The "Iron Road" opera has already debuted in Toronto, Canada, running from April 19 to 28, at the Elgin Theatre, put on by Tapestry New Opera Works. Tapestry is a Toronto-based company with a growing reputation for developing and producing new music theatre and opera.

Hong Kong-born composer Chan Ka Nin (Chinese name Chen Jianian) began researching the history of the Chinese in Canada about 10 years ago. He read a story about 265 Chinese migrants arriving in British Columbia in the 1860s on a Norwegian ship.

Among the passengers was one young woman.

This fact excited Chan because he had been told Chinese women were not allowed on Canadian soil in the 1800s.

He began formulating the outline of an opera set against the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). In 1997, Chan met Mark Brownell, a noted Canadian playwright, and the opera "Iron Road" emerged from their lasting creative partnership.

The story begins with an impoverished family in today's Guangdong Province, south China, in the 1880s.

The dying mother of Lai Gwan (Li Jun in Chinese putonghua) urges the girl to respect and honour the memory of her father Manli, who left them for the New World as a worker.

Disguised as a boy, Lai Gwan braves the cruel voyage across the Pacific to work in the land of Gum San, the Golden Mountain in west Canada.

When they reach Canada's shore, the Chinese railway workers' dreams of a better life collide with the brutal realities of the land, dangerous work and harsh living conditions. They were also part of the historic laying of the last tracks of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

"Iron Road" begins as a humble, individual quest and moves into the immigrants' epic struggle for dignity and identity. In the story, a poignant, forbidden romance takes shape and Iron Road ends on a note of reconciliation and hope.

"Iron Road" is at a crossroads where two vastly different cultures meet, and strong characters confront their deepest fears and desires. It is a creative crucible for history, myth and cultural styles.

"People ask me how Chinese culture influences my compositions. I say that I simply allow it to happen," said composer Chan, 52. "I have lived about a third of my life in Hong Kong and two thirds in Canada, and the influence of both cultures is inevitable. It is natural and normal for me to be floating between the two worlds - for example, a sandwich for lunch and then won-ton for a snack."

Chan moved with his family to Vancouver, Canada, in 1965 and earned his doctorate at Indiana University. Since 1982 he has been teaching theory and composition at the University of Toronto.

Chan received much recognition in Canada after winning the Bela Bartok International Composer's Competition in 1982, the same year he won the International Horn Society Composition Contest.

His music has been performed by distinguished ensembles, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Chan hopes his latest work will reveal the contribution Chinese immigrants have made to Canada, helping make them more acceptable by Canadian mainstream society.

In "Iron Road," the four leading roles are performed by three Chinese and one Canadian.

"For a long time, the Canadian opera stage has been dominated by Western singers. It is a breakthrough for this opera to recruit Chinese actors and actresses, who need the opportunity to display their talents," said Chan.

Although most of the opera is sung in English, a third is in Cantonese. Some of the dialogue is also spoken in Cantonese.

The opera also uses traditional Chinese instruments like the erhu fiddle and the zither-like guzhen. Western instruments also join in to play Chinese tunes.

Canada has been heavily influenced by United States culture. In the past decade, only 20 operas have been composed and staged in Canada.

The performance of "Iron Road" is widely seen by critics as an important contribution to the diverse culture of the country. Canadian education agencies have also decided to include "Iron Road" in history's textbooks.

After the debut in Toronto, "Iron Road" will go on a national tour in Canada before heading for Hong Kong and other cities in China.

(China Daily 05/04/2001)