Qionghai Tayang Town Central School has listed Qiongju Opera as a compulsory course for more than 1,000 students, helping to spread the local traditional art form to a younger generation.
Qiongju Opera is the local traditional folk opera of South China's Hainan province, where it has been performed for over 300 years. "Teaching students about Qiongju Opera helps them cultivate their cultural self-confidence and develop their personalities," said Wu Shize, principal of Tayang Town Central School.
The school started to implement the "course + club" model in 2018, which provides students an opportunity to learn Qiongju Opera both in the classroom and in the club.
The Qingju Opera courses have been scientifically formulated. First and second grade students of the school learn the history of Qiongju Opera through their Chinese teachers, while third and fourth grade students learn Qiongju Opera painting and paper cutting through their art teachers, learning about the characters of Qiongju Opera. Fifth and sixth grade students learn about Qiongju Opera singing through the school's external teachers.
Meanwhile, the club mainly teaches Qiongju Opera performance skills to students who are interested in Qiongju Opera after class.
The school has achieved fruitful results in its Qiongju Opera teaching. Student Chen Chunxia won the 22nd Little Plum Blossom Gold Award, student Wang Yuanyu won the 23rd Little Plum Blossom Gold Award, and student Li Pingping won the 24th Little Plum Blossom Gold Award. In addition, actors in the Qiongju Opera club performed programs for the guests of the Boao Forum for Asia in 2021. They have also participated in the Hainan Qiongju Opera Spring Festival Gala for three consecutive years.
Students from Qionghai Tayang Town Central School perform Qiongju Opera. [photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
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