China's Ministry of Education said the country's new Peking Opera curriculum for schools is not compulsory, but a promotional course to help students better appreciate Chinese culture.

"The opera classes are by no means a nationwide compulsory class, but pilot programs implemented in certain schools from March to July next year," said ministry spokesman Wang Xuming at a press conference on Monday.

"The Peking Opera class is a meaningful move to uphold China's national spirit and cultivate student patriotism", said Jiang Peimin, director of the Ministry's Basic Education Department.

Wang said the program was still under trial and the ministry would solicit opinions from all circles.

The Education Ministry decided this month to start a pilot project in the new semester in 200 schools in the provinces and municipalities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong and Gansu.

The project added 15 pieces of Peking Opera, including both classical and modern ones, into music courses for students.

The news, however, has aroused great controversy among the Chinese, with some saying that untrained teachers and forced instruction might put off students.

Peking Opera, with a history of more than 200 years, is a synthesis of music, dance, art and acrobatics and is widely regarded as a symbolic expression of Chinese culture.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2008)