Hong Kong/ 2023/ 26 mins/ Cantonese/ Chinese & English subtitles/ World Premiere/ With post-screening or performance sharing session

Reenacting the suicide episode of the last Ming emperor, Chong-zhen from the classic Cantonese Opera Floral Princess, this experimental short film blending Cantonese Opera and modern dance elements reveals the journey of the defeated emperor accompanied by his faithful eunuch, Wang Sing-yan, on their way to the summit of Coal Hill to end their lives. Apart from inviting new perspectives towards their ambiguous queer overtones, it also explores the crossroads of life and death, authority and obedience, love and sacrifice, power and duty, that befall under the traditional patriarchy.

Directors’ Statement：

The elaborated aesthetics and body movements of traditional Cantonese opera have always intrigued me. One particular masterpiece that has captured my heart is Floral Princess, portraying a strong female lead Princess Chang-ping, despite a strong patriarchal framework, defies traditional gender roles to pursue her love. I wonder if there’s more to this tale that remains unexplored. Through collaborating with Cantonese Opera artist Jason Kong, I learned that the original script has omitted the suicide scene of Emperor Chong-zhen, leaving many questions unanswered. These ambiguities sparked a desire to explore alternative narratives within this traditional Chinese framework, to look for small gaps, especially towards the emperor-eunuch relationship, that’s not heterosexual under traditional patriarchy,  to offer new perspectives by filling the unexplored territories.