"Why music courses? There are many other ways to teach children about Peking Opera. A drawing course is also a good option," Ma suggests.

The 200-year-old Peking Opera is a synthesis of music, dance, art and acrobatics. It is widely regarded as a Chinese cultural treasure. The ministry's plan is being questioned by some, who believe the course will further burden already busy students. "And if Peking Opera is included, why not other forms of local opera," the critics say.

Ministry spokesman Wang Xuming stresses that the Peking Opera classes were not compulsory nationwide. Instead, they were pilot programs implemented in certain schools from March to July.

"We chose Peking Opera because it is our national cultural treasure. The pilot will not extend to other local operas," he says.

His words were corroborated by Wu Jiang who selected the 15 arias. "The plan is not aimed to foster Peking Opera artists or fans," says Wu, also the China National Peking Opera Theater president.

"It just opens a door to children, giving them a chance to develop interests in traditional culture. If they are not interested, at least they are getting to know something about it."

Wang Keying, a 7-year-old student at Zhongguancun No 1 Primary School in Beijing, enjoyed her first Peking Opera class at the start of the new semester. "I like the course. At least I can watch TV, which my mom never allows me to do except on weekends," the girl says. However she admits she cannot hum a single bar of a Peking Opera aria.

Gao Mukun, a National Peking Opera Theater actor, who has spent 40 years on the stage, says he supports the plan wholeheartedly. "Teenagers are more easily to accept novel things, and so why not help them know more about their own culture?"

When he was 8 years old, he remembers his own fascination with Peking Opera, something that eventually turned into a lifetime career. "It's our cultural heritage from our forefathers. Just like the Great Wall, Peking Opera will exist as long as China."

But not every Chinese is a fan. Xue Yan, a Langya Road Primary School music teacher in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province does not have the slightest interest in Peking Opera.

"It (Peking Opera) is something like antiques and should be sent to a museum," the 25-year-old woman frowns. She says her favorite entertainer is Jay Chou, a pop singer from Taiwan.

A poll by Sina.com, the country's top portal website, reveals that less than 30 percent of the 25,000 people surveyed support the ministry's plan.

Zhang Yiwu, a Peking University Chinese literature professor, suggests prudent research should have been carried out on the government plan before it was unveiled to the public.

About 400m from Ma's workplace is the Central Drama School, a dream academy for thousands of Chinese teens who desperately want to become another Zhang Yimou or Zhang Ziyi, both famous Chinese movie personalities.