Zhang Zixuan (behind) and Xie Suqian, pupils of the "little Kunqu Opera training class" of Shipai Center Primary School, perform Kunqu Opera in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 31, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

In a training room of Shipai Center Primary School in Kunshan City, pupils practice basic skills of Kunqu Opera under the guidance of a full-time teacher. All the maneuvers are presented precisely.

Kunshan City is the birthplace of the Kunqu Opera, which is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage. The city established its first "little Kunqu Opera training class" at a local primary school in 1992. Currently, there are over 20 such opera classes in the city, with more than 5,000 pupils trained.

The "little Kunqu Opera training class" at Shipai Center Primary School enrolls nearly 80 pupils annually. The training difficulty is divided into low, medium, and high grades based on the age of the pupils.

Besides participating in regular trainings twice a week, the pupils utilize their break time to practice Kunqu Opera as well. As an old saying goes, "One minute on stage results from 10 years of practice off stage," the pupils make progress by numerous repetitive trainings which often require substantial perseverance.

Zhang Zixuan (front) and Xie Suqian, two pupils of the "little Kunqu Opera training class" of Shipai Center Primary School, perform Kunqu Opera in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 31, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Xie Suqian (front), a pupil of the "little Kunqu Opera training class", practices basic skills of Kunqu Opera with her classmates at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 30, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

A pupil of the "little Kunqu Opera training class" practices basic skills of Kunqu Opera under the guidance of a teacher at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 26, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Xie Suqian (front), a pupil of the "little Kunqu Opera training class", practices under the full-time teacher Zhou Jie's guidance at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 26, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Xie Suqian (C), a pupil of the "little Kunqu Opera training class", has fun with her classmates at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 31, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)

Xie Suqian, a pupil of the "little Kunqu Opera training class", attends a Kunqu Opera art lecture with her classmates at Shipai Center Primary School of Kunshan in Kunshan City, east China's Jiangsu Province, May 27, 2024.(Xinhua/Li Bo)