Born: Hong Kong, China
Cantonese Opera - Apprentice
"When you first arrive, you don’t want to speak Chinese. You want to eat hamburgers and french fries. You don’t want rice and salted fish, and all of a sudden...while in the University of Hawai‘i it hit me...hey, I’m Chinese. Cantonese Opera is our Chinese culture. I think it’s very important for us, the younger generation, to keep something...because it would be lost, especially in Hawai‘i."

Cantonese Opera is a feast for the senses with shimmering headdresses, fancy costumes, large hand movements, soaring voices, loud cymbals, and sweet music. Many art forms can be found on the stage in a single performance, including song, music, dance, acrobatics, drama, costuming, and lavish sets. Hawai‘i has an very active Cantonese Opera community. Singing is taught by a sifu (master) who tries to develop the singer’s voice and acting skills. Female singers sing in a very high pitch to the lively music of the Cantonese  musicians.