Resounding through the ages
Updated: 2014-01-05 08:22
(China Daily)
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Young students give a new voice to ancient Peking Opera in modern times.
Peking Opera has thrived for centuries since originating in the 1700s but is struggling to be heard amid roaring modernization. Since 2008, the Ministry of Education has required schools to include content related to the genre in their music curriculums. The First Children's Peking Opera Contest, held from April to September last year in Beijing, gave hope to a renaissance of the treasured cultural tradition.
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Qin Can, a 9-year-old from Xi'an, Shaanxi province, has studied Peking Opera for five years. Photos by Yang Sheng / for China Daily |
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A man consoles his son who is disappointed with his own performance at the Children's Peking Opera Contest, which attracts more than 1,000 participants. |
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Yang Xinying comes from Tianjin. The iPad helps the 6-year-old learn the performance art. |
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A gathering of Yuji concubines makes final preparations for the classic Peking Opera piece Farewell My Concubine. |
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Meng Zihan, 7, learns from 90-year-old Peking Opera master Wang Zezhao, who volunteers to teach the art for years and safeguards the inheritance of the traditional opera. |
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Martial arts is one of the basic skills of the genre. Children stretch their legs at a Peking Opera school in Beijing. |
(China Daily 01/05/2014 page6)