Youngster learns the art of Bian Lian

Shi Zhixuan, 3, puts on costumes before practicing Bian Lian, a rapid mask-changing technique which is part of the Sichuan opera, in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Aug 20, 2012. The young girl began studying the stunt when she was just two and half years old. Bian Lian, also known as face changing, is an important aspect of the Chinese Sichuan Opera. Performers change their painted masks repeatedly by just waving their arms and twisting their heads. Shi studies with 70-year-old He Shucheng, a face changing master who has taught more than 3,000 students. [Photo/Xinhua]

Three-year-old Shi Zhixuan practises face changing in her costumes with her tutor, He Shucheng, on Aug 20, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]