Physics professor strikes high note with popular Peking Opera course

Cai Duanjun, a physics professor at the renowned Xiamen University in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province, has been igniting student interest in Peking Opera through an optional course he's taught for 10 years.

Cai Duanjun, a physics professor at Xiamen University in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province, plays Erhu, a two-stringed traditional Chinese bowed musical instrument, while teaching a class on Peking Opera. 

The course, titled "Appreciation of Peking Opera," is highly coveted at Xiamen University. Demand often exceeds supply, with the number of interested students typically three to four times the enrollment capacity. Those who succeed in enrolling must arrive at class half an hour early to get a good spot.

One of the highlights of Cai's classes is that "he sings for real," according to Li Xiaoyang, a student at the School of Law of Xiamen University and a member of the university's Peking Opera Club.

Cai Duanjun, a physics professor who teaches an optional course on Peking Opera at Xiamen University in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province, performs a classic Peking Opera masterpiece named Suo Lin Nang. (Photo courtesy of Cai Duanjun)

Every time before his class begins, Cai teaches students to sing classic pieces from Peking Opera, accompanied by his Erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed bowed instrument.

For each final exam, Cai stages a performance, inviting students to showcase their Peking Opera skills, with him and other enthusiasts providing musical accompaniment.

He also hosts an annual Peking Opera party, where students don traditional makeup and costumes to perform classics from the art form.

Members of the Peking Opera Club at Xiamen University in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province, perform Peking Opera. (Photo/Peking Opera Club at Xiamen University)

Cai enjoys teaching the course very much. He often invites professional Peking Opera performers and professors from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts to give lessons to his students.

The course's professionalism, engagement, and fun have earned it recognition as a core and first-class general education course at Xiamen University.

It's worth noting that Cai is not the first professor at Xiamen University without professional Peking Opera training to teach an optional course on the art form. The university's Peking Opera Club was founded by Hu Weihong, a biology professor at the university.

Students learn to perform Peking Opera in a class on appreciating Peking Opera at Xiamen University in Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province. The course is taught by Cai Duanjun, a physics professor at the university.

When Cai was studying for his master's degree at Xiamen University, he was among the first batch of students taking Hu's optional Peking Opera course. Hu has since retired from his role as a biology professor.

In the first year of his teaching career at Xiamen University, Cai picked up the baton and began teaching the optional course on the appreciation of Peking Opera.

"I do not regret devoting my energy and time to the Peking Opera Club," Cai said, expressing his hope that his students will uphold and carry forward Peking Opera, making it an integral part of their memories and youth.