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Cantonese Opera Costumes
Cantonese opera costumes are an imitation of the ordinary clothes during the Tang dynasty. From 618 - 907 AD (Tang), the emperors treated these dresses with utmost respect, and wore them on a daily basis. Chinese civil and military officials used them as a sign of their ranking. The most prestigious colour was bright yellow, which only the king was allowed to wear.

The Cantonese people are Lan people who mostly came from Chao Zhou, a province in the Northern part of China. According to a recent research at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, professor Edward Chow, he stated and emphasized that more than 92 per cent of Cantonese people had roots from the area of Chao Zhou. Therefore, as more of these people migrated to Hong Kong throughout the years, many of them carry on the tradition of wearing these costumes in Cantonese operas.

Cantonese opera is a major element in Chinese opera, originating in the Northern part of China, are now extremely popular throughout the world; especially in countries like Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and China of course. Many would say that Cantonese opera is extremely similar to Yue Ju (Chinese: 越劇; Pinyin: Yuèjù), which is the theatre of Zhejiang. Until nowadays, Cantonese opera costumes remain as an important part of Hong Kong’s culture.