The Works：Face-changing performer Hathor Wai, Kai Tak@Blue Lotus & in the studio: HKAPA Cello Festi

In Chinese opera, face painting is a symbolic language. Colours and shapes can reveal a character’s personality, social status, and moral code. However, in Sichuan opera, the coloured facial patterns are not painted. “Bian lian” or face-changing, using masks, is an important element of the art. The technique was introduced 300 years ago in the Qing dynasty, and you can still see it in Hong Kong.

Before Kai Tak Airport closed in 1998, visitors and residents alike were often struck by how low the planes were flying over the rooftops of Kowloon City. A quarter of a century has passed since its closure, and the airport’s history is now the focus of an exhibition by photographers Greg Girard and Birdy Chu at Blue Lotus Gallery: “Goodbye Kai Tak And Thank You”.

From 22nd July, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts will showcase the cello repertoire in the week-long “Academy Cello Festival”. It is, says the academy, a student led festival. Students from the strings department will perform in a series of concerts alongside alumni and faculty members. Some of them are here to tell us more.