Narrative Singing．New Interpretation of Nanyin

 

Nanyin, which has just been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong, is a narrative song art presented in the Cantonese vernacular. Nanyin is generally performed and accompanied on the zheng, the yehu, the qinqin, the dongxiao or the yangqin, with the clapper for the beat, and it grew in popularity in Hong Kong during the early 20th century. In the old days, Nanyin pieces – which sounded like story-telling and singing at the same time – were heard in different parts of Hong Kong, such as street corners, teahouses, radio and television stations.

 

The performance adopts the narrative singing format of Nanyin to introduce the items on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong, as well as the music and lyric formats and musical features of the singing style. The performance venue, Sam Tung Uk Museum, also becomes a topic for the narrative singing.