Li Hao

DRESSED in his Beijing opera costume of Lord Bao, 10-year-old student Yu Weijun stuns the audience with his resonant singing each time he plays the ancient figure.

Lord Bao was an official in China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279) known for honesty and righteousness.

Yu is one of more than 800 youths in the children’s Beijing opera troupe in Bao’an District. It’s the first professional Beijing opera troupe for children in Guangdong Province.

“I want to be a professional Beijing opera singer when I grow up,” Yu said. “I started learning Beijing opera four and a half years ago. The longer I learn the opera, the more I love it.”

The laughing, happy child is in fifth grade at Baocheng Primary School in Bao’an District. He knows his history.

“Besides Lord Bao, I also play Lian Po, a prominent military general of Zhao during the Warring States Period of China, who was also known as (one of) the Four Greatest Generals in the Warring States,” Yu said proudly.

Like Yu, all the children in the troupe practice Beijing opera in their spare time, when most of their peers prefer to play computer games or surf the Internet.

Obviously, besides singing, these children have been acquiring knowledge of traditional Chinese culture.

Although Yu and his partners were a little bit shy when answering questions from the Shenzhen Daily, they immediately turned confident and vigorous when starting to sing.

Their singing and movements make audience members forget their ages.

“The children in the troupe are from 20 schools in Bao’an District and the youngest is only 6. We have professional teachers teach them,” said a teacher in the troupe, who only gave her surname as Hu.

“The troupe offers free education and we never take part in commercial performances,” Hu said.

Established in April 2007, the troupe has visited Taiwan and the United States to perform for cultural exchanges, according to Hu.

School officials started cooperating with professional Beijing opera schools and troupes in March 2004, to promote opera in Bao’an District’s 16 primary and middle schools.

Young star singers have emerged from the troupe to win national awards.