Who We Are
Hi Ching, Artistic Director
Hi Ching was born in London and brought up in Singapore. He returned to London to study at the Royal Ballet School (Dancers' Course) and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (Graduate Course - 1st studies in piano and singing, 2nd study in music composition). After graduating, he danced with the Frankfurt Ballet, Royal Opera, and English National Opera. He then worked as a professional actor, appearing on TV, film and stage before turning to directing, writing and composing.
He is Artistic Director of River Cultures Festival, and of Continuuuum Arts, the British-Chinese arts company specialising in Chinese arts events.
He has created and directed performances and events for the BBC, Royal National Theatre (where he was also invited as an expert), South Bank Centre, The Museum in Docklands, Museum of London, V & A, British Museum, Chinese Arts Centre, and other UK arts venues.
He was first prize national winner of a short story competition in the UK in 1996. Two of his plays which he directed and produced with the Albany Theatre were Hungry For It and You Beat Me, I Love You which received critical acclaim. Some of his poetry is represented on the ICA website of British-Chinese writing.
He won ‘Best Composition' at the Fo Guang Temple International ‘Voices of the World' Music Competition in 2005 which led to a commission of an outdoor musical on the life of Buddha ‘Journey Of Wisdom', which he also scripted and directed. He has since won prizes every year at this Competition. Dance of the Cobra is his Bollywood musical on stilts. He composed the theme music for BBC's ‘Death On The Beach' in which he also played he lead. A selection of his musical compositions are on the London Diaspora Capital website of Cultural Co-operation where he is featured.
Hi Ching started up Continuuuum Arts in 1993 after recognising a niche in the market for well presented, high profile Chinese arts and cultural events. Original small-scale work soon progressed to mid-scale work with the South Bank Centre, the Taipei Representative Office, Hong Kong Government Office and Tower Hamlets. In the last 4 years, large-scale events have included the Hong Kong Weekend to mark the return of Hong Kong to China (1997-London Arena); World Dragon Boat Racing Championships (1999-Nottingham); Coin Street Festival (1999-London South Bank); the Yan Huang International Chinese Arts Festival (1999 & 2000-Canary Wharf); the Aayyaa Teahouse in TH2000 with Tower Hamlets and British Waterways; Hong Kong Salutes the Dome for Hong Kong Tourism Board (Millennium Dome): and of River Cultures Festivals with its Golden Jubilee theme in 2002 and Tea in 2003.
Hi Ching's adminstrative and organisational work began in 1981 when he was appointed Head of the Upper School at the Urdang Academy. In 1982 he became Principal of Ballet Theatre School / Dance Theatre Academy for ten years. He has received many grants and awards for his artistic endeavours.
Acting highlights have included: TV Drama – First Emperor and The Great Wall (Discovery and Lion TV), The Crooked Man, and Thieftakers (Carlton TV), London's Burning (LWT), Roger, Roger (BBC 2), The Fragile Heart (Channel 4), On Dangerous Ground (Superstar Channel), Tartort (Bavarian TV) TV Comedy - Tottenham 2 (Channel 4), Kaisermuhlen Blues (Austrian TV series), And There's More‚ (Central TV series with probably the first Chinese comic in a series) Musicals -Anything Goes (West End). Film - Ping Pong (The first all Chinese production in the UK), High Road To China, Aliens 3. He has also performed in radio drama, panto and one man shows.
Hi's multidisciplinary work include directing and / or choreographing performances for theatre and video. Heritage projects include Spinning Lifestyles (oral history of East London's Bangladeshi community) and Limehouse Chinatown (oral history of the ‘genuine children' of London's first Chinatown). Stage direction and scripts include the Bollywood musical ‘Binderella'.