Summer camp students tune into musical tradition

More than 150 young students from different parts of China gave a performance at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing on Thursday, playing works, such as Flower Drum, Little Bee and Snowflake, adapted from Chinese folk songs and pop music.

The students had participated in a pipa (a four-stringed lute) training summer camp, led by veteran pipa player Zhang Hongyan and 25 teachers.

Pipa, a traditional Chinese string musical instrument with a history of more than 2,000 years, has always been popular among Chinese children who learn musical instruments. The diversity of its sounds and the beautiful look have drawn music lovers of various generations.

Since 2011, the pipa summer camp, founded by Zhang, has been held at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, as part of the annual Gateway to Music festival, one of Beijing's biggest arts festivals for children that has been staged during the summer vacation since 1995.

Besides pipa, the summer event also offers amateur art lovers with nine other mini summer camps centering on different art forms, such as Peking Opera, guzheng (Chinese zither) and percussion.