Preserving lingnan heritage

A special segment in the drama that moves the audience is that all actors recite the ancestral teachings of Wing Chun in Cantonese — a Chinese dialect widely spoken in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as among overseas Chinese communities.

This part reflects a long-standing tradition in the Lingnan martial arts circle - passing down creeds orally.

Although dialogue is generally rare in dance dramas, this segment, in a resounding and synchronized tone, has brought tears to many people in the Greater Bay Area and among the overseas Chinese community. "The familiarity of language preserved in memory can strike directly at one's heart," says Han.

Preserving and promoting Lingnan culture better, as represented by Cantonese opera, dragon boat races, martial arts and lion dances, is a major cultural mission listed in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Hong Kong's cultural authorities and legislators are committed to the preservation and inheritance of Lingnan culture that has flourished in the city.

Eve Tam Mei-yee, deputy director of culture at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, says they've been encouraging artists to explore local projects featuring Lingnan cultural characteristics, while actively supporting them in organizing related performing arts programs and exhibitions locally, on the mainland and overseas.

The department is also working closely with arts institutions and artists from other cities in the Greater Bay Area to cocreate new productions centered on Lingnan culture. Since last year, it has organized the Chinese Cultural Festival featuring Lingnan cultural performances and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions.

The HKSAR government is dedicated to spreading Lingnan culture, a shared treasure of the Greater Bay Area, through platforms like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival and Hong Kong Week held on the mainland and abroad, as well as cultural events organized by Hong Kong's overseas Economic and Trade Offices, to enhance the city's role as a cultural and artistic exchange hub between China and the world.

Legislator Johnny Ng Kit-chong, a veteran investor in the cultural and film sectors, says the main challenge Hong Kong faces is the dearth of talent in the cultural and creative fields. He notes that after the "golden era" of Hong Kong's cultural and film industries in the 1980s and 1990s, there has been a significant gap in emerging talent.