My classmates did not believe I could speak fluent Cantonese when I had just started my bachelor's degree course at Xidian University. "We know a lot of people migrating to Guangdong Province!" they said. In their minds, I was one of them. I then explained that my ancestors had been settled in Southern China for a long, long time. There had been at least several generations in my hometown before I was born. They didn't believe this, as they thought my Mandarin was too good, and most significantly, I didn't know any Cantonese pop songs from Hong Kong.
Until one day, we went to a KTV, and I was urged to sing a song. I browsed the list of songs on the machine and couldn't find a song I knew, as I seldom sang pop songs. However, I quickly glanced at the category and found the item "Cantonese Opera." I then sang a piece of famous Cantonese Opera—Fragrant Sacrifice （香夭）from Princess Flower (帝女花）. From then on, everyone in my class knew I could speak Cantonese, as everyone knew Cantonese Opera had higher requirements than normal pop songs. In reality, Cantonese is my mother tongue. The people in the area where I grew up speak standard Cantonese, whereas people from my hometown village speak a different dialect. But I had left the village at the age of four years old.
Mum and her mother, who was my grandma, were enthusiasts of Cantonese Opera. From an early age, I was submerged in Cantonese Opera music. Traditionally, in the region where I lived, both Cantonese Opera and Cantonese music had flourished in history. Despite this, those traditional cultures had declined, especially in our generation. Grandpa often bought us a large volume of cassettes of Cantonese Opera from Hong Kong. Almost every child has a period of rebellion, especially around puberty. I know I was an exception to this. From childhood to adulthood, my mum has been the most important person to me, and I always listen to her. Her influence on me is always much stronger than that of any of my friends.
Therefore, when all my friends became interested in pop music, I still stuck to Cantonese Opera. Intrinsically, I think there are other reasons which may be more dominant. First, I loved traditional literature, especially poems. In senior high school, I was the best student in this area in my class. The language used in Cantonese Opera was close to traditional poems in China. Second, I was keen to listen to complicated music. The structures and melodies of pop music are simply too simple to my ears. Third, I liked to play Chinese bamboo flutes, dizi and xiao, which traditionally are used for Chinese traditional operas. Fourth, I have a good voice with a wide pitch range that allows me to sing both the male and female characters.
I had been addicted to playing the xiao during the time when I lived in Xi'an. Mostly I played Cantonese opera music. I keep this hobby as my daily routine until now. The stories in Cantonese Opera have given me much inspiration and taught me a lot, which includes history, traditional values, and literature. In the days of research, I often listened to Cantonese opera music while conducting research.
In early 2012, I applied for a tutor position at a university when I was studying. A programme leader said he wanted to appoint me as a lecturer. However, this triggered huge objections from others in the same research group. "He is not good at English!" "Opportunities should be first given to people born in Australia!" "He doesn't like to work with others." "It seems he is rather confused." "How ridiculous to work on weekends to try to graduate earlier, which I've never heard of!" "Why give that many opportunities to an overseas student from China?" As I didn't want to hear any of these words, I put on a headset, opened YouTube in the browser, and listened to my favourite Cantonese opera music.
In recent years, I've read some books to know more about this traditional art. I noticed that the education systems for Cantonese opera were different between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
I like Cantonese Opera. It is the traditional culture of my hometown. I'm proud to be from a place with such a treasured culture.
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