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The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group
History of the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group
The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group was established in Melbourne in 1960.
Because of the restrictive White Australia Policy during this period, many people
within the Chinese society in Victoria, either single or married, could not bring their
families to Australia. The establishment of the Cantonese opera in this society
therefore came about as an avenue for these people to enrich their lives to compensate
for the lack of family support that they used to have. Secondly, many Chinese that
came to Australia were sponsored by Chinese businessmen to work as labourers.
Many, therefore, had no education, nor did they have a good understanding of English.
In addition, under the White Australia Policy, opportunities were limited, which
resulted in the majority of these people staying within the confines of the Chinese
Community, which similarly limited their social activities within the Chinese society.
A third reason for the establishment of Cantonese opera in this society stemmed from
the overt manner in which gambling had taken hold in the Chinese community.
Cantonese opera was seen as an alternative mode of recreation. Additionally, the
majority of the Chinese population in Victoria came from the Canton Province, a
region fond of Cantonese opera (Yueju). To satisfy these needs, and in an attempt to
persuade Chinese people to take part in healthy activities instead of becoming involved
in gambling, the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group was established. The
members of the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group consisted mainly of
immigrant Chinese. Since the migrants were predominantly male, female
impersonators were adopted.
The local Chinese learned Cantonese opera mainly from sailors. In the 1960s air tickets
were very expensive and Chinese people usually travelled by sea. Ships from Hong Kong
to Australia were therefore quite frequent. According to Huang Zhaonan,
who is a musician, an actor, and the director of the Gangzhou Society, a ship named
Ziwanyizuozhianchen came to Melbourne approximately once every three months.
Every time the ship arrived (it usually stayed for one or two weeks), sailors on the ship
would play Chinese music and act in performances of Cantonese opera. Some of the
crew were members of a Cantonese opera association in Hong Kong. When they were
in Melbourne, the sailors constantly made contact with the local Chinese community
and played Cantonese opera with local Cantonese opera lovers. They also taught
music skills and opera performing techniques to the local Chinese people. As Huang
Zhaonan remembered, even the early musical instruments were contributed by the
sailors. The musical instruments played by members of the Gangzhou Society
Cantonese Opera Group were of both Chinese and Western origin.
The instruments used in Cantonese opera during the 1960s included a yuehu (two
stringed fiddle), yueqin (four-stringed plucked instrument with a sound box shaped
like the full moon), saxophone, violin, Hawaiian guitar, and percussion instruments.
Even a xylophone was used.
This performance included musicians from Sydney and sailors from Hong Kong. Not
only did the sailors teach the local Chinese how to play and perform opera and music,
they sometimes even took part in the actual performance. It seems that the musicians
played from music scores instead of the traditional way of playing by memory (as will
be discussed later).
The first opera, named Hubugui, was performed in 1961. The story was about a
faithful and loving couple. The wife was ill-treated by her mother-in-law and she left
the family while her husband was in the army. When the husband returned home and
discovered what had happened to his beloved wife, he immediately left home and took
a journey to look for her. Eventually, the couple were reunited. In 1962 the opera
played at the Russell Street Theatre. Other repertoire performed by this group
included: Birongtanjian, Wangbaochuan, Yibacunzhongjian and Yiqufengqiuhuang.
The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group was not a business. Audiences were
mainly Chinese and the group only played for charities, especially those organised for
fund raising in order to build the Chinese Nursing Home. The Chinese Nursing Home
was completed in 1969. By this time Chinese immigrant families, still in China, could
now come to Australia for reunions. The members of the opera understandably became
reinvolved with their families, resulting in less time for their involvement in opera.
Consequently, the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group became inactive
(Gangzhou Tongxianghui Special Issue 1985:17). The group remained inactive until a
change of Australian immigration laws provided the conditions for a significant
improvement in the standard and opportunities for ethnic music development, more than
'White Australia' had ever seen.
