A Seminar on the Nanyin Narrative Song and Cantonese Music of Ng Wing-mui

The “Bequeathed Tunes from Lingnan: A Seminar on the Nanyin Narrative Song and Cantonese Music of Ng Wing-mui”, organised by Lingnan University’s Kwan Fong Cultural Research and Development Programme and co-organised by the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, was held on 13 December.

 

A veteran singer, Dr Ng Wing-mui (Mui-E [Auntie Mui], 1925-2014) received widespread acclaim for her Cantonese nanyin (“southern tone”, a narrative song form) and Cantonese operatic singing.  She was also an adept player of the long-neck plucked lute (qinqin) and the hammered dulcimer (yangqin).  She was honoured by the Chinese Ministry of Culture as one of the Representative Heirs of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of nanyin singing in 2013.  In the same year, she was conferred an honorary doctorate of humanities by Lingnan University.

 

The Seminar featured thematic talks by speakers including Prof Yu Siu-wah, Ms Lum Man-yee, Mr Ho Kang-ming and Mr Chan Chi-chun, and Prof Ng Wing-chung from the Department of History, University of Texas at San Antonio was invited as moderator.  Mr Sam Peng-vo, Prof Ching May-bo, Mr Xie Shaocong and Dr Guan Jinhua of the Cantonese Operatic Culture Workshop, Centre for Historical Anthropology of Sun Yat-sen University and editorial team of the Macao Volumes of Annals of Chinese Narrative Singing and Annals of Chinese Opera joined the Seminar as commentators.

 

Cantonese Music of Ng Wing-mui