Event Review | The 2023 “Art Narratives” Bay Area Performance Season Officially Launched. School of Humanities and Social Science and Bay Opera of Shenzhen Jointly Established a Practice Internship Base.

On the afternoon of July 6th, the 2023 "Art Narratives" Bay Area Performance Season, hosted by the Bay Opera of Shenzhen, was officially launched in Qianhai. During the ceremony, plaques were awarded to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Practice Base and artistic partners of the 2023 "Art Narratives" Bay Area Performance Season. Moreover, the Bay Opera of Shenzhen also innovatively established the Bay Area Cultural and Art Partner Group, providing a new platform and a broader stage for various cultural institutions, artistic groups, and artists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to exchange and collaborate.
Relevant institutional units from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Qianhai, and Bao'an District, as well as art institutions, academies, performance venues, and independent artists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area participated in the event. ZHOU Xiaohui, Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, was invited to participate in the event and presented the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Practice Base" plaque to the Bay Opera of Shenzhen.
Representative Speech

According to TANG Sauyin, director of the Liaison Office of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in Shenzhen, the HKSAR government has always been supportive of the development of culture and arts. Besides, Hong Kong shares a common cultural heritage with mainland China, and they are closely connected. Taking culture and arts as a bridge, exchanges and integration within the Greater Bay Area can be promoted and mutual understanding among people can be fostered.

ZHANG Li, the Executive Director and General Manager of China Performing Arts Agency, Chairman of Guangzhou Grand Theatre, and General Manager of Bay Opera of Shenzhen, expressed that as the first newly established cultural landmark in the expanded Qianhai area of Shenzhen, they will take the opportunities of the "Art Narratives" Bay Area Performance Season to promote cooperation and exchanges with artistic academies in the Greater Bay Area, establish practice bases, and connect the entire performing arts industry chain in the Bay Area. Besides, they will tell compelling Chinese stories, spread Bay Area stories to the world, and narrate a new chapter of cultural and artistic achievements in the Bay Area.

LI Yuliang, the Artistic Director of Macau's Xiaojiao Drama Research Society, expressed that under the guidance of the Qianhai Authority, the Bay Opera of Shenzhen provides a platform to connect various cities seamlessly through art and promote cultural integration. Through this platform, in the Greater Bay Area, just like rivers and seas without water gates, each city's culture can flow and merge with one another.

Prof. TAN Xiang'an, from the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts at the Education University of Hong Kong, emphasized the importance of strengthening the cooperation mechanism between campuses and enterprises in the Greater Bay Area. He highlighted the need to establish a long-term collaborative link between universities and enterprises in the Greater Bay Area to ensure the sustained development of cooperation.
Award Ceremony
Under the guidance of the Qianhai Authority, the Bay Opera of Shenzhen innovatively established the Bay Area Cultural and Art Partner Group. Eight Bay Area institutions, including the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong Actors' Family, Macau Xiaojiao Drama Research Society, Xinghai Conservatory of Music's Popular Music Institute, Guangzhou Sheng Bai Theatre, Shenzhen Reversed Stage, Guangzhou Grand Theatre, and Foshan Grand Theatre, became the first batch of members and were awarded the plaques as artistic partners of the 2023 "Art Narratives" Bay Area Performance Season. The partner group signifies a brand-new platform for various cultural institutions, artistic groups, and artists from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to exchange and collaborate. It creates more opportunities and provides a broader stage for Hong Kong, Macau, and all art troupes to develop in Qianhai.

During the event, the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts at the Education University of Hong Kong, the School of Humanities and Social Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, the Music School at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and the College of Vocational and Technical Education at Shenzhen Polytechnic each presented the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Practice Base" plaque to the Bay Opera of Shenzhen. They promote complementary advantages by sharing resources and collectively create a conducive environment for cultural venues, youth learning, employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the Greater Bay Area. This enables the active integration of young people from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau into the national development framework, grasping the opportunities for Greater Bay Area construction, and achieving comprehensive and multi-field integration.




Conclusion
As a special project, the realization of the 2023 "Art Narratives" Bay Area Performance Season reaffirms the significance of artistic cooperation in the Bay Area. The thriving cultural economy in the Bay Area undoubtedly presents an art innovation path of deep exploration and creative transformation. Together, we build new integration, discover new opportunities, and on the broad stage of the Bay Area, we gather strength and a diverse range of cultural expressions from various cities, creating a unique and captivating charm of the Bay Area.

The Bay Opera of Shenzhen encompasses a wide range of artistic genres, including opera, musical, dance, drama, classical music, pop music, and family-oriented performances. It is dedicated to establishing itself as a benchmark for artistic trends in the Bay Area and to creating an everlasting artistic feast in the western part of Shenzhen.
Official Website:
http://www.szbo.com.cn/
Hotline:
0755-23305639 (10:00-18:00)
Address:
Shenzhen Waterfront Art Center, No. 16, Huanlegangwan Road, Bao'an District, Shenzhen
Copywriting:
Some content is sourced from Shenzhen Waterfront Art Center's official WeChat account
Editor: Jess Zhang (HSS Office)
Contact Information:
Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty - Further Study and Career Development Team (HSS-FSCD)
Consultation Email:
Further Study: hssgradstudy@cuhk.edu.cn
Career: hsscareer@cuhk.edu.cn
Official Website:
https://hss.cuhk.edu.cn/node/529