Costumed Spectacle: Cantonese Opera From the So Family Collection

Cantonese opera is one of a multitude of classic Chinese opera forms popular in China and with the Chinese community worldwide. Cantonese opera has been a very important cultural experience for a lot of Southern Chinese immigrants and in 2009 it was listed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the only other regional theater listed on the same list is the Peking opera. It is important that Cantonese opera is recognized of its significance as a distinctive regional art form and preserved for future generations.

View these rare costumes from the collection of Michael So, a famous Cantonese Opera performer active in Hong Kong, overseas troupes, and Seattle’s own Luck Ngi Musical Club.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website