Since the early twentieth century, Hong Kong has always been an important venue for Cantonese opera development. After 1949, as a result of political turmoil in the Mainland, performers and troupes converged and resettled in the territory, leading to a tremendous prospering of Cantonese opera in the subsequent decade. This development is linked intimately with the rise of the electronic media.
Performers and troupes began to grasp the possibilities offered by film and radio to re-examine age-old performance practices with regard to acting, singing, script writing, instrumentation, and stage set-up. They brought in novel elements from the theatre and movie world, and participated in the production of films and records. With these acts, they are extending the movement to modernize Cantonese opera that began in the 1930s.
Wong Jum-sum was thoroughly immersed in the world of Cantonese opera from young. Through his close encounter with master performers like Hung Sin-nui, Ma Si-tsang, Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin and Tong Dik-sang, he witnessed first hand the modernization of Cantonese opera, and was mightily moved by the adventure and passion he saw.
In 1954, Wong Jum-sum followed maestro Leung Yat-chiu into the world of film music-making. The first film he was involved in was Malaya Love Affair. It was one of the many films shot in South-east Asia in those years, aiming largely for the region’s market. In music, the same situation applied. The year when Malaya Love Affair was shot, Fong Yim-fun’s song Belle of Penang was wildly popular, its lyrics openly praising the gorgeous beauty of Malaya.
In 1959, Wong was again helping to make film music, this time for The Pleasure of Youth. He was eighteen, and saw the then nineteen years old star Patricia Lam Fung in mesmerizing action. The latter was to star in further films on South-east Asia, most notably The scent of Durian, which continued the gentle breeze from the region.
