Opera Appreciation Guide: “The Land of Smiles”

Hong Kong Grand Opera proudly brings to you The Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) a romantic operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár, who was mainly known for his operetta. Whilst The Land of Smiles may not be the best-known Lehár operetta, but is a truly delightful work and the signature tune “You are my heart’s delight” (Dein ist mein ganzes Herz”) is a real show stopper.  When the tenor Richard Tauber appeared in The Land of Smiles in London in the 1930s, he sang many encores of “You are my heart’s delight”.  It was so famous that many members of the general public know this song and can hum the tune, though they might not have heard of “The Land of Smiles”. This is the link to Richard Tauber singing You are my heart’s delight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtgmKpcgQ30&list=RDJtgmKpcgQ30&start_radio=1

The synopsis, unlike many operas with convoluted plots, is quite straight forward and easy to follow. The operetta is set in Vienna and China. In act 1 in Vienna, the heroine Countess Lisa (soprano) marries a Chinese Prince Sou-Chong (tenor) and returns with him to his homeland despite the warnings of her friends and family. In act 2, in Beijing, she finds that she is unable to come to terms with his culture, and especially that he must take other wives. He assures her that it is just a formality, but unhappiness is inevitable, and she is locked in the palace. Her love changes to hate. In act 3, Prince Sou-Chong is left alone while his beloved Lisa returns to her homeland. Meanwhile Sou-chong’s sister, Princess Mi had also become attached to the Viennese official Gustav, who happened to be Lisa’s former suitor, so the ending is doubly sad. But the prince respects the rule of his custom: always smile. The title refers to the supposed Chinese custom of smiling, whatever happens in life. Hence, “The Land of Smiles” with a bittersweet ending.

The work was originally produced under the title Die gelbe Jacke (The Yellow Jacket). This was presented in 1923. In this version there was a happy ending and the lovers were re-united which did not appeal to Viennese taste.  It was not a great success.  Lehár later revised it, with a different ending and under the new title of Das Land des Lächelns to fit in with the bittersweet ending.  

Another memorable piece is "Immer nur lächeln" ("Always smiling"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v_c4fVCR78&list=RD9v_c4fVCR78&start_radio=1

This short post cannot possibly do justice to the work and is only meant to be a taster if you have not heard The Land of Smiles before.  To enjoy this work in its full glory, please come to the performances at the Auditorium, Shatin Town Hall on 6th and 7th June 2026 and support the singers and stage director, all local talent.

Meanwhile please keep on smiling and Hong Kong Grand Opera looks forward to seeing you at the opera!                                                  

Patrick D. Lim

Member of the Board of Directors, Hong Kong Grand Opera Company Limited

歌劇欣賞指南：《微笑之國》

香港大歌劇院隆重為您呈獻《微笑之國》（Das Land des Lächelns），這是一部由奧匈帝國作曲家弗朗茨・雷哈爾（Franz Lehár）創作的浪漫輕歌劇。雷哈爾主要以創作輕歌劇聞名。雖然《微笑之國》未必是他最廣為人知的作品，但它絕對是一部極具魅力的佳作，而其中的代表名曲〈你是我心中的唯一〉（Dein ist mein ganzes Herz）更是全劇最令人難忘的亮點之一。

1930年代，男高音理查德・陶伯（Richard Tauber）在倫敦演出《微笑之國》時，曾多次應觀眾要求重唱〈你是我心中的唯一〉。這首歌曲實在太受歡迎，以至許多普通大眾即使未曾聽過《微笑之國》，也能哼唱出這首旋律。以下是理查德・陶伯演唱〈你是我心中的唯一〉的連結：

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtgmKpcgQ30&list=RDJtgmKpcgQ30&start_radio=1

與許多情節複雜曲折的歌劇不同，本劇故事簡單直接，容易理解。輕歌劇的故事背景設於維也納及中國。

第一幕發生於維也納，女主角麗莎（女高音）不顧親友勸阻，嫁給中國王子蘇宗（男高音），並隨他返回中國。

第二幕發生於北京。麗莎逐漸發現自己無法適應蘇宗的文化，尤其難以接受他必須迎娶其他妻子的傳統。雖然蘇宗向她保證那只是形式上的安排，但不幸仍然無可避免地降臨。麗莎被困於宮廷之中，她對蘇宗的愛也逐漸轉變為怨恨。

第三幕中，蘇宗王子孤身一人，而他深愛的麗莎則返回故鄉。與此同時，蘇宗的妹妹美美格格也愛上了維也納官員古斯托，而古斯托恰巧是麗莎昔日的追求者，因此結局更顯雙重悲傷。然而，蘇宗仍然遵循其國家傳統的準則：無論發生什麼事，都要保持微笑。

劇名所指的，正是人們想像中的中國傳統——無論人生遭遇何種境況，都以微笑面對。因此，《微笑之國》最終以一個苦樂參半的結局作結。

本作品最初於1923年以《黃夾克》（Die gelbe Jacke／The Yellow Jacket）為名首演。在該版本中，男女主角最終重聚，擁有圓滿結局。然而，這樣的安排並不符合維也納觀眾的品味，因此作品未獲得太大成功。

其後，雷哈爾重新修訂作品，更改結局，並以《微笑之國》（Das Land des Lächelns）為新劇名，使作品更符合其帶有淡淡哀愁的結尾風格。

另一首令人難忘的作品是〈永遠微笑〉（Immer nur lächeln／Always Smiling）：

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v_c4fVCR78&list=RD9v_c4fVCR78&start_radio=1

這篇簡短介紹無法全面展現《微笑之國》的藝術魅力，只希望能為從未接觸過此劇的觀眾提供一個初步認識。

若想真正領略這部作品的精彩之處，誠邀您於2026年6月6日及7日蒞臨沙田大會堂演奏廳欣賞演出，支持一眾本地優秀歌唱家及舞台導演。

同時，也祝願大家繼續保持微笑。香港大歌劇院期待您的蒞臨！

林敏純
香港大歌劇院有限公司
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