“It’s tough, but we survive because we hold a large number of shows to manage costs,” said Wong Kwun-shui, who manages the theater.

The government offered some financing and the lease was renewed, but only until 2012.

When its lease was set to expire in 2009, there was talk that the landlord would either triple the rent or turn the building into a shopping mall.

Gongs and cymbals clang, sword fights break out, and the odd acrobat somersaults across the stage.ĭespite its popularity, the Sunbeam, which opened in 1972, faces a problem that plagues many independent arts groups in this expensive city: ballooning rent. Singers in hand-embroidered silk costumes play the characters of Chinese legend: emperors and warlords, wily bandits and maidens in distress. Its 400 annual shows are often sold out, mostly to middle-aged women who know the ancient art form’s stories by heart. HONG KONG - The Sunbeam Theatre, the last dedicated Cantonese opera house on Hong Kong Island, stands on a crammed neon-lighted corner, decorated with Christmas lights and posters of its elaborately made-up stars.

Chinese opera singer