On November 17, the sound of gongs and drums echoed outside the Foshan Cantonese Opera Theatre in Chancheng District, marking the official opening of the annual event celebrating the birthday of Emperor Huaguang, a great master of Cantonese opera.
Historically, Cantonese opera stages were built with bamboo and wood, and wooden boats served as transportation for performers. Both performances and travel posed significant fire risks, so Cantonese opera artists revered Emperor Huaguang as their patron saint to pray for blessings and ward off disasters.
As one of the birthplaces of Cantonese opera, Foshan has held folk activities to celebrate Huaguang's birthday on the 28th day of the ninth lunar month every year since 2008. This year's event will last for three days, gathering Cantonese opera practitioners from near and far. Through parades, ancestor-worship ceremonies, classic performances, cultural root-seeking activities, and more, they will jointly promote the thousand-year-old Cantonese opera to thrive with renewed vitality.
Reporter & Photo: Lu Yao, Yan Feng
Editor: Wei Shen, James Campion, Shen He
