Students perform Peking Opera in Shandong

As China celebrated its first Cultural and Natural Heritage day, more than 100 students staged a Peking Opera show in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, Shandong province, on Thursday, to raise public awareness on the inheritance of traditional operas.

Excerpts from 17 Peking operas were reproduced, including the most famous Farewell My Concubine, a 2,200-year-old romance about a hero and his lover, and Ode to the Pear Blossoms. The child performers revived the charm of the time-honored opera plays with singing and exquisite movements on stage.

Earlier this year, China's central government pledged to preserve and develop the country's various traditional opera styles by strengthening the education system. The system covers both school training in traditional opera and training arrangements with professional troupes.

Xie Chuanjiao contributed to this story