Hong Kong Stories: Master In The House 2

Bamboo theatre is a unique wonder of Hong Kong. In many local festivals, temporary bamboo theatres made of bamboos and Chinese fir will be built in different places to stage Chinese operas for enjoyment by both men and gods. Though bamboo theatres are temporary and mobile in nature, every construction process is detailed-oriented. Apart from attaching importance to mechanics, consideration has to be given to aesthetic design, which demonstrates the pursuit of craftsmanship. Traditional bamboo theatres are all built by hand and have a history of over 100 years. Bamboo theatre building technique has been inscribed into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong.

Master LEE Ka-chun, Kenny has over 30 years of experience in the erection of scaffolds, and is one of the few masters in building bamboo theatres in Hong Kong. Originally, he had joined the building maintenance industry. Later, he was recommended by a friend to learn how to build bamboo theatres from a great master. Since then, he has started his “life in the bamboo theatres”. Ordinary bamboo scaffolds for building maintenance are completely different from bamboo theatres in terms of their erection methods. The former is used for facilitating building maintenance work, while the latter is an independent structure used as a stage, encompassing performers and traditional cultural customs. Although Master LEE was experienced in the erection of scaffolds, he had to start from the very beginning to learn about the structure of bamboo theatres while erecting them.

The 23rd day of the third lunar month is Tin Hau Festival. Master LEE and his colleagues will visit Po Toi Island, the southernmost part of Hong Kong, and build a bamboo theatre for the inhabitants on the island. The theatre is erected at the edge of a cliff, and so is “the most challenging” theatre to build. Master LEE said the positioning of each bamboo pole and fir beam requires careful thought in order to build a stable shed. As he reminisced about the moment he first set foot on Po Toi Island over 20 years ago, Master LEE said he had thought of giving up because of unfamiliarity with the technique of building bamboo theatres, but his love for bamboo theatres had kept him going.

Master LEE started off as a novice, but having accumulated many years of experience, he has now become the leader of a group of masters. In his view, becoming a master requires a willingness to learn and go the extra mile, but the most important element is striving for improvement. Every time the audience is engrossed in the Chinese opera performance, Master LEE continues to stay at the theatre to seize the final opportunity to look for areas of improvement.

Producer: WONG Nga-yan, Karen