WKCDA ushered in the New Year by announcing the results of the Xiqu Centre Design Competition in December 2012, closely followed by the hugely successful West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre 2013 held over the Lunar New Year. The event attracted over 100 thousand audiences and posed as a beautiful prologue that marks the beginning of the 15-year long construction of the District, scheduled to begin in late 2013.

The Three-fold Significance of being the First

As the first venue to be built in WKCD, the Xiqu Centre exemplifies contemporary aesthetics, world-class facilities and the unique beauty of Cantonese Opera and xiqu. The masterminds behind the winning design, local-born architects Bing Thom and Ronald Lu, were inspired by the concept of qi (flow). The Centre, which will span an area of 13,800 square feet, takes the shape of a blushing lantern veiled by a beaded curtain and will greet the audience with an arch inspired by that seen in Chinese architecture.  The Centre will be home to a 1,100-seat Main Theatre, a 400-seat Small Theatre, two Tea Rooms capable of seating 280 and 50 audiences respectively, and training and education facilities occupying 2,000 square feet.

Hailed as WKCD’s landmark, the Xiqu Centre is situated in the prime location between Canton Road and Austin Road West; closely linked with two major MTR stations and the Guangzhou-Hong Kong High Speed Rail Terminus, it will be the grand Eastern Gate of WKCD. With its inviting public space and multi-faceted programming, the Centre aims not only at retaining existing audiences, but also nurturing a new generation of art-appreciators.

Apart from being the geographical and chronological “first”, the Xiqu Centre has a deeply-ingrained mission as the flag-bearer of WKCD. Louis Yu, Executive Director of Performing Arts of WKCDA said, “The Xiqu Centre is the first venue dedicated to the performance, training, education and research of xiqu. We envision it to be a focal point for xiqu and inspire other art forms to discover their unique local charms.”

A Hub for Collaboration

With its forward-looking aspirations, WKCDA will take an active role in audience building, quality enhancement and catalyzing collaboration. Their determination can be seen in their warm-up event for the venue, the West Kowloon Bamboo Theatre. Apart from the spectacular architecture designed by William Lim, the 1,000-seat temporary performance ground built from 10,000 bamboo poles over 3 weeks housed a series of performances including Cantonese Opera featuring household names such as Law Kar-ying, Lee Lung, Yuen Siu-fai and Lung Koon-tin, Chinese dance by the Hong Kong Dance Company, contemporary music by a cappella groups and SIU2, etc. The witty programming promoted mutual respect and opened up collaboration opportunities amongst artists from different disciplines.  Furthermore, an exhibition centre showcasing the design of the Xiqu Centre and stalls selling vernacular snacks and handicrafts lured the public into the theatre to discover more about the art.

“Hong Kong does not have a Tea House-style performance venue for xiqu,” Louis Yu added, “hence we are doing in-depth research and extensive site visits to the Mainland and Taiwan. We are also holding education forums, programming performances in our local Luk Yu Tea House and experimenting with streamlined productions.”

By presenting and producing high-quality performances, the Xiqu Centre will be the hub that promotes local development of the art, connecting Hong Kong with the rest of the Chinese-speaking community and the world.  As Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration and the Chairman of WKCDA’s Board envisions, “the Xiqu Centre will encourage dialogue and interaction between xiqu and other art forms, and will anchor Hong Kong’s position as the cultural hub of Asia.”

(photo by West Kowloon Cultural District Authority)