Theatrical Performances to Give Thanks to the Deities Every time it approaches 13 February in the Chinese calendar, villagers of Kau Sai Chau at East Sea in Sai Kung return to their home village to help organise and celebrate the Hung Shing Festival, whether or not they are scattered all around Hong Kong or live overseas. One of the highlights is a series of traditional Chinese theatrical performances (shengongxi) that replaces edible offerings with xiqu, with the aims of giving thanks to gods for their blessings, as well as entertaining deities, ghosts and humans. In addition to Cantonese Opera, local shengongxi also includes Chiu Chow Opera and Hoklo Opera, which are also known as “Baizi Opera”. According to an ancient monument in Tai O’s Kwan Tai Temple, shengongxi in Hong Kong can be traced back to the second year of Xianfeng’s reign (1852) of the Qing Dynasty. A major characteristic of shengongxi is the building of bamboo theatres. This unparalleled craftsmanship has recently been inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong by the government. Among the numerous bamboo theatres for shengongxi in the city, the one built for Tin Hau Festival on Po Toi Island is exceptionally extraordinary. Situated on a cliff, this theatre demonstrates phenomenal craftsmanship that rivals the Creator’s work. In Cantonese Opera’s shengongxi, there are specific requirements in terms of the stage’s location and room arrangement in the backstage. For instance, the stage should face exactly the front of the temple as long as possible, and the live orchestra is to sit on the right of the stage. In the backstage, the space in the middle is divided into six private dressing rooms for actors in the six leading roles, while the area next to them is used by other actors. As for the passageway between the six dressing rooms and the frontstage, the left side is the “costume area” for placing costume trunks, whereas the right side is the “mi