Lotus in Gold (working title)

In this work, contemporary dance artist Wayson Poon explores the Taoist principle of yin and yang, focusing on the imbalance between feminine (yin) and masculine (yang) energies in today’s world. He asks: what might change if feminine energy—associated with receptivity, responsiveness, and creation—were no longer suppressed? How could our bodies, actions, and consciousness transform?

Central to this exploration is the cheongsam, the iconic 20th-century Chinese dress. While elegant on the surface, its restrictive design becomes a metaphor for the constraints and objectification imposed on the body. By embodying this garment as a male artist, Poon reveals the tension between beauty and discomfort, freedom and confinement, while questioning the social norms that shape our perception of gender and energy.

Through dance, Poon invites audiences to reflect on how rigid binaries—masculine versus feminine, subject versus object—limit both body and mind. His work proposes new possibilities for understanding embodiment beyond dualism, where fluidity and diversity can emerge. In doing so, it opens a space for audiences to reimagine the body as a site of transformation, resonance, and expanded awareness.

Pan Jinlian(潘金蓮) is a fictional character from classic Chinese literature, most notably in Jin Ping Mei 金瓶梅(The Plum in the Golden Vase), and she also appears in Water Margin. Traditionally portrayed as an unfaithful wife who poisons her husband and engages in an affair with Ximen Qing, she has long been depicted as a symbol of lust and betrayal. However, her story is not purely historical; many scholars argue that her image was exaggerated or fictionalized to serve as a moral warning in a patriarchal society. In modern times, Pan Jinlian has been reinterpreted beyond the stereotype of the “wicked woman.” Contemporary writers and artists revisit her as a complex figure, emblematic of women constrained by social norms and misrepresented by cultural narratives. Her story continues to provoke debate on gender, morality, and the politics of desire in Chinese culture.

Lotus in Gold (20mins work-in-progress showing on Nov 2024)

Creative Concept

Can the body be a phenomenon or a landscape? ​If the body is characterised by objectification, dualism, rigidity and alienation, how can we understand feminine energy further by delving into its various ​​expressions and representations? Lotus in Gold seeks to explore the “feminine energy” contained within the male body through dance, striving to re-establish a non-dual, fluid and present consciousness within the seemingly contrasting concept of yin-yang.

The creation is sparked by the curiosity of choreographer Wayson Poon and Naamyam singer-songwriter Kong Chan on the suppression of feminine energy. With the body as the main subject of the performance, the two artists take inspiration from traditional Chinese culture, specifically the characterisation and storyline of Pan Jinlian, a key female protagonist in the classic Ming-dynasty novel Jin Ping Mei. In the process, they explore new possibilities in creating a more fluid and diversified interpretation of the body for a contemporary context.

Creative Team

Choreographer and Dancer: Wayson Poon
Naamyam​ Singer and Musician: Kong Chan
Companion: Jennifer Mok

Photo (c) Eric Hong @ Moon 9 Image

Presented by

Lotus in Gold un-do (40mins work-in-progress showing on SEP 2025)

Lotus in Gold un-do continues from Lotus in Gold, a collaborative work first presented by Wayson Poon and Chan Chi Kong at “Freespace Dance 2024: FIRST Creation Platform” in the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Drawing on the legendary figure of Pan Jinlian—whose image in novels and traditional opera has long been ingrained in the public imagination—the work seeks to question: where did this image come from, and where might it lead us today?

Through dance and nanyin, the artists revisit and deconstruct the stereotypes that history has fixed upon Pan Jinlian. In rehearsals, the body and movement become tools to step into and challenge established impressions, navigating through discomfort to discover new pathways between social frames.

Hong Kong contemporary dance artist Wayson Poon, extending his exploration from last year’s cheongsam embodiment, delves further into the writing of the dancing body. In dialogue with Kong Chan’s nanyin, they “unfasten” Jinlian together.

Photo (c) Jesse Clockwork

Creative Team

Choreography: Wayson Poon
Song Text & Music: Kong Chan

Dancer: Wayson Poon
Singer & Narrator: Kong Chan

Producer: Lee King Chi

Photo (c) Maximillian Cheng

Lotus in Gold un-do (Central Version)

February 2026, Fringe Dairy, Fringe Club

Hong Kong Fringe Festival

Traditional Chinese theatre is often described as an art form that tells stories through dance and songs. On the other hand, one can also view it as an art form that tells stories with the purpose of performing dance and songs – this is why storytelling sometimes may seem unimportant in traditional Chinese theatre. 

“Lotus in Gold” is a project that experiments continuously on how such essence of traditional theatre can be adapted to and amplified through the collaboration between traditional music and contemporary dance.

Featuring a solo dancer who plays the roles of both male and female characters, based on the Chinese classic, “The Golden Lotus”, this project also reflects upon masculinity and femininity. 

“Lotus in Gold, Un-do”, premiered at Studio 301, Tai Po Arts Centre in September 2025, is a continuation of Wayson Poon and Kong Chan’s “Lotus in Gold” presented at WKCD’s “Freespace Dance 2024: FIRST Creation Platform”.

This version consists of a 50-minute performance followed by after-party with open dance jam session.

Photo (c) Jesse Clockwork

Creative Team

Choreography & Performance:  Wayson Poon 

Naamyam (Traditional Cantonese Narrative Singing) & Music: Kong Chan

Percussion: Lam Yip (Special Guest)

Producer: King-chi Lee

Photo (c) Jesse Clockwork