China Promotes Traditional Opera in Schools

China’s central government has promised to promote traditional opera in schools.

Primary schools, secondary schools, colleges 【小题1】 universities will give students the opportunity 【小题2】 (watch) traditional opera free of charge, according to a guideline jointly 【小题3】 (issue) by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China and the ministries of culture, education and finance. 【小题4】 guideline requires students in all schools and colleges nationwide watch an opera free of charge every year.

The activity for traditional opera to reach students 【小题5】 (be) common in all schools in the near future, according to the guideline. The guideline also urges schools to 【小题6】 (strength) the creation of opera interest groups, 【小题7】 calls on the joint effort of the

Recently, a drama series named “Medal of the Republic (功勋)” 【小题1】 (arouse) enthusiastic discussion on Chinese social media. The series tells heart-warming stories about the 【小题2】 (one) group of eight recipients of the Medal of the Republic. It’s the country’s highest honor for those 【小题3】 have made great contributions to the 【小题4】 (develop) of the People’s Republic of China.

Among the recipients are combat heroes, 【小题5】 (include) Li Yannian and Zhang Fuqing, nuclear physicist Yu Min, farmer Shen Jilan, satellite expert Sun Jiadong, “father of hybrid rice” Yuan Longping, nuclear scientist Huang Xuhua, and pharmacologist Tu Youyou, etc.

The series is centered on these heroes’ devotion 【小题6】 their careers and continuous efforts to improve Chinese people’s lives. Through the patriotism (爱国精神) and the never-yielding spirit 【小题7】 (show) by these heroes, the series hopes 【小题8】 (inspire) the younger generation.

According to the series’ chief director Zheng Xiaolong, compared to most documentaries that show 【小题9】 whole life of the featured individual, this series focuses 【小题10】 (specific) on the individuals’ most shining moments.

Patrick Sommier, 【小题1】 French theater director, is devoted to passing on the true meaning of Chinese operas to the French public.

In 2004, 【小题2】 the 40 anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic (外交) relations between China and France was celebrated, Sommier 【小题3】 (invite) to cooperate on a joint project to spread Peking Opera in France. Sommier says that when he arrived in China, like many other 【小题4】 (European) he showed great interest in Chinese operas. The beauty of Peking Opera immediately caught his heart, he says.

Recalling his first cooperation with the Chinese team, Sommier says he was impressed by the actors’ makeups, costumes, 【小题5】 the characters of unbelievable strength. He was also touched by the Chinese professors’ effort 【小题6】 (pass) their acting skills to their students by acting with them. One professor explained, “In China, opera is an art 【小题7】 (require) lifelong devotion and the effect of the performance 【小题8】 (large) depends on the actors’ inner strength and acting skills.”

Sommier began exploring into different performance forms and suggested introducing Chinese operas 【小题9】 the French audience. The team then gave some 【小题10】 (origin) performances, some without makeups or costumes and some with students performing classics in a traditional way.