw an all-female cast from the Beijing-based Baigung Theatre Studio, directed by Hong Kong director Tang Shu-Wing, perform the Greek tragedy Antigone at dusk on the roof of a WKCD office building. For the scene alone, with the sun setting over the harbor, this must have been an extraordinary event. The other big idea was to livestream the performance so that it could reach a wider audience — "futureproofing" is a key concept in the development of the district.

The Freespace open-air venue was used to help ring in the Lunar New Year this February with performances by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, all-women Hong Kong taiko drumming group O Daiko and a variety of community and kids events. A two-day program of music, poetry, market stalls and creative workshops in March attracted over 50,000 visitors, and will run again later this year, starting in September.

The head of theatre in the Performing Arts wing of the WKCDA, Low Kee Hong, who cut his arts management teeth in his native Singapore as general manager of the Arts Festival between 2009 and 2012, is keen that the great adventure of transforming Hong Kong's cultural landscape is not only unique to the region, but also inclusive and open. "Generally speaking, in Asian countries the audience for cultural events is (only) around 10 percent, and we're interested in the other 90 (percent)."

Amid state-sponsored drives to define regional identity and promote wider public engagement with the arts, how do the mission of WKCD and the recent increase in support for cultural programs in Japan compare? Both mix local and traditional practices with an international reach into the honey pot of cosmopolitan contemporary art, promoting a taste of homegrown culture for foreign tourists, encouraging an appreciation of heritage for locals, and giving the impression that they are down with the cool kids.

The growth in biennales, art festivals or events in Japan in the last three years is the result of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry taking a page of out former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's "Cool Britannia" playbook and mobilizing culture through the "Cool Japan" initiative.

Established in 2014, this strategy, somewhat predictably given the bureaucratic context in which it was spawned, views creativity as something that must be ranked on an international scale. In this model, success is gauged by the extent of global dissemination regardless of either the nature or quality of the culture in question. The domestic goal is not really related to culture at all, but simply, as stated in the 2012 Cool Japan Strategy report, to "increase national wealth."

Louis Yu, WKCDA Executive Director of Performing Arts and previously Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Arts Council, says it was his dream job to be involved in the design of a new theater: "I wished for that … now I have three theaters to build. This is not an easy job. But I'm from here, I was educated here, I've only [ever] worked here in Hong Kong, so I feel I'm lucky that Hong Kong has started its biggest cultural project ever, when I am ready to be involved. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. … Mind you, as arts people in Hong Kong, yes, we're excited about this project, but we've been ‘excited' by this project for 20 years already."

I asked Louis what he thought was behind the conception of the WKCD, to which he replied, "I can only give you my personal opinion, because there's no official answer to this. For me, in the 1990's the idea of ‘creative industries' started in the U.K. first. This discussion spread to Hong Kong … and culture was then considered as a positive element for the economy. The other reason is that Hong Kong was known as a ‘business paradise,' and the government wanted to change this — culture should play an important role in any big city. Also, after the colonial period, the government wanted to face the question of who we are. It's about identity."

Exhibited relics point to rich Silk Road history

EVER since President Xi Jinping proposed the Silk Road Eco­nomic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, also known as “One Belt, One Road,” in September 2013, China and countries along the ancient routes have launched a series of cooperative projects.

Belt and Road aims to revive the eco­nomic ties and connectivity in Eurasia. In return, many cities have held exhi­bitions that showcase the history of the Silk Road.

Hangzhou is no exception.

An exhibition that displays relics excavated along the Silk Road is un­derway at China National Silk Museum and will run until September 24. The items on display are from museums in Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu and Xin­jiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Kazakhstan.

In 2014, the UNESCO listed “Silk Road — the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor” as world's heritage site. This 5,000-kilometer section stretches from Chang'an (present-day Xi'an) in Shaanxi Province to the Zhe­tysu region in Central Asia.

It took shape between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD, and remained in use until the 16th centu­ry. It linked multiple civilizations and remained a platform for exchanges in trade, religions, technology, cultures and arts.

Along the route, relics of empires and kingdoms, ancient temples, pago­das, antique buildings and tombs were discovered that reflected on the glory days of Silk Road.

Now, some of the archeological discoveries are on display at the ex­hibition, which is divided into three parts and according to different peri­ods and regions. Most of the exhibits came into being between the 5th cen­tury BC and 8th century AD.

The origin of Silk Road was Tian­shan corridor, which was a prairie road that connected Oriental country and ancient civilizations including Persia, Greek and Assyria during the 10th century and 3rd century BC.

Sarmatians were nomadic people that dominated the southern Russian grassland dating back to 2,200 years. A batch of costumes, accessories, glass vessels and other burial objects were excavated from a Sarmatian tomb in Kazakhstan. The finely weaved cos­tumes showcased the tomb owner was a woman of high social status.

The replica of Golden Warrior un­earthed from Kazakhstan's Issyk burial mound is one of the highlights. He was dressed in an arrow-shaped headdress and chain-mail armor richly decorated with foils. His belt and weapons were of pure gold. The costume consisted of 4,000 gold ornaments in typical Sacae style. The young warrior's ornamented funeral armor is priceless.

This section also displays antiqued wagons from ancient Rong people's tombs in Gansu Province. During Warring States Period (475-221BC), the manufacturing level of wagons epitomized the then mechanical tech­nology. The buried wagons symbolized people's social status.

The road began to flourish when long distance trade of high-valued products, particularly silk, tea and porcelains, began to expand between Chinese and Western empires. The second and third sections display artifacts from Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (AD 618-907) along the road.

