Guan Yu and his wife Zhang Ping, both teachers in the Beijing Dance Academy, have traveled between Beijing and a village in Hebei over the past six years. They teach children there how to perform ballet (芭蕾).
The couple participate in (参加) an art program which provides free art education for countryside children. Every Sunday, Guan and Zhang leave at 7: 30 am and drive 166 kilometers to the village. They arrive at about 10 am. They give two lessons, and each lesson lasts for two hours. Then they leave for Beijing at about 4 pm.
However, things didn't go well at first. Though the classes were free, the villagers didn't know why their children should learn dancing. The couple spent a long time asking the children to try it and at last, their classes became popular. In 2016, the children took part in a famous dance competition and won the first prize.
"Most countryside children don't have a chance to study art. We are trying to build an art bridge for the children and help open their eyes. I hope our ballet classes will make their lives more colorful," says Guan.
