On the morning of the 25th, 45 students from Jiangxia Mingxi Primary School were attending the school’s “Peking Opera Summer Camp”. Girls are practicing "swinging the sleeves" in their body, while boys are trying to figure out the gestures and footwork of the "cloud hand".

Chen Liang Photo

Yangtze River reporter Huang Jieying Correspondent Chen Kemao Xu Xiaobo

On the morning of the 25th, 45 students from Jiangxia Mingxi Primary School were attending the school's "Peking Opera Summer Camp". Girls are practicing "swinging the sleeves" in their body, while boys are trying to figure out the gestures and footwork of the "cloud hand". As early as 2007, Mingxi Primary School opened a Peking Opera Club. Over the past 10 years, the school’s Peking Opera Club has sent the children to the Affiliated Middle School of the Chinese Academy of Opera and provincial and municipal art schools, and has also made Peking Opera a school-based course. Every child in the school can have a recitation and figure of Peking Opera.

The first issue of Peking Opera Club only recruited 30 students

In the shape room on the third floor of the school, Shi Jingyan, a national second-level actor at the Hubei Peking Opera Theater , was teaching girls to "swing their sleeves". The school's music teacher Ye Hua was guiding, "10 years ago, the school held Peking Opera class. I followed the professional teacher to maintain order in the class. Now I have become a fan of the votes and can help the teacher correct the students' figure and singing style."

In 2007, Wu Weiqiang, the then principal of Mingxi Primary School, opened the Peking Opera class "Xiaoxiao Tan Xinpei " in the school. "Peking opera master Tan Xinpei went out of Jiangxia. Jiangxia people should inherit and carry forward this national treasure, so start with primary school students."

Ye Hua still remembers that there was no Tan Xinpei Park at that time, and there were few reports of primary schools offering Peking Opera classes. She used "difficulty" to describe the situation where the class was opened at that time: Peking Opera teachers were difficult to find high prices, and the students did not understand this art. The first period only recruited 20 girls and 10 boys.

"One minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage" refers to Peking Opera. Ye Hua said that Peking Opera looks beautiful on the stage, but it is really difficult to learn. Usually, one look or movement is practiced in one class, and a child aged six or seven will inevitably feel boring. Moreover, Peking Opera was not popular at the time, and many parents asked their children to transfer to popular arts such as piano and drums. "There are only 12 children in the first batch of children in the end. Every time I see the child who has already developed a stature and leave the group, I feel very sad." Ye Hua said that fortunately, the school supports it, and when the students are lost, they recruit new ones, and slowly persevere year by year.

students sang into the Affiliated High School of China Opera School

During the rest period of practicing, Fang Wendi from Class 3 (3) carefully sorted out his sleeves and carefully folded them in his bag. "I have signed up for the Peking Opera Club since the first grade. I hope to be admitted to the Affiliated High School of China Opera School like my senior sister Wang Zhixian, and I will be a Peking Opera actor like my teacher in the future."

Wang Zhixian is the first group of students in the school’s Peking Opera class. On the 25th, a reporter from the Yangtze River Daily contacted Wang Zhixian. She was in the middle school of the Central Academy of Drama and had already ended her summer vacation in Beijing to make a new drama. "In 2008, I started learning Peking Opera when I was in the second grade of elementary school." She introduced that the Peking Opera teachers at that time were Tan Chuanhan and Xia Hailan, a professional teacher of Peking Opera Club in Jiangxia District, and were also her Peking Opera initiator.

"I saw Teacher Tan and Teacher Xia sing Peking Opera, and I was fascinated by it all at once." Wang Zhixian recalled that the Peking Opera class in the school laid her basic skills, and after class she would go to Teacher Tan's house to "additional classes". "I asked Teacher Tan to teach me what I like. I loved dancing at the time, and in the end I became a sword and horse dan." After practicing, it was past nine o'clock when I got home. She would wash and fall asleep every time. "Of course she was tired, but the more I learned, the more I liked it. Peking Opera is a very profound art, so I plunged in."

In May 2012, Wang Zhixian, who was in the sixth grade of elementary school, made a bold decision - to apply for the Affiliated Middle School of China Opera College. At that time, hundreds of people across the country applied for the exam, including the interview with the visual singing and ear training, and the written examination for Peking Opera knowledge. She ended up being one of the 30 admitted girls. "There are children from all over the country in the class, and I am the first to come out of Jiangxia!" she said proudly.

All students in the school must take Peking Opera school-based courses

Following Wang Zhixian, Zhang Shiyi participated in the National Children's Peace Cup Opera Competition and won the third prize. Yu Yiwen was admitted to Hubei Art School . Many students were admitted to the Municipal Art School. The school's Peking Opera performance has also become the finale of various literary and artistic activities in the district. "The children won a lot of awards, and the activities of traditional drama and opera on campus are gradually underway, so we no longer have to worry about the source of students."Ye Hua said.

In the study of Peking Opera, children gradually realized the essence of traditional culture. "I have become able to endure hardships. "He Qin, the mother of Li Qiang, a boy from Class 3 (3), told reporters that at first the child felt pain in his legs, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered, and took the initiative to arrange the time for learning and practicing.

"During the performance, you need to Baotou , and the cloth of Baotou must be tied very tightly to fix the beautiful headdress. "Vice principal Ke Qian said that the little boy wanted to shed tears in pain, so he insisted on it, "They widened their eyes and did not let the tears flow out. They said they could not cry, so as not to make up. "

More and more children are in love with Peking Opera. In 2012, the principal Zeng Mingxing presided over the compilation of the school-based course "The Fragrance of Beijing", promoting Peking Opera culture and Peking Opera knowledge throughout the school, and being the first to promote opera radio exercises in the city. Everybody can have a Peking Opera recitation or body performance when they graduate. In the first half of this year, Mingxi Primary School compiled a new set of Peking Opera courses covering the sixth grade of primary school, including famous Peking Opera excerpts, Peking Opera cultural knowledge, Peking Opera performances, etc. "Peking Opera should not be a matter of enjoying oneself. I hope more schools can join in and jointly inherit and carry forward the national qualities. ”

[Editor: Chen Zhi]