At the site of the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, a group of "actors and actresses" dressed in splendid costumes are making gestures and moving nimbly to portray the joys and sorrows of the protagonists in the play. If you step closer, you will find the actors on the stage are not real people, but hand puppets instead. Behind the stage of this impressive performance is the only remaining hand puppet Cantonese opera troupe in Hong Kong - "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe".
The stage performance of "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe", Photo by Bastille Post
With the passage of time, puppet Cantonese opera has gradually been replaced by one acted by real people, putting this traditional art form at risk of disappearing. Nevertheless, Mr. Chan Kam To, the nearly 80-year-old troupe leader, and his elderly troupe fellows are still striving to preserve the glory of this traditional folk culture in modern times.
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The stage performance of "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe", Photo by Bastille Post
The poster of the troupe's performance at the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, Photo source: Kam Tin Rural Committee
Mr. Chan Kam To (fifth from the left, front row) and the troupe members, Photo by Bastille Post
The puppeteers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
The vocalists behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
The instrumental performers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
The troupe members would seize every second to actively discuss how to better convey the plots and the protagonist's emotions of the play, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
The puppets of the troupe, Photo by Bastille Post
Most of the troupe members are in their seventies or eighties, Photo by Bastille Post
The troupe members still persist in inheriting puppet Cantonese opera culture even in their twilight years, Photo by Bastille Post
The poster of the troupe's performance at the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, Photo source: Kam Tin Rural Committee
Giving up the Stable Job of Public Servant to Pursue the Dream of Inheriting Puppet Opera Culture
Mr. Chan Kam To has performed puppet Cantonese opera for over 60 years. Recalling his decision to choose this art form as his life career at a young age, Mr. Chan said that he had never regretted this choice.
In the interview, Mr. Chan said that he had developed a strong interest in hand-held puppets and Cantonese opera under the influence of his father. With his love for traditional art forms, he actively learned various performance skills after becoming an apprentice of the puppet Cantonese opera performance. "You need to learn different kinds of performance skills from your mentor." Whether it's manipulating puppets, singing, playing musical instruments, or even writing scripts and composing, he is well-versed in all the above aspects.
Although he once had the chance of choosing to work as a public servant, who can earn a stable salary and a decent position, when entering the workforce, the words that a friend told him finally made him decide to follow his inner voice and choose puppet Cantonese opera as his life career. "Kam To, if you want to become a public servant, you still have the chance of making such a choice in the future. But there aren't many professionals engaged in puppet Cantonese opera performance in Hong Kong. Since you are an all-around artist in this field, you should really try to do more of what you like at a young age. Why not consider setting up your own puppet Cantonese opera troupe in Hong Kong?"
Under the suggestion of his friend, Mr. Chan gathered some enthusiasts who were also passionate about puppet Cantonese opera and established the "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera Troupe", kicking off the artistic pursuit of the troupe members.
Mr. Chan Kam To (fifth from the left, front row) and the troupe members, Photo by Bastille Post
Keeping Striving for Excellence, Aiming to Provide High-Quality Puppet Cantonese Opera to the Audience
As an important performance event at the worship ceremonies for Gods, puppet Cantonese opera has always played a role in thanking deities for their blessings and entertaining spirits. Although the Cantonese opera performed by real people have gradually replaced the puppet performance at the religious occasions of worship ceremonies, temple consecration, etc. with the development of Hong Kong society, there have still been some local villagers who believe in the exorcism power of puppets and keep the tradition of performing puppet Cantonese opera before the start of real people performance at the worship ceremonies. Nevertheless, such opportunities have been decreasing in modern times, making puppet Cantonese opera gradually become a sunset industry.
Though facing such a difficult situation, the "Waa Saan Traditional Puppet Cantonese Opera hasn't given up the passion of inheriting this traditional art form. The troupe members choose to keep striving for excellence day after day on this niche artistic path, seizing the few performance opportunities to present high-quality puppet Cantonese opera to the audience.
The puppeteers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
The vocalists behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
The instrumental performers behind the stage, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Chan mentioned that the troupe has participated in the Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival four times, and this year marks his fifth time to take part in the performance of the festival. In order to meticulously prepare for this year's performance, everyone in the troupe has made tremendous efforts. At the performance site, although Mr. Chan had to stay in bed behind the stage due to his recent physical discomfort, he still kept a close eye on the troupe members and promptly offered specific suggestions for improvement on their performance effects.
As for the troupe members, they have also devoted themselves wholeheartedly during the festival performance. No matter it's the break of each performance, or the leisure time for lunch and dinner, they would seize every second to actively discuss how to better convey the plots and the protagonist's emotions of the play to the audience via manipulating puppets, singing and playing musical instruments, allowing them to feel the artistic charm of puppet Cantonese opera.
The troupe members would seize every second to actively discuss how to better convey the plots and the protagonist's emotions of the play, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
The Difficult Road Ahead for the Sunset Industry: Hard to Earn a Stable Salary and Find Young Apprentices
Puppet Cantonese opera once occupied an important position in the worship ceremonies to the gods. However, with the development of society, the puppet opera has gradually become marginalized under the popularization of the Cantonese opera performance by real actors and actresses.
The puppets of the troupe, Photo by Bastille Post
Ms. Lau Mou Yee, the vocalist of the troupe, mentioned, "It's hard to make a living in our industry." With only few performances available each year, it has become extremely difficult for the troupe members to earn a stable salary. She said, "If you can't make a living, it would be very difficult to attract young people to enter this industry."
Nowadays, this group of young people, who once bravely pursued the dream of inheriting puppet Cantonese opera, have all become elderly. As for them, the youngest member has already turned over forty, while most of them are in their seventies or eighties. Facing the predicament of a lack of successors, Mr. Chan Kam To couldn't help but sigh, "The puppet Cantonese opera would disappear in the future." Indeed, this heavy prophecy not only reveals the difficulty of puppet Cantonese opera, but also expresses the feelings of all the artists of traditional art forms.
Most of the troupe members are in their seventies or eighties, Photo by Bastille Post
The Persistence of Inheriting Traditional Culture Even in the Twilight Years
Although facing the dilemma of future development, the troupe members have still persisted in pursuing their artistic passion. In addition to seizing each precious performance opportunity, they have also been more actively promoting the culture of puppet Cantonese opera to the schools in Hong Kong in recent years. For them, perhaps they will no longer be able to perform on the stage at the next Kam Tin Ten-Yearly Thanksgiving Festival, but as long as they can plant one more seed in the hearts of the young generation and let the youth discover the glamour of this traditional art form, there will be more hope for the continuation of this disappearing art in the future.
"Do our best to pass on this traditional art." At the site of the Kam Tin festival, the troupe members have not only performed the stories of traditional Cantonese opera, but also a life anthem about love and perseverance. Persisting in inheriting puppet Cantonese opera to awaken more people to appreciate the beauty of traditional folk culture, such a sincere wish would be the motivation for these elderly to stick to their artistic dream even in their twilight years and such an industry predicament.
The troupe members still persist in inheriting puppet Cantonese opera culture even in their twilight years, Photo by Bastille Post
