Spring of the peony

Young amateur performers prepare for the Peking Opera show on Feb 9.[Photo by Zou Hong/ China Daily]

Ding Hu studies Peking Opera three hours every weekend with three teachers, including Li Zifeng, a professional Peking Opera actor who also teaches at Beijing's National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts. He practices singing and some basic movements at home after school every day.

"All his family members are his fans," says the father.

Some Beijing-based university students will also join the show on Feb 9. Eighteen-year-old Rong Shuang is one of them.

Like Ding Hu, Rong, also a Beijing native, has been heavily influenced by her family, especially her father, a die-hard fan and amateur Peking Opera actor.

Rong has listened to Peking Opera pieces and watched shows with her father since childhood. She started to learn the traditional genre from 2003 and was trained by the late Peking Opera master Li Zhiliang.

"Some people love Peking Opera because of the delicate costumes and accessories. But for me, the charm of it lies in its expressive singing and body language, which conveys emotions in detail," says Rong.

The history major will graduate from Capital Normal University this summer and hopes to teach the subject at a middle school in the city.

"I like independent and strong female roles in Peking Opera. Those roles even affected my personality," she says.

In 2014, Rong participated in a series of events held by Beijing Peking Opera Company, which introduced the old art form to university students. During the monthlong event, she collaborated with professional Peking Opera artists to perform extracts of classic Peking Opera works.

"They shared stories with me, such as how they practiced and devoted themselves to Peking Opera. Though I didn't learn Peking Opera from a young age like them, I share the same respect and passion for it," says Rong.

According to Xu Jian, manager of the Forbidden City Concert Hall, which used to be a popular venue for performances mainly of Western classical and traditional Chinese music, Peking Opera is increasingly becoming a major part of their annual program schedule.

Besides amateur performers, established Peking Opera masters, including Hu Wenge, Zhang Huifang and Wang Rongrong, have been invited to perform in the upcoming Spring Festival show.