HKAPA

Lin Weilin is a National Class One Performer and one of a handful of talents to have been honoured with special funding by the China State Council. He is currently the Director of the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe, Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang Province Dramatists Society, Member of China Drama Performance Academy and China Theatre Association, as well as Chairman of the Zhejiang Province Troupe Directors Management Committee. He is also Visiting Professor of Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art and Taiwan National University of Art, and Resident Artist at both the City University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

With a keen interest in the Kunqu operatic arts since the age of nine, Mr Lin enrolled in the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe at the age of fourteen, receiving tutelage from two Masters of Kunqu, Zhou Chuanying and Wang Shiyu. Steadfastly in the upholding of his professional ideals and his promotion of the arts, he was twice a winner of the prestigious Chinese Theatre “Plum Blossom Award” and was awarded the first Chinese State Government cultural and art award – the “Wenhua Performance Award”. His artistry has received recognition in the form of the Performing Prize and the UNESCO Prize for Kunqu Promotion, alongside many other awards. He was a member of the First List of China Intangible Heritage Transmitters and of the Publicity of China’s “Group of Four Talent” project.

The distinctive aura that Mr Lin exudes, coupled with his excellent technique, has earned him many accolades and titles. He has performed for many leading Chinese state and party leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, Peng Zeng, Hu Yaobang, Jiang Zemin, Zhu Rongji, Li Ruihuan and Xi Jinping. He took a major role in the performance of Gongsun Zidu, which received multiple recognition, including “Top Ten Classic Drama”, “Wenhua Drama Award”, “Chinese Opera Performance” Award, and “Outstanding Drama Award” at the China Kunqu Arts Festival, as well as the “Seine Award” at the 3rd Paris Traditional Chinese Opera Festival and other international awards.

He has not only given many breakthrough performances in Kunqu, but has also been at the cutting edge of playwriting and directing, helming classics such as Lin Chuan Meng Ying, Wei Sheng Yuan, The Butterfly Dream, The Palace of Eternal Youth, Mu Guiying Takes Commands and Luo Binwang. Mr Lin has earned numerous national awards and is regarded as an “interdisciplinary talent”.

Being one of the visiting artists of the Academy’s Chinese Traditional Theatre programme during recent years, Mr Lin has demonstrated his excellence to our students, and shared his precious experience as polisher of the semi-annual performance.