Cross-Straits kids were singing together. (Lin Yingshu/Pingtan Times)

The 2018 Cross-Straits Summer Camp for Kid Choirs opened in Pingtan on August 27. Students from cross-straits primary schools visited Liushui Central Primary School to exchange experience, attend interesting courses and enjoy the scenic beauty of Pingtan Island. Two days later, they put on an amazing art performance, which was praised by Xie Xiutong, a commissioner from the Party Working Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone.

Kids from three primary schools were singing a song together. (Lin Yingshu/Pingtan Times)

"When I saw your smile, I saw the light…"

Beautiful sounds echoed to the hallway. Inside the small classroom, two choirs were pitching, and practising breathings. Students got to experience different teaching methods from across the Taiwan Straits.

"I tried to get the kids to blend in, in a more relaxed way," said Wang Yining, the conductor of the choirs from Taibei Sanyu Primary School. Wang found that each of the choirs has its own special timbre and shall be adjusted respectively in accordance with different locations of pitching, so as to harmonize their vocal sound. "The students from Pingtan had done a great job through perfect demonstration of their understanding and cooperation."

In addition to the demonstrations exchange, Guo Mengyong and Kang Yudan, two music tutors also demonstrated the basic skills of singing, corrected the students' drawbacks in pitching and also guided them with their breathing exercises. To the teachers themselves, this camp not only manifests the differences of music teaching from across the Straits, but also helps them learn more from other teachers to improve their teaching skills. "I hope that the cross-straits choir festival will attract the participation of more children in the future and we also plan to invite these kids to participate in the Cross-Straits Choir Festival next year."

During the event, Guo Mengyong, Chairman of the Association for Cross-Straits Music Communications, and Kang Yudan, vice director of Elementary Music Teaching Branch of Chinese Education Society, presented camp flags to the two primary schools mentioned above. Meanwhile, the choir of Liushui Central Primary School sent mascots of their school to their choir partner from Taibei Sanyu Primary School. In return, the kids from Sanyu Primary School also sent clips and coloured pens to them, making the atmosphere on the stage quite harmonious.

"We wish that the cross-straits teenagers will build an unforgettable friendship here through the chorus and strengthen their artistic capabilities as well," said Lin Caiying, the headmaster of Liushui Central Primary School. "We also hope to show other sides of Pingtan; the development and the potentials of the island through this choir camp as well," she continued.

More, with the aim to know about Pingtan better, 76 pupils from Sanyu Primary School together with their parents and teachers had also visited the Program Exhibition Centre of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, the International Archaeological Base for Austronesian Studies in Pingtan and Beigang Village for Cultural Creativity. "It's the first time we brought the pupils out of the classroom to acquire more knowledge. In this camp, we teachers could also enjoy the joy of working with teachers from different regions. We hope that this kind of activities will be continued," stated Chen Youjun, the headmaster of Taibei Sanyu Primary School from Taiwan Province.

Translator: Wang Kui (Cory Smith)