It is a harrowing and beautiful story about Xiang Yu, a once-powerful warlord whose ambitions were ruthlessly sabotaged during the Chu-Han Contention, the four-year period between the Qin and Han dynasties, and his beloved consort Yu Ji. Set in the dying days of the Ming dynasty, it recounts the ill-fated love between Princess Changping and Zhou Shixian.įarewell My Concubine is the best-known work of the company’s founding president, Master Mei Lanfang. The performance at the 46th HKAF was greeted with acclaim by Festival audiences.

Of the full-length works, Princess Changping pays tribute to the Cantonese opera classic, written by the legendary Tong Tik-sang, which premiered in 1957. Among the cast for these compelling dramatic works are two of China’s most famous and charismatic Peking opera stars, Li Shengsu and Yu Kuizhi. The fine art of Beijing opera in five masterpieces, including Farewell My Concubine and Princess ChangpingĪfter a four-year absence, the China National Peking Opera Company makes a triumphant return to Hong Kong and to the HKAF, with three full-length operas and excerpts from two more-each representing pinnacles of excellence in the company’s extensive repertoire.

Chinese national peking opera