The first Cantonese Opera Day, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, was launched here Sunday afternoon at the Hong Kong Cultural Center (HKCC).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Anissa SY Wong announced that the decision to launch Cantonese Opera Day was reached at the Cultural Summit held at the end of last year between representatives of the cultural departments from Guangdong Province of China's mainland, Macao and Hong Kong.

They agreed that the last Sunday of November each year would be designated Cantonese Opera Day as a long-term measure to promote the development and appreciation of Cantonese Opera, an important cultural asset for the regions.

To celebrate the opera day, the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong performed two Cantonese operas while famous artists conducted a sing-along session. Other participants included students of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, numerous Cantonese Opera troupes and operatic organizations plus budding artists from 13 groups taking part in the District Cantonese Opera Parade.

Members of the audience were also presented with a number of activities relating to the opera, including badge making, an autograph session, a stage make-up and dress-up demonstration, a name-guessing game, a mask puzzle game and a Cantonese Opera exhibition.
 
(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2003)