Peking opera, known as China's national opera, is a combination of music, dance and art and is widely regarded as a full expression of Chinese culture. Today, this art form is facing the danger of extinction as the younger generation is mostly interested in pop culture.
A Peking opera project for primary and secondary schools was launched by China's Ministry of Education. But it has met with a cold reaction from the public. More than half of the 1, 000 respondents from ten big cities expressed doubts about the practical meaning of the project in the survey conducted by the Social Survey Institute of China.
The project plans to add 15 Peking opera pieces into music courses in 200 schools in ten provinces. The pilot programs will last from March to July next year. At present, teaching materials and video tapes are still in production, China News Service reported. The Ministry of Education hopes that the promotional course can help students better appreciate Chinese culture and cultivate a love for the mother country.
The surveyed people do recognize Peking opera as a comprehensive (综合性的) art form and a representative of the traditional culture. They also understand the purpose of the educational project. However, they wonder whether it is necessary for every student to learn to sing Peking opera, when they are already stressed from endless exams. In fact, most music teachers themselves know little about this ancient art form, and thus are not confident in arousing (激起) students' Interest in its slow pace and abstruse (深奥的) lyrics.
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