Mr Hong Hai is a Lecturer in Performance - Chinese Opera and Leader of COYP in the School of Chinese Opera at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Mr Hong graduated from the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Academy in 1997 and obtained an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts (Cantonese Opera) from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2003. His teaching and artistic practice areas include Cantonese opera performance, role interpretation, repertoire development, and the transmission of Cantonese operatic traditions through education and outreach.

With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, specialising in the roles of wenwusheng (civil and martial male) and xiaosheng (young male), he was professionally mentored by the late virtuoso Lo Pan-chiu and coached by renowned veterans including Lau Shun, Hui Kin-Shun, Kuang Hongji, Hu Zhifeng, and Mak Wai-man. His repertoire includes Zhao Zilong Saves A Dou on the River, Yang Wulang Saving His Younger Brother, Wu Song, and Monkey King Thrice Beats the Bony Ghost. Besides, his inaugural performances include Arena (2011), Warrior’s Romance (2012), Martyrdom (2013), The Taming of the Shrew (2014), and Mothers and Sons (2016).

Being a former lead actor of the Hongdou Cantonese Opera Troupe in Guangzhou, Mr Hong has taken leading roles in professional troupes in Hong Kong such as Kam Yuk Tong Cantonese Opera Troupe, Rita Cantonese Opera Troupe, and Grand Luck Opera. He has also participated in large-scale productions including China Festival 2001 (Germany), Rising Stars of Cantonese Opera (Xiqu Centre from the West Kowloon Cultural District), Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Chinese Opera Festival. On the other hand, Mr Hong has collaborated with professional performing arts groups such as the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (Eight Divinities Crossing the Sea, 2010), Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (The Emperor, his Mom, a Eunuch and a Man, 2014), and Hong Kong Dance Company (Waiting Heart, 2018), serving as both opera mentor and stage actor.

Mr Hong is equally devoted to education and the transmission of Chinese opera. He has participated in school-based promotional projects including the Cantonese Opera (Folk Music) Experimental Teaching and Learning Scheme (2003–04), the Cantonese Opera Try-out Teaching Scheme Under the Formal Curriculum of Secondary Schools (2004), and the Integrated Cantonese Opera in Education Project (2007). He continues to nurture the next generation of performers through his teaching and mentorship at the Academy.