「粵曲、粵調、粵移民」工作坊 (Workshop mainly in English)

3:45pm refreshments & viewing of rare muyu lyrics books (bring yours too if you have them)

4:00pm welcome & introduction

4:10pm Guangdong Musical Storytelling & Chinese Canadian/American Immigrants

by Dr Sonia Ng & Ms Winnie Cheung

Muyu Song Singing in Siyi dialects by elders from Chinatown

4:40pm Muyu, Naam Yum, Dragon Boat Song, Yue Ou and Cantonese Opera

by Cantonese opera maestro Mr Lau Wing Chuen

Singing demo by Mr Anthony Cheung & Mrs Angela Keung

5:30pm Q & A

There is a long oral tradition of storytelling in China. Muk’yu/muyu (wooden fish) songs, naam yum (southern sound), dragon boat songs and a variety of folk songs have been popular among the ordinary people in Southern Guangdong for at least over 300 years. Over time they have found their ways into Cantonese opera which has the capacity to enrich itself and evolve continuously throughout its evolution and migration from place to place.

The most famous muyu song book – The Flowery Scroll with its 1713 Chinese edition preserved in the Museum of Paris today – was translated into English, Russian, German, Dutch and French by scholars in the 19th century. Muyu songs have been well-loved by the folks in the Siyi and Sanyi areas in Southern China and are sung in those dialects by women, children and peasants working in the fields and on many special occasions. Early migrants to Gold Mountain were familiar with this art form.

MVOH 2018 will investigate the relationship of these indigenous musical genres of South Guangdong and their place in the life of the early migrants and recent immigrants in Pacific Canada.

Co-organizer & Workshop Sponsor: U Sing Cantonese Opera Pavilion

Venue Sponsor: University Library, UBC

Academic partners:

at UBC: University Library, Asian Studies, St John’s College, Asian Canadian and Asian Migration Studies and Hong Kong Studies Initiative;

at SFU: David Lam Centre for International Communication & Institute for Transpacific Cultural Research.

Community partners in HK & Vancouver:

Lau Wing Chuen Chinese performing Arts Association, Dr Sun Yat-sen Chinese Classical Garden, Youth Collaborative for Chinatown, Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC & Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society