The Chinese Culture Festival (CCF) 2026, running from June to September, will present more than 280 distinctive stage programmes and extension activities, film screenings, thematic exhibitions, talks, workshops, as well as community and school activities.

Under the theme “Legends”, it will showcase a diverse array of programmes centred on Chinese legends and folklore, with a focus on the culture of the Sui-Tang dynasties, and the charm of the ancient capital Luoyang.

The festival’s opening show is “Lady White Snake”, a dance drama produced by the Shanghai Grand Theatre, with internationally renowned ballet artist Tan YuanYuan as artistic director. Blending ballet and Chinese dance, the production reinterprets a journey of self-exploration and discovery.

The Chinese Opera Festival, a core component of the CCF, adopts the theme “Righteousness & Loyalty in Chinese Opera” to present classic plays of legendary tales from various opera genres.

The kick-off programme, “Showcase of Peking Opera Actors in Full Armour Roles”, brings together top contemporary wusheng (martial male) actors from four major Peking opera troupes in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Hubei. In the three-day performances, they will perform excerpts from stories based on “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, “The Water Margin” and more.

In addition, China Theatre Plum Blossom Award winner Shi Xiaming will lead artists from the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre in bringing the complete two-part Kunqu opera masterpiece “A Dream Under the Southern Bough” to the Hong Kong stage for the first time.

Meanwhile, a New Cantonese Opera, “Ancient Tune of Guangling”, featuring renowned local artists Loong Koon-tin, Tang Mi-ling, Yuen Siu-fai and Liu Kwok-sum, will be staged.

Furthermore, singers of Yu opera (Henan Bangzi), Hebei Bangzi opera and Shangdang Bangzi opera will showcase their artistry during their visit to Hong Kong.

For stage productions, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and the Bauhinia Culture Group will co-present the “Chinese Performing Arts Hong Kong Season Series” which involves Chinese-style suspense drama “The Code of The Dynasty”, as well as acrobatic drama “Acrobatic Spectacle of Ancient Tang”.

As regards musical performances, representative inheritor of the national-level intangible cultural heritage of the art of guqin Yao Gongbai will give a guqin recital, featuring the piece “Flowing Water” sourced from the 1821 version of “Zhifa Huican Quejie”, a guqin tablature collection.

“Harmony in Eternal Melody”, a dance drama by the Hubei Opera & Dance Drama Theater, recreates 1:1 ancient musical instruments including bronze chime bells and more.

Separately, the “Prosperity & Magnificence - Civilisation of the Sui & Tang Dynasties in Shaanxi Province” exhibition, jointly presented by the Leisure & Cultural Services Department and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, will feature a selection of over 165 pieces/sets of artefacts from Shaanxi and Hong Kong, offering visitors a glimpse into the splendour of the Sui and Tang dynasties, while also unveiling commercial and military ties with Hong Kong during the era.

CCF tickets will be available at URBTIX from April 14 onwards, with a limited-time offer from April 14 to 30 on selected programmes. Call 2268 7321 or 2268 7323 or 2268 7325 for enquiries.