Award for Arts Achievement :: Xiqu

YUEN Siu Fai

Having immersed in Cantonese opera since his childhood, Mr YUEN is a veteran performer who excels in various role types. His forte is in playing scholarly or martial man but he is equally adept at playing the principal male role, the painted face, the clown or the middle-aged man. He started writing operatic plays in the 1980s, including the acclaimed The Repatriation of Cai Wenji and Trails in the Snow. In 1991 he was Hong Kong's Artistic Vocalist of the Year. In 1992 he was made the Queen's Honours List and performed before Queen Elizabeth II in London. In 1993 he founded the House of Cantonese Opera and produced many large-scale operatic works. He initiated many artistic exchanges with Peking Opera, for instance his joint performance with famous artist Ms PEI Yanling of the Hebei Clapper Opera. In 2002 he produced the opera The Virtuosity of Chan Ho Kau for the Hong Kong Arts Festival.