Peking Opera Stars Gather in Hong Kong for Showcase of Martial Arts Performances in June 2026.

Top wusheng actors to gather in Hong Kong in June to showcase loyalty and righteousness at Chinese Culture Festival 2026

Leading wusheng (martial male) actors from four major Peking opera troupes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Hubei will gather in Hong Kong in late June for the “Showcase of Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles”, kicking off the Chinese opera series of the Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2026, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). The three-day programme will feature classic plays such as “‘The Battle at Changbanpo’ and ‘The Incident at Hanjin Crossing'”, “The Pulley”, “Zhong Kui Marrying His Sister off” and “On Iron Cage Mountain”. Many of these plays draw on tales of loyalty and righteousness from “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, “The Water Margin” and “The Story of Yue Fei”, showcasing the finest martial traditions from northern and southern schools. This programme is also the opening event of the 14th Chinese Opera Festival (COF) and is one of the programmes of the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Month 2026.

Peking opera wusheng can primarily be classified into two subtypes: changkao and duanda. Changkao wusheng refers to military males who wear dakou (warrior’s armour) and thick-soled boots to portray commanding generals, placing equal emphasis on combat techniques and stylised movements. Duanda wusheng, by contrast, wear fitted costumes and light footwear, mainly depicting heroic fighters that perform martial art routines through agile, swift, and acrobatic movements.

Details of the three performances are as follows:

“Lin Chong on the Run”, “‘The Battle at Changbanpo’ and ‘The Incident at Hanjin Crossing'”

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Date and time: June 26 (Friday), 7.30pm

“Lin Chong on the Run” is a well-known Peking opera featuring duanda wusheng roles. Zhao Hongyun, an emerging actor of the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, will portray Lin Chong’s desperate journey to Liangshan from “The Water Margin”, capturing the sorrow of a fallen hero with a balanced focus on vocal and acting skills. “‘The Battle at Changbanpo’ and ‘The Incident at Hanjin Crossing'” is an iconic martial piece adapted from the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, in which a succession of wusheng actors will perform. Xi Zhonglu, hailed as “the foremost wusheng in Peking opera of our time”, will command the stage with the imposing aura of Guan Yu in the hongsheng (red-faced male) tradition. Wei Xuelei and Chen Lin, class one performers from the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing and the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company respectively, will share the role of Zhao Yun who rescues the lord amid fierce martial scenes. Both plays illustrate the dynamic range of wusheng artistry in Peking opera.

“The Pulley”, “Wu Song Checking in at the Inn”, “Rescuing His Sister at the Bright Sun Mansion”

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Date and time: June 27 (Saturday), 7.30pm

“The Pulley” is regarded as a touchstone of wusheng mastery. In this performance, Wang Daxing, a class one actor from the Tianjin Peking Opera Theatre, will demonstrate his formidable command of challenging routines such as “qiba” (a stylised suite of movements to depict arming for battle), “extended combat” and “overturning the pulleys” technique to breathe life into the last tragic battle of Southern Song General Gao Chong. Lu Jialiang, an outstanding young actor from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, will demonstrate agile fist movements in the Gai school classic “Wu Song Checking in at the Inn”, detailing a humorous encounter through a fight between Wu Song and Sun Erniang. Class one performer Wang Xilong will portray the spoiled aristocrat Gao Deng in a painted-face role in “Rescuing His Sister at the Bright Sun Mansion”, displaying the arrogance and dominance of Gao through elegant martial sequences such as “tangma” (horse-riding) and “drunken fighting”. The three plays put the diverse artistry of various Peking opera schools on full display.

“Zhong Kui Marrying His Sister Off”, “Seven for a Righteous Cause”, “At the Crossroads”, “On Iron Cage Mountain”

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Date and time: June 28 (Sunday), 2.30pm

“Zhong Kui Marrying His Sister Off” is a representative Li school wusheng piece that combines singing, line delivery and martial choreography. Wang Xilong carries the Li school mantle, delivering a nuanced portrayal of the complex, bittersweet emotions of the occasion. Both “Seven for a Righteous Cause” and “At the Crossroads” are renowned plays of the Gai school. In the former, Lu Meng, a class one actor from the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Theatre, will lead an outstanding ensemble cast to showcase the chivalrous spirit of outlaw heroes through vigorous martial choreography, while the latter features Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company performers Hao Shuai and his long-time partner Hao Jie, vividly presenting the most celebrated comic-action duets between wusheng and wuchou (martial comic) roles. The finale, “On Iron Cage Mountain”, is a major painted-face wusheng showcase. Xi Zhonglu will unleash a dazzling array of combat choreography to manifest the fearless spirit of Shu Han General Jiang Wei.

