Integrated resort operator MGM’s “Into the World of Wuxia Legends” Jin Yong Wuxia Drama Costumes and Weapons Exhibition at Barra*, with over 20 costumes and props with historical, cultural and aesthetic values provided by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), is now on display at Navy Yard No. 1 and Navy Yard No. 2.
Jin Yong (1924 - 2018), given name Louis Cha Leung-yung (查良鏞), was a Chinese wuxia – martial arts and chivalry – novelist, journalist, entrepreneur, political commentator and social activist, known as one of the “Four Great Talents of Hong Kong”, together with Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Wen Rui’an known as the four great masters of Chinese martial arts novels.
“Wuxia” (武俠) is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China.
From the 1950s, he wrote many popular martial arts novels under the pen name Jin Yong, including The Eagle Shooting Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and The Deer and the Cauldron. Over the years, Jin Yong’s writings have been repeatedly adapted into TV dramas and films, making significant contributions to Chinese film and television culture, according to Wikipedia, which noted that his works have been translated into many languages including English, French, Catalan, Spanish, Finnish, Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Malay, and Indonesian.
Born in 1924 in Haining city, Zhejiang province, Jin Yong (金庸 – “golden and mediocre”) moved to Hong Kong in 1948 and passed away at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital after a long illness, at the age of 94, Wikipedia noted.
According to an MGM statement, the exhibition, featuring highlights of TVB’s Jin Yong TV dramas – Book and Sword, Crimson Sabre, The Flying Fox Of The Snowy Mountain 1999, The Condor Heroes 95, The Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre 2000, The Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils, State of Divinity, and The Duke Of Mount Deer, is an immersive art exhibition based on the culture of the drama series, aiming to “take the audience back to the glorious days of wuxia dramas and embrace the spirit of martial arts and chivalry in traditional Chinese culture”.
The two exhibition areas are showcasing a number of “exquisitely crafted classic costumes” and “realistically crafted props”, where clips from TVB’s Jin Yong TV series are also shown on-site. There is also a period-limited themed cultural bookstore, selling themed cultural and creative souvenirs to carry forward the classics of literature in an innovative way, according to the statement.
The exhibition runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, until July 30. Admission to the exhibition is 50 patacas, while individuals aged 65 or above or groups consisting of 30 or more can enjoy discounted tickets at 30 patacas each, apart from free entry for children aged 10 or below accompanied by an adult.
*“Barra”, Portuguese for “harbour entrance”, is commonly known as Ma Kok in Cantonese – due to the nearby Ma Kok (A-Ma) Temple. The area is part of MGM’s project under the government’s ongoing revitalisation programme.
– Photos: Yuki Lei
