2021-2022学年度第 8期总第845期 (4版)
Storytelling comes to life through art (P4)
北京中学  李萍

Lead-in
Watch the video and think about the following questions.
陕西快板《陕西小吃》,音乐,民俗音乐,好看视频 (baidu.com)

What is the man doing in the video?
What do you know about Shaanxi kuaiban?

Read for gist
Storytelling comes to life through art
Read the text and answer the questions below:
1. What is Shaanxi kuaiban?
Shaanxi kuaiban is a traditional Chinese form of storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect to the rhythm of bamboo clappers.

2. What does Yang Jinlong do?
He is a veteran Shaanxi kuaiban artist and teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban.

Read for details

Read the text and complete the table below.
Shaanxi kuaiban
How important is it?     In June, it was recognized as 1. _____________________.
How is it performed?     It can be performed 2. _________________.
When did it originate?    It can be traced back to 3. ________________.
On what occasions do people perform it?     It was originally used by farmers to 4. _________________. But now, more people  perform it 5. ____________ - for example, 6. ______________________.
What is it like?     It tells stories about 7. ________. The performer tells stories while 8. _________, and it’s easy for the audience to remember the stories since 9. ____________.
What did Yang Jinlong do to promote it?     •He wore 10. ______ instead of the traditional gown while telling modern stories.
•He also integrated many 11. ________ like tap dance, ballet, jazz dance and the rhythm of popular music into it.
•He took on more 12. ________.
Key：
1. an intangible cultural heritage at the national level
2. by a group or solo
3. the late Qing Dynasty (1644—1911)
4. share their knowledge and earn money
5. on different occasions
6. at festival celebrations, parties and art shows
7. heroes  
8. playing kuaiban
9. all the lines rhyme
10. a suit 
11. pop elements 
12. trendy topics

Think and share
1.In the last paragraph, Yang said, “Art education is important for students in China.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?
I totally agree with Yang. Art education can be seen as a great way to relieve students from the stress of a heavy study load. It also serves as a great way to help broaden students’ horizons and promote their ability to appreciate beauty in life. Therefore, art education is very important for students in China.

2.What other traditional art forms do you think should be promoted? Why?
Answers vary.

Language study
1.But now, more people perform Shaanxi kuaiban on different occasions.
      occasion: a special event, ceremony or celebration 特别的事情（或仪式、庆典）
      e.g. They marked the occasion with an open-air concert.
      他们举办露天音乐会来庆祝这个特别的时刻。
      Their wedding turned out to be quite an occasion.
      他们的婚礼办得相当隆重。    
      词汇拓展：
      on occasion 偶尔，偶然，有时
      occasional adj. 偶然的
      occasionally adv. 偶然地      
2. His stories focus on more trendy topics, like stories of heroes who have worked to alleviate poverty, as well as the Chinese Olympic team.
alleviate: If you alleviate pain, suffering, or an unpleasant condition, you make it less intense or severe. 减轻
e.g. A number of measures were taken to alleviate the problem. 采取了一系列措施缓解这个问题。
词汇拓展：alleviation n. 减轻，缓和
                                  
Assignment
1. Surf the internet to find more information you want to know about Shaanxi kuaiban.
2. Creative writing
Suppose your foreign teacher is keen on Chinese traditional art. You are going to introduce one of our traditional art forms to him. Please include the following information in your introduction:
• What is its name?
• When did it originate?
• How important is it?
• How is it performed?
• On what occasions do people perform it?
• What will you do to promote it?