Hong Kong Teacher Keeps Cantonese Opera Alive for 30 Years
She's not training stars—she's making sure this 300-year-old art form survives.
Leung Sum-yee, a veteran Cantonese opera teacher, has spent more than three decades teaching and advocating for the art form. She does not expect every child who enters her classroom to become a performer.
If they leave knowing what good Cantonese opera sounds and looks like, she considers that worthwhile too. “My purpose was not to train stars or idols.
I wanted more people to understand Cantonese opera and to have more audiences,” she said. She founded an opera organisation in 1994 that was renamed Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Troupe two years later. It runs classes for children, teenagers and adults and brings Cantonese opera into schools and the community. The Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Troupe has trained young performers and kept the traditional art form going for over three decades.
- Leung Sum-yee has taught Cantonese opera for over 30 years, founding the Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Troupe in 1994.
- She focuses on building audiences, not just performers, by offering classes for all ages and school programs.
- Her efforts help preserve a UNESCO-recognized cultural treasure that might otherwise fade away.
Why It Matters
Without teachers like Leung, centuries-old cultural traditions could disappear, taking unique art and history with them.