Zhao Bonan, a girl of 18, left Monday her home in Huludao, in northeast China's Liaoning Province for her new job -- a teacher at the Inner Mongolia Horqin Art Academy where she will teach the Zheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.
Zhao displayed a musical gift as a child, learning to play many instruments such as the accordion, electronic organ, piano and her favorite, the Zheng: a Chinese zither with 25 strings.
The girl was enrolled as one of the first students of the only Zheng class offered in Huludao City in May 1996. She later became a student of Wang Tianyi, renowned Zheng player, in early 1996 and won the Gold Prize of the Zheng-playing program in the national musical contest the same year.
In 2000, Zhao was invited to be chief performer and teacher in a 20-series TV program teaching the Zheng.
Considering Zhao's excellence in playing the Zheng, the Inner Mongolia Horqin Art Academy invited Zhao to teach.
She will be in charge of teaching second-year students of the Zheng department. Meanwhile, the academy will be responsible for Zhao's education of general subjects other than music, the academy said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2003)
