Hong Kong Arts Festival 2019: Saying Goodbye to Lin Hwai-min

Lin Hwai-min being interviewed.
This year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival is hosting an event that celebrates Taiwanese writer, dancer, and choreographer Lin Hwai-min. (Image: Screenshot via YouTube)

With this year’s Hong Kong Arts Festival set to begin in about a week, all eyes are on an event that celebrates Taiwanese writer, dancer, and choreographer Lin Hwai-min. He is also one of the top orchestral conductors in the world. A retrospective of Lin Hwai-min’s work will be held during the festival.

Goodbye to Lin Hwai-min

Lin Hwai-min is 71 years old and the owner of the famous Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan. “Drawing on traditions from both East and West, Cloud Gate is unlike any other major dance ensemble. Its performers are trained in meditation, qigong, internal martial arts, modern dance, ballet, and calligraphy. They transform ancient aesthetics into thrilling, modern celebrations of movement with a unique Chinese perspective and sensibility,” according to the festival’s official website.

This year, 2019, is an important one for Lin Hwai-min as he will be stepping down as the head of Cloud Gate after more than four decades of displaying extraordinary creativity. He founded the theater in 1973 and was one of the first to bring contemporary dance into the Chinese world. In 2005, Time magazine called him “one of Asia’s heroes.”

The unique retrospective being held in Lin Hwai-min’s honor will feature excerpts from some of his acclaimed works like Cursive, Rice and White Water, and Moon Water. The program will act as a farewell program for the highly talented artist.

Cloud Gate - White Water by Lin Hwai-min.
The retrospective will feature excerpts from some of Lin Hwai-min’s acclaimed works like Cursive, Rice and White Water, and Moon Water. (Image: Screenshot via YouTube)

The event will be conducted on four days from the 21st to the 24th of February. The shows will run for approximately two hours and will feature one intermission. For the first three days, the performances will start at 8:15 p.m. while for the fourth day, the show will start earlier at 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Grand Theater in the Hong Kong Cultural Center.

February events in Hong Kong

Apart from the Hong Kong Arts Festival, February has several other attractive events for people to enjoy. A Spring Festival Showcase is being conducted by the Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Chamber of Commerce. It is being held to celebrate the opening of the Xiqu Center. Multiple performances spanning varying genres like comedy, martial arts, romance, etc., will be on display during the festival, which runs between February 9 and March 1, 2019.

Fans of English rapper Craig David will be delighted to know that the artist will be performing his blockbuster “TS5” show in Hong Kong for the first time ever. The show will combine Garage, R&B, and House hits to give the audience a thumping party. It will be held on February 21.

For people who love to exercise or run, the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon being held on February 17 is something to check out. The marathon will be conducted between Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui to Victoria Park. Almost 70,000 people are expected to participate in the event that will see them running a wide range of distances, from a 6-mile race to a full marathon.

Those who like jewelry should visit the Hong Kong International Jewelry Show which will take place between February 28 and March 4 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The show will feature numerous glittering pieces of jewelry to feast your eyes on.

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center is hosting an international jewelry show from February 28 through March 4. (Image: Baycrest via Wikimedia Commons)

This is the largest such show in all of Asia. You can check out the exhibitors’ collections at the Hall of Time, Hall of Jade, Hall of Chic, and so on.

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