By the late 1970's, with more liberal immigration laws now in place, and the "White
Australia Policy" now a dead issue, many overseas Chinese started arriving in
Australia from countries that included Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan,
Cambodia, and Laos. Among those Chinese people, many were Cantonese opera
lovers, and quite a few could act in Cantonese operas and play Chinese music. Having
found a lifestyle that provided peace and contentment, they were now seeking
opportunities to express Cantonese opera skills.
In 1985, local Cantonese opera lovers held a performance with the help of Sydney
Cantonese opera lovers. This performance layed the foundation for re-establishing the
Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group. By 1987, local Cantonese opera was re-
established in the Gangzhou Society with the assistance of Huang Zhaonan.
According to Huang Zhaonan, the opera has not had a proper name. People in the
Chinese community know it as Cantonese opera attached to the Gangzhou Society.
Thus, in this study the researcher still uses its previous name, the Gangzhou Society
Cantonese Opera Group, to identify this opera association.
Nowadays, there are a few actresses and female musicians in the association, hence no
female impersonators are needed. The musicians currently include Huang Zhaonan ,
Xu Caiping, Tang Xiongshan, Ren Xiafei, Peng Chunkui, and others. The repertoire
the group plays usually includes stories of ancient China. Most of the members of the
opera are over 40, which might be the main reason why popular songs are not
performed (He Shishang 1994:8).
The purpose of the opera is to create a social place for Cantonese opera lovers to meet
each other and to compare notes. The opera is still a non-profit organisation. Sometimes
they perform for fund raising. For instance, in February 1994 the opera gave two
performances at the Gangzhou Society Assembly Hall. They raised $1091 from the
performances, all of which was donated to the Chinese Nursing Home Welfare
Foundation in Victoria (Weisheng Huazu Laoren Fulihui) and to the Heavenly Queen
Temple Society Inc., Melbourne (Tianhoumiao Choujian Weiyuanhui) (Heavenly Queen
Temple Society Inc. 1994-1995:7,33). In the two performances, the group played
highlights from operas which included Guangxuhuangjifei, Zhaojunchusai, Anyu,
Shihouji, Huanjuelihentian, and Dengjieshecui.
Nowadays this opera association rehearses each Saturday afternoon at 124-126 Little
Bourke Street on the 1st floor, in the location of the See-Yap Society (Shiyi Huiguan).
The author has visited the opera association at this location twice. During these visits,
the organisation rehearsed in the style of Yuequ, a folk art form performed in Canton
province. Compared with Cantonese opera, Yue-qu is less extravagant, has fewer
players and, as such, is more economical to stage. As Huang Zhaonan points out, if
they performed Cantonese opera, they have to include more people and even invite
some performers from Sydney, which is quite expensive for an amateur production to
bear. Therefore, the association usually performs and presents Yuequ and highlights
from Cantonese operas.
The instruments used by the musicians included a yuehu, yehu, guangdong-yueqin,
zhongruan, a Western violin, as well as Chinese percussion instruments. Compared to
the opera association of the 1960s, fewer Western musical instruments are now used in
the opera. This could probably be a result of influence from the mainstream culture, in
which fewer Western instruments are now used for Cantonese opera in Hong Kong
and in mainland China.
Summary of the Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group
The members of the opera seem to enjoy their activities in this non-profit organisation.
Unlike the nineteenth century companies, the organisation is not a business. All the
musicians, actors and actresses are immigrants to Australia. The weekly rehearsals are
much more important than their very occasional performances. The social activity of
the rehearsal is important in that the musicians pay close attention to each other whilst
maintaining seriousness with their music. As with many amateur groups, the music
making has more meaning for the performers than for the audience. From the point of
view of contemporary styles of operatic performance in China, their approach would
seem to be rather conservative. Cut off from the main culture, they have not
developed as it has. For instance, they still play in unison and in China these days the
musicians would play different parts from an organised score.
The Gangzhou Society Cantonese Opera Group must be seen as a valuable leisure-
time activity for the older generation of Chinese immigrants who, after 20 or 40 years
of residence out of China, still find their contact with traditional Chinese music
important and meaningful.
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