Every series of shengongxi in Cantonese Opera features set pieces, common examples of which include Eight Immortals Bestowing Longevity, Blessings for Promotion, and Fairy Delivers Her Son to his Mortal Father. Retaining the musical structures, tunes, language and customs of Cantonese Opera in the early years, set pieces are regarded as the art form’s living history. The storyline of Grand Birthday Celebration at Mount Heung Fa revolves around Avalokitesvara (the Goddess of Mercy) and can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty. This opera is truly a classic set piece, with records showing that the piece was performed in Hong Kong in as early as 1900. Every year on the birthday of the patron god for Cantonese Opera, a large number of artists gather to perform this piece to celebrate the occasion. In the “weaving” scene featuring five martial actors, there are 41 stylised moves described in the ancient libretto, including “Candles on the Belly”, “Facing the River and Looking at the Sea”, “Throwing Logs of Wood”, “Paddling the Dragon Boat”, and “The Boy Worshipping Avalokitesvara”, which all have extraordinary names and various moves. Nevertheless, as artists of the previous generations passed away one by one, the new generations often have only heard about but never seen these moves with incomplete information. These age-old traditions must be saved without delay. Witnessing the gradual loss of traditional set pieces, Cantonese Opera artists in Hong Kong felt obligated to preserve and pass on these traditions. As such, they came together and hoped to re-stage the full version of Grand Birthday Celebration at Mount Heung Fa in the festive occasion celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China. In order to make this happen, the city’s Cantonese Opera artists put thoughts into action. Not only did they do preparation here in Hong Kong, but they also travelled north together to Guangzhou, where they wished to retrieve lost information about the “