The three performances will be held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC). Lyrics and dialogue are with Chinese and English surtitles. Tickets priced at $260, $360, $460 and $560 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. The CCF 2026 offers various discount schemes, such as group booking discounts, package booking discounts and the newly introduced “Generations Together 1+1” discount. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/showcase-of-actors-in-full-armour-roles-in-peking-opera.

A number of free extension activities will be organised for this programme. A meet-the-artists session (in Putonghua) entitled “Face-to-Face with Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles” will be held at 7.30pm on June 25 (Thursday) at AC2, Level 4, Administration Building, HKCC. The speakers include Xi Zhonglu, Wei Xuelei and Wang Daxing, while Chinese opera researcher Sheng Yihui will be the moderator. A backstage tour (in Putonghua) will be held at 4pm on June 26 (Friday) at the backstage of the Grand Theatre of the HKCC. Since the spaces for online registration of these two extension activities are full, those who are interested may wait at the venue’s entrance for a standby space on the day of the session. Any unclaimed spots will be released 10 minutes after the session begins on a first-come, first-served basis.

In addition, a demonstration performance of Peking opera will be held at 3pm on June 27 (Saturday) at the Foyer of the HKCC, featuring young actors Ren Zicheng and Liu Hanxiye from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company who will perform “The Young Cowherd”. “The Art of Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles Exhibition” will be held from June 10 to 28 at the Foyer Exhibition Area of the HKCC. All are welcome.

The programme will also feature a session under the “Chinese Culture for All: A Special Performance Series” to be held at 10am on June 25 (Thursday) at the Grand Theatre of the HKCC, with free admission specially for local primary and secondary school students. Actors from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company will introduce the makeup, costumes and stylised movements of different wusheng roles in Peking opera, offering a comprehensive insight into this art form. Interested schools can call 2268 7325 for details.

The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public’s sense of national identity and cultural confidence, thereby facilitating patriotic education. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from the Chinese Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2026 will be held from June to September. It will host various forms of distinctive stage programmes and related extension activities, film screenings, thematic exhibitions, talks, workshops, as well as community and school activities, affording the public and visitors more opportunities to appreciate and experience the beauty of fine traditional Chinese culture. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2026, please visit www.ccf.gov.hk.

Labour Department to hold courses and public talks on prevention of heat stroke at work and occupational health

The Labour Department (LD) regularly organises courses and public health talks on the prevention of heat stroke at work and occupational health to raise awareness of occupational health among both employers and employees.

Details of six courses and health talks on the prevention of heat stroke at work in June are as follows:

(1)

Topic: Safety Legislation for Working in Times of Inclement Weather and Hot Environment (Course Code: IW)

Dates and time: June 2 and 16, half day (am); June 9, half day (pm)

Venue: Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre of the LD, 13/F, KOLOUR·Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan, New Territories

Enrolment method: Online registration for Occupational Safety and Health Training Courses (www.oshtc.labour.gov.hk/wpas/?lang=en)

Enquiry hotline: 2940 7057

(2)

Topic: Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work in a Hot Environment and Heat Stress Risk Assessment

Date and time: June 3 (3.30pm to 5pm)

Venue: Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon

Enrolment method: Online registration for public talks on occupational health (www.oshsreg.gov.hk/en)

Enquiry hotline: 2852 4040

(3)

Topic: Safety Regulations on Working in Times of Inclement Weather and Hot Environment and Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work in a Hot Environment (Course Code: HS)

Date and time: June 15 and 25, half day (am)

Venue: Occupational Safety and Health Centre of the LD, G/F, Kwun Tong Community Health Centre Building, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon

Enrolment method: Online registration for courses in Occupational Safety and Health Centre (www.oshsreg.gov.hk/en)

Enquiry hotline: 2361 8240

In addition, the LD will hold the following occupational health public talk in June:

Topic: Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for Confined Space Workers

Content: To enhance workers’ OSH awareness of working in confined spaces, the talk will explain the related hazards as well as their preventive measures.

Date and time: June 12 (3.30pm to 5pm)

Venue: Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre of the LD, 13/F, KOLOUR·Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan, New Territories

Enrolment method: Online registration (www.oshsreg.gov.hk/en)

Enquiry hotline: 2852 4040

All courses and public talks will be given by the LD’s occupational hygienist, occupational safety officer or occupational health nurse in Cantonese. Admission is free.

The LD also provides a free-of-charge outreach occupational health education service. For details, please visit the department’s webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content7.htm) or call 2852 4062.