Foreign students sample culture through history

In front of the Tongguan Museum, the students are also treated to a different style of laoqiang, called the Yellow River Laoqiang, that originated from the work songs of boatmen at the river docks.

Unlike the previous performance delivered by veteran inheritors, the two performances, centered respectively on local food and traffic safety, are given by a group of small children from the Tongguan Yellow River Laoqiang Children's Troupe.

According to director of the troupe, Yao Miaorong, the group was founded in 2017 with the support of the local government and joined by children aged between 3 and 6 from nearby kindergartens.

So far, more than 400 children have participated and received instructions from experienced inheritors, and the troupe has reached its sixth iteration.

"We have incorporated the opera style into our kindergarten curriculum, which means that we combine the art form and Tongguan's regional culture with the teachings of language, art, science and other subjects, in ways that can interest and engage the children," Yao says.

"Our aim is to encourage the children to love and pass on our traditional culture, help children learn about their hometown, and eventually support its development when they grow up."

Comparing the laoqiang performances given by inheritors and children, Chawinga says that he can see how culture is being passed down the generations.

"As young people, we don't normally relate to what people in the past enjoyed doing, but I can see that these children are interested in preserving the culture. I think that, in the long run, a greater number of young people will be interested in participating in these cultural activities," Chawinga says.