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.
Despite being in a singing contest, singers of the Western pop section rarely picked songs that required back-breaking techniques. In 1960, the West was hip. Youngsters looked up to Western pop for their trendy sensation, not their technical superiority. As a result, the contesting songs were mostly of standard ballads favoured by American mainstream vocalists. Male singers would look to the magnetic voice of Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. Female singers would take Patti Page, Connie Francis and Julie London as their paradigm. It was a celebration of the American mainstream.
Wong Jum-sum, as ever, chose to walk the byways. His contesting song was Ciao Ciao Bambina, which entered for Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest of that year. The original was in Italian, and demanded a much wider singing range than the typical k-songs. Whichever way you look at it, Wong’s choice was suicidal. Eventually he lost, to no one but his own surprise.
