Peking opera masterpiece Uproar in Heaven, performed by artists from China's Hubei Peking Opera Company, won applauses and hails as they concluded their performance on Wednesday for over 300 children in Uijeongbu, 30 km north of Seoul.
The 28-member visiting group made their first performance in South Korea's southwest Gunsan city on Sunday and will continue to perform in Paju on May 19.
The company brought five classic operas to South Korea, including At the Crossroad, Shuangyang Princess, which are famous and easy to be understood by South Koreans.
"We are worried about that children cannot understand the Peking Opera before we organized this event," said Kim Mijung, director of Music Festival of the Uijeongbu government.
"We took children to see the opera because it is so rare to have an opportunity to see something like this. We are very happy to see that children really enjoy the performance," she said.
This is the first time that Uijeongbu government cooperated with Chinese Culture Center in South Korea and Hubei Peking Opera company to introduce traditional Chinese culture to South Koreans.
Peking Opera consists of singing, recital, gestures and fighting actions. The song-and-dance routine, the dazzling costumes, the stylized performance and colorful facial make-up make it a unique draw.
"My favorite part was the fighting. The Monkey is the bravest person," a four-year-old boy said after the performance, adding he would go home to practice the movements.
Zhu shihui, a famous Peking opera artist and president of the company, told Xinhua that Peking opera is one of the most beautiful and elegant performing arts, and should be appreciated by as many people as possible.
"We came here to introduce the traditional Chinese culture and wanted to reach South Korean audience to help them understand what Peking opera is and let them know how to appreciate this unique performing art," he said.
"The level of recognition of Peking opera by South Koreans surprised me. The cheer from audience in the last performance in Gunsan made me feel we were performing in China."
"To promote excellent Chinese culture and art, and to tell the story of China to the world, I believe Peking opera is one of the most representative and important tools. The performances are an ambassador of cultural exchange," he added.