Ever since Qin Dynasty came into being, the original steppe road began to be an official route linking Ori­ental China and Western countries. Starting from Xi'an, the capital of Han and Tang dynasties, the route passed westwards through the Hexi Corridor across the Qilian Mountain Range to Dunhuang, and then continued along the northern and southern flanks of Tianshan Mountain Range until reach­ing Zhetysu region of Central Asia.

The exhibition also displays a restored terracotta warrior using modern technology. Visitors can see the original appearance of the soldier through the exhibit.

Terracotta army was a form of funerary art that was buried with Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty. The soldiers and horses were placed to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

Originally, the figures were painted with bright pigments, variously col­ored pink, red, green, blue, black, brown, white and lilac. The colorful lacquer finish and individual facial features would have given the figures a realistic feel. However, much of the color coating had flaked off or badly faded.

The Silk Road within China was mainly in Gansu Province and Xinji­ang Uygur Autonomous Region, where a large number of silk relics have been excavated.

Dunhuang of Gansu Province was an ancient transportation hub along the Silk Road. At the exhibition, a Mogao Grotto painting repaired through digital technology is characterized by diverse floral patterns in red, yellow and green.

The highlight of the section was the burial objects from Xinjiang's Panying relic, a prosperous hub along the Silk Road that later vanished. The exhibi­tion displays delicate textile artifacts featuring exotic and central Chinese styles, which proved it was a commu­nication center of the silk route during Han and Jin (AD 265-420) dynasties.

Centuries-old Chinese opera resounding at foot of Athens Acropolis

Melodies and tunes centuries old from ancient China resounded at the foot of the Athens Acropolis, a citadel of ancient Greece, Wednesday evening, giving the audience a marvelous night of the meeting of two great civilizations traversing both the distance and time.

As part of celebrations for the China-Greece Cultural Exchanges and Culture Industry Cooperation Year, a troupe from China's Suzhou Kun Opera Theatre of east China's Jiangsu Province presented the opera, one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, at the foot of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The exquisite performance of six scenes from the Peony Pavilion, a play written by playwright Tang Xianzu in the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century was staged at the impressive Roman-era Herod Atticus Theater in the context of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, the most prestigious annual cultural festival in Greece since 1955.

A total of 36 performers, musicians and technical crew staged the impeccable performance of the classic masterpiece of Kun Opera, one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera with over 600 years of history.

Despite the long history, the powerful plot of the extraordinary tale of love between two young people, the beautiful melodies, the elegant costumes, and the grace and skills of the performers fall no short of enthralling the audience today.

"We are so happy that on the occasion of the Year of Greece-China friendship we watch this performance. Since I come from the theater field, as a director, I feel that the affinity between the two civilizations in theater is so intense... I think it is precious for us, people involved in theater, to watch such performances," Vangelis Theodoropoulos, artistic director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, told Xinhua following the performance.

"I think the Greek audience has a very good understanding of opera in general and I think they comprehend our Kun opera. Kun opera is a masterpiece of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage," the director Cai Shaohua told Xinhua, shortly before the show.

"I think that opera is a very good art form for communication and exchanges between different cultures and different peoples. This time apart from the performance we are going to the Athens School of Fine Arts to do a workshop and we are looking forward to exchange ideas with students, with professors and with the general public," Cai said.

According to the director, to present a beautiful Chinese love story in a beautiful Chinese opera before the audience, the troupe has been fully prepared.

This is not the first time for the Suzhou Kun Opera Theatre to perform in Athens. In 2008, they performed in three nights in the Megaron Concert Hall and also won a big success.

Angeliki Pagoni, a Greek teacher who is also staging theater shows for children, watched Wednesday's performance with her daughter. She was impressed by the artistic techniques and told Xinhua she will attempt to use them in her future shows.

"It is the first time I am watching a Chinese cultural performance. I came out of curiosity, because my daughter is fond of Chinese culture. She took the initiative to buy the tickets and I came along," she said.

"It is great getting acquainted with the culture and the art techniques of different peoples. It is so enriching," she added, underlining the significance of further enhancing cultural exchanges between peoples.

Godseekers - How to Change Your Character's Outfit

CHANGING OUTFITS – DYNASTY WARRIORS GODSEEKERS

While having the strongest fighter on the battlefield is incredibly important in Dynasty Warriors Godseekers, you'll also want to make sure they look good while doing it too. Enter the various alternative outfits that are available for virtually every character in the entire game that pay tribute to the past entries in the series. For those who are bored with their officer's current outfit, you can actually alter this, which will not only change their in-game look but their appearance in cutscenes as well.

To unlock these outfits all you need to do is obtain that character as a permanent member to your roster of fighters. This can be done by completing the Path of Destiny for each officer, which includes reading dialogue exchanges and completing specific missions for that character.

When you obtain a new hero, you can then go into the Officer menu and hit triangle to bring up their selectable outfits. These costumes span almost all of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, allowing players to take a stroll down memory lane when playing. Simply highlight which of the costumes you want to wear and press X, this will confirm the outfit and instantly apply it to your Dynasty Warriors Godseekers' hero of choice.

There are also alternative costumes for certain main characters like Lei Bin and Li Xia, however, the latter can only be unlocked by pre-ordering the game itself. Yet, it's nice that developer Omega Force allows users to mix and match a character's outfit depending on which title they liked most. After all, what's the point of destroying hundreds of soldiers if you aren't looking stylish while doing it?