26 June 2018
The "Traditional Chinese Opera Summer Program" hosted by Shanghai Theater Academy formally began on 25 June 2018. Vice president Yang Yang of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Deputy Director Zhang Yunlei of the International Exchange Center and the relevant staff of the International Exchange Centre attended the opening ceremony. 20 young students from 12 countries and regions, such as India, England and Columbia, came together to embark on a journey of traditional Chinese opera.
(Opening ceremony in progress)
Vice President Yang Yang made a speech. In the speech, he first extended the welcome to all the students for their arrival, and expressed the hope that the students would personally experience the charm of traditional Chinese opera and have a deeper understanding of Chinese traditional culture through this program. He also hoped that the students would go out of the campus to feel the modernity of Shanghai as a city, and spend more time to go to cinemas, theaters and museums in Shanghai. Then, Rut Daniela Conde Arango from Columbia spoke as a student representative telling about her connections with the City of Shanghai and expressing the joy of coming to study in this program at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
(Vice President Yang Yang of Shanghai Theatre Academy making a speech)
The Shanghai Summer School Traditional Opera Program has been held for eight times since it was launched in 2011. It has contributed to enhancing the worldwide promotion of Chinese traditional culture. The students of the Summer School will spend three weeks at the Shanghai Theatre Academy studying traditional Chinese operas and deepening their understanding of Chinese language and Chinese culture. These students from around the world will not only listen to the history of the traditional Chinese opera and watch the traditional Chinese opera shows, but also experience the postures, water sleeves and martial arts of traditional Chinese opera under the guidance of professional teachers and, at the same time, they will learn to perform the select sections of Chinese traditional opera in small groups. At the graduation performance of the Summer School, we will be able to enjoy the selected sections of such classical plays of traditional Chinese opera as “Qiu Jiang”, “Confucius Disciples” and “Miss Julie” performed by these students from different countries.
(Group photo of teachers and students)
In front of the Red Building, the young people with different skin colors and of different nationalities took a group photo together, wearing the T-shirt of the Shanghai Theatre Academy and with shining smile on their faces. They will soon commence a period of youthful time full of exotic culture and cross-national friendship, which is also the starting point of Chinese traditional culture going global.
