A scholar-musician who chose exile over corruption, and who played his defining melody one last time on the execution ground — that's the story anchoring Hong Kong's biggest new Cantonese opera of the year. “Ancient Tune of Guangling” (廣陵散) premieres at Sha Tin Town Hall this September, closing the 14th Chinese Opera Festival as the centrepiece of Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2026.
In This Guide
What is “Ancient Tune of Guangling”?
“Ancient Tune of Guangling” is a brand-new Cantonese opera production, written for the stage by playwright Woo Kwok-yin with Leung Wai-hong as artistic director, and staged specifically to close the 14th Chinese Opera Festival (中國戲曲節) — the Cantonese-opera-focused strand that runs each year as part of the wider Chinese Culture Festival. CCF 2026 itself is themed around “timeless legends and Sui-Tang splendour”, framing the whole festival as a modern lens on cultural continuity, and this new production is billed as its most ambitious commission.
The performance runs for roughly three hours, including a 15-minute intermission, and is staged with Chinese and English surtitles — useful to know if your Cantonese is rusty or you're bringing a non-Cantonese-speaking guest.
The story: Ji Kang and his final melody
The opera is set during the turmoil of the Wei-Jin era (三國魏晉), and follows Ji Kang (嵇康), a fiercely moral scholar who channels his integrity through his qin (古琴), the seven-string zither at the centre of classical Chinese literati culture. In a dream, Ji Kang receives a transcendent melody — the “Ancient Tune of Guangling” itself — through which he also glimpses his own doom.
He chooses a plebeian life over high office, but as political intrigue tightens around him, his uncompromising words of advice lead to imprisonment. At the execution ground, he calmly plays the Ancient Tune of Guangling one final time; the breaking of a string marks a life laid down for principle. The production uses traditional Cantonese opera artistry — movement, vocal style and staging — to recreate the “Wei-Jin manner” (魏晉風度), the historical era's particular ideal of scholarly integrity and aesthetic restraint.
Who's in the cast?
Four renowned Cantonese opera virtuosos anchor the production: Loong Koon-tin, Tang Mi-ling, Yuen Siu-fai and Liu Kwok-sum, sharing the stage with emerging young artists Man Shuet-kau, To Wing-sum and Ng Lap-hei. That pairing of established names with rising performers is a deliberate part of the Chinese Opera Festival's remit — it's as much about passing the art form on as it is about staging a single new work.
For context on the wider festival this production closes, see our guide to Chinese Culture Festival 2026, and for where else to catch Cantonese opera in Hong Kong year-round, our guide to Cantonese opera venues.
Who should see Ancient Tune of Guangling?
This is a good pick for anyone curious about Cantonese opera but unsure where to start, thanks to the English surtitles and a self-contained tragic narrative that doesn't require prior knowledge of the form. It's an equally strong pick for existing opera fans, given the calibre of the four lead performers — seeing artists of this standing share a single stage is not a yearly occurrence.
Families with older children studying Chinese history or literature may also want to note the free student matinee on Friday 11 September at 2:30pm, a separate session offering primary and secondary students a shortened excerpt with demonstrations and guided appreciation — check LCSD's own listing for how schools can register, as it's a distinct booking from the three main evening/afternoon performances.
Ancient Tune of Guangling (廣陵散)
Playwright: Woo Kwok-yin. Artistic director and director: Leung Wai-hong. A separate free student matinee (excerpt performance with demonstrations) runs at 2:30pm on Friday 11 September for primary and secondary schools.
Getting there
Sha Tin Town Hall sits a short, signposted walk from Sha Tin MTR Station, Exit A, on the East Rail Line — roughly 25–30 minutes from Hung Hom or Kowloon Tong. The venue also sits beside the Shing Mun River promenade, so it's easy to build a longer New Territories afternoon around the show. For more Hong Kong stage listings, see our Theatre section, and for the wider heritage calendar this September, our guide to the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance. Fans of Chinese fine art may also want to pair a Sha Tin trip with the Hong Kong Palace Museum's Joyful Encounters: The Art of Wong Kwan Shut exhibition across the harbour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Worth knowing
Ancient Tune of Guangling plays Sha Tin Town Hall from 11–13 September 2026 — four Cantonese opera virtuosos, English surtitles, and the tragic story of a scholar who chose principle over power. Book via URBTIX before the run closes out this year's Chinese Opera Festival.