Corporate News

Public enjoy Listening to Chinese Music with Club's support

15 June 2009

Influenced by both eastern and western cultures, Chinese music in Hong Kong has developed its own unique style and features.  To help promote the city's traditional Chinese music, The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust has supported the production of a new educational book entitled Listening to Chinese Music by the Chinese Music Archive at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Topics covered include the make-up of a Chinese orchestra, traditions surrounding various solo instruments, Peking opera, Cantonese opera, Kun opera and Chinese music history.  The book also comes with three audio CDs to help readers, young and old, gain a better understanding and appreciation of Chinese music.  The book will be used for teaching Chinese music to secondary and post-secondary students.

Established in 1972, the Chinese Music Archive is dedicated to the collection and preservation of musical instruments, music scores, journals, artefacts and audio-visual materials related to Chinese traditional music.  It is one of the nation's most important archives of Chinese music, especially in relation to Southern China, and provides a huge variety of music resources.  A Charities Trust donation of HK$3.76 million in 2005 provided the Archive with support for a five-year programme to preserve and promote Chinese traditional music, including digitising its collections, acquiring first-hand or unpublished music materials, producing teaching packages and publishing directories of Chinese music.

In 2006, the Club and the Archive staged an exhibition entitled Gems of Chinese Music ~ Heritage for the Future at the Hong Kong Racing Museum to display valuable collections of prints and musical instruments, as well as costumes, libretti and stage photos of prominent local opera singers Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin.  A series of workshops, talks and performances on different themes was also arranged to enhance public knowledge of Chinese music.

The new book Listening to Chinese Music is launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director, Charities, William Y Yiu (left) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong's Head of Music Department, Prof Michael McClellan. Mr Yiu receives a souvenir from Prof McClellan.
Photo 1:
The new book Listening to Chinese Music is launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director, Charities, William Y Yiu (left) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong's Head of Music Department, Prof Michael McClellan. Mr Yiu receives a souvenir from Prof McClellan.

Curator of the Chinese Music Archive Prof Yu Siu Wah expresses his gratitude to the Club for its support of Chinese music promotion.
Photo 2:
Curator of the Chinese Music Archive Prof Yu Siu Wah expresses his gratitude to the Club for its support of Chinese music promotion.

Editor of Listening to Chinese Music Prof Wong Chuen Fung leads a discussion with the public on Chinese traditional music.
Photo 3:
Editor of Listening to Chinese Music Prof Wong Chuen Fung leads a discussion with the public on Chinese traditional music.

Authors of Listening to Chinese Music have a Chinese music performance with Curator of the Chinese Music Archive Prof Yu Siu Wah (left).
Photo 4:
Authors of Listening to Chinese Music have a Chinese music performance with Curator of the Chinese Music Archive Prof Yu Siu Wah (left).

Members of the public young and old will enhance their appreciation of Chinese music through Listening to Chinese Music and its three accompanying audio CDs. The book is co-authored by four alumni of the Music Department at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Photo 5:
Members of the public young and old will enhance their appreciation of Chinese music through Listening to Chinese Music and its three accompanying audio CDs. The book is co-authored by four alumni of the Music Department at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

 

 
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