Students practice the basic skills of Peking Opera. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Classrooms at Xichang Primary School in Chengdong town, Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, echoed with the melodic sounds of Peking Opera on July 14 as students with brightly colored faces and dressed in costumes practicing singing, reciting, acting, and martial arts.

The school has enlisted professional Peking Opera teachers from a theater troupe to provide free instruction to children in the basics of Peking Opera. This helps them gradually develop their performance skills and experience the captivating essence of this national art form.

Li Pengshan, former actor at the Nantong Peking Opera Theater, is one of the teaching instructors. He said, "I have been involved in Peking Opera education for more than 20 years. My goal is to inspire students' interest in the art and help them better understand and inherit traditional culture."

To preserve national art, Xichang Primary School launched the Herun Jingyun Peking Opera Club in 2016, making it a key component of the school's curriculum.

The club has long invited Li and senior opera enthusiasts like Shen Hongxia as mentors to offer comprehensive training, including singing techniques and recitation skills. Currently, the children in the Peking Opera club have cultivated advanced stage performance skills and have demonstrated their progress on provincial and municipal stages multiple times.

Students practice the basic skills of Peking Opera. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Students practice the basic skills of Peking Opera. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Students practice the basic skills of Peking Opera. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Students practice the basic skills of Peking Opera. [Photo/Nantong Daily]