Peking Opera: Chinese stage tradition attract US students

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02:31

One of China's most prominent cultural heritages, Peking Opera, has been seeing a slow and steady revival in recent years. This ancient stage art is also migrating across the Pacific Ocean, and attracting children in the United States. One man involved in this is veteran performer and dedicated teacher Hu Jianrong.

In his suburban home in Los Angeles, Hu Jianrong has been running his Peking Opera school for five years. The 70-year-old was once a leading performer in Shanghai before he moved to the US West Coast two decades ago. Since his retirement, Hu has been an avid promoter of Peking Opera.

HU JIANRONG PERFORMER & TEACHER OF PEKING OPERA "Peking Opera is a blend of dancing, singing and acting. It has elaborate costumes and props and all those techniques. It is important that we preserve the tradition. Peking Opera contains the essence of our culture. It has stood the test of time for centuries. "

It has not been easy to launch and run the school. Apart from recruiting and teaching, he has to adapt the traditional repertoire for American tastes. Hu Jianrong has accumulated a collection of Peking Opera props and costumes. For him, Peking Opera is more than a performing art.

HU JIANRONG PERFORMER & TEACHER OF PEKING OPERA "If we talk about the benefits, first Peking Opera is very good physical exercise. Also, you can learn a lot about Chinese culture through Peking Opera, such as China's history and classical past. Actually Peking Opera used to be a popular way to instill morals and a code of conduct among Chinese people."

Most of Hu Jianrong's pupils are Chinese-Americans.

PUPIL "I like it so much. I can wear beautiful costumes on stage. And I also enjoy the applause from the audience. I'm so proud of myself. "

PUPIL "He's a wonderful teacher. Besides the techniques, he also teaches us the right attitude. I learned a great deal from him. I've seen steady improvement. It's an inspiring experience for me."

Hu Jianrong's Peking Opera school has gained recognition from the LA mainstream community. During a tour in China last year, his pupils were widely acclaimed by both professional performers and audience members.