Colorful lessons

Colorful lessons

　Li Jingwen is a student from Shangde Primary School in Hebei. One Friday afternoon, she sat in an activity room at school and watched xilu bangzi. It is a kind of opera from Haixing county, Hebei.

　“I couldn’t understand most of the lines¹, but the looks of the performers were so interesting,” the 9-year-old girl said. “I want to learn to sing the opera when I grow up.”

　The primary school started to teach xilu bangzi in 2017. Some performers come to the school every Wednesday. They give different opera performances to students. Du Zhonghua is a famous performer of xilu bangzi. “It is an important part of traditional culture through it,” he says.

　Besides opera, there are other lessons on traditional Chinese culture at schools in Haixing. For example, students can learn paper-cutting, practice martial arts² and make clay sculptures³ in class. “It is necessary for students to take these educational lessons. They not only make students’ life rich and exciting, but also help them get interested in traditional art,” says a teacher from a primary school.

Notes:

1. line n. 台词 2. 意为：武术

3. 意为：泥塑