A new workshop aiming to nurture new talents for Peking Opera has opened at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, one of the top academies for the traditional art form. The first batch of 10 students will get to study for free for an entire year, and the best part? They will be taught by China's most sought-after Peking Opera artist, Zhang Huoding.

In a year's time, the first ten participants will receive basic training skills for Peking Opera. There will be two sessions a week, given by Zhang Huoding, one of the most sought-after and well loved Peking Opera artists of the Cheng school in China.

"For the first class, I chose to teach Tears on a Waste Mountain, because it is one of the most-welcomed pieces and classics from my repertoire," Zhang said.

A new workshop aiming to nurture new talents for Peking Opera has opened at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, one of the top academies for the traditional art form.

The school of Cheng, one of the four famous schools for "dan" or, "female-only" roles in Peking Opera, was created by Cheng Yanqiu in the first half of the 20th century. Famous for its intermittent singing style and frequent changes in rhythm, this style is considered the best to portray the character's inner world, and it is especially good at mimicking high pitched sobs and whimpers.

Organizers hope workshops like this one can be a new way to nurture potential talents.

"I think the key for the revitalization of Peking Opera lies in the 'people': on the one hand, the audience, on the other hand, the professional performers. We hope to nurture a new generation of master performers to draw more audience members and fans into the theatres. And this worshop is an exploration of that, and we hope new experiences can come out of it for the inheritance and development of this traditional art form," said Ba Tu, president of National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts.

Subjects such as aesthetics, history of Peking Opera, and appreciation will also included in the courses of the workshop. What's more, the participants can also have the chance to perform on the grand theatre stages in Beijing.