Two performance events that took place in Suzhou on Apr 17 as parts of the one-week 6th Chinese Primary and Middle School Students’ Art Exhibition amazed the local audiences.

The event at Suzhou Poly Grand Theatre offered 21 student teams a chance to showcase their talents in musical instrument playing. Among the best-loved performances is a concerto called Silk Road staged by 65 students from Nanjing No. 9 Middle School with various musical instruments including those originated from Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and a fantastic performance featuring harmonica songs and oral stunts by a group of students from King’s College, Hong Kong.

The other event at SIP’s Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre included 15 traditional Chinese opera episodes, recitations and short plays by students from around the country.

For example, the students from the Middle School Affiliated to Qinghai Normal University staged a short play entitled The Star based on the story of Xia Boyu, a double amputee who lost his legs to frostbite on an ill-fated 1975 expedition to Mt Everest and reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain at the age of 69.

Besides, the students from Wenzhou No. 22 Middle School gave a performance that demonstrates perfect incorporation of traditional Chinese archery with stage art. Starring Huang Wenyi who won the first place in a national girls’ archery contest, the performance portrayed a story adapted from a chapter in the students’ textbook.