The Flower Princess

A Cantonese Opera by Tong Dik Sang

Translated, edited and introduced by Bell Yung Assisted in translation by Sonia Ng and Katherine Carlitz Published by THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY PRESS Hong Kong, China

Earlier this spring, shortly after my first viewing of live DVD recording of the 2006 Princess Changping [帝女花] Cantonese opera performance, I immediately went on the Web to research for more information about the opera and its historic references. During the process, I happened to stumble across Colombia University Press posting in regard to the new release of the complete English translation of the opera. It was, right then, the beginning of the start of a three months long searching with much excitement and anticipation.

Except for the fact that the book is readily available at the Chinese University Press in Hong Kong at the time, every (university/online retailer) bookstore I had checked - all turned out that they have not yet had it in stock, even at the supposedly main US distributor of the book. So, the search continued on until one day late in May. I was lucky enough to 'grab' the last book left in stock ("with more on the way") at amazon.co.uk for ordering, had it shipped overseas and finally received the book on the first of June.

My original intention for buying the book is to better my understanding of the opera since my Cantonese listening skill is a bit choppy at time and that my Chinese reading proficiency is not even worth mentioning (70% loss, 30% gain). And to my satisfaction, "The Flower Princess: A Cantonese Opera by Tong Dik Sang" translated by Bell Yung offers more than just a reading pleasure.

Besides helps with filling in the understanding gaps of the opera speech and lyrics, the book's well documented and written introduction provides wealth of starter information to learn about traditional Chinese Opera in general with a comparative focus on Cantonese Opera and background details on the original work of The Flower Princess (also known as "The Floral Princess" or "Princess Changping").

It is not to mention of the translator's thoughtful consideration for the inclusion of brief stage directions together with descriptive explanation and indication of tunes, speech tones and types. Those allow for the readers to fully experience the unique art of Cantonese Opera through reading of the translated text material, making it a great companion to the opera's Cantonese language media recordings.

A note on the book...
The book is divided into 3 main sections: the introduction, the translation and the original Chinese text.

It is also worth noting that Ms. Pak Suet Sin, legendary Hong Kong Cantonese opera performer who starred in the title role of Princess Changping in the original Cantonese opera production premiered back in 1957, wrote the foreword for the book. Her note dated back in December 2006, possibly around the time when she staged and directed the production run of the 2006 Princess Changping led by two of Ms. Yam and Ms. Pak most loved and talented students, Ms. Lung Kim Sang and Ms. Mui Suet See.

For more detailed information about the book, please visit:
Note: This is for information only. My Abido is not responsible for the content of external websites!

• The Chinese University Press (Hong Kong, China)


• Colombia University Press


• amazon.com