阅读理解Wang Fang, a woman from Suzhou, puts her whole heart into Kunqu Opera. She started to learn the traditional art form from a young age.
Born with a sweet voice, Wang loved to sing and dance and the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Troupe (剧团) (SKOT) chose her when she was in middle school. However, her parents refused the troupe's invitation, saying that her studies were more important. After members of the troupe visited the parents again and again, Wang's parents finally agreed.
Learning the traditional art form was never easy. She started to learn how to pronounce and sing words, and how to make proper movements (动作) . She got wet through when practicing movements in summer, while in winter she often had chilblains (冻疮) on her hands. "No matter how difficult, I always got up early the next morning to practice," Wang says.
Wang says she did not love Kunqu at first, but in her early 20s, when she watched the show by Zhang Jiqing, a master (大师) of the art form, it clicked. "Her every movement was full of beauty. Each of her words and songs was perfect. I was touched by the beauty of Kunqu for the first time, and I decided to stay with it all my life." says Wang.
Wang once said in a talk, "First you must be a dreamer, then a doer, and only then can you be a master. I believe it - it should be this way and that I am this way," Now, Wang is a master of Kunqu. People of different ages love her shows and she helps the art form become more popular with young people.
