The Friday Drama Club hosts activities for Peking Opera fans of all ages in Guiyang, Guizhou province. [Photo by Yang Jun/China Daily]

"Previously, Peking Opera fans did not have many opportunities to perform in public. But through the Friday Drama Club, they now have a place both for entertainment and for learning the art form."

The club was born from efforts of the Guizhou Peking Opera Theater, a local government initiative that aims to revive the age-old opera and promote traditional culture.

The theater has performed in Guiyang, Kunming, Beijing, Tianjin and other Chinese cities in recent years. Its production Iron Bow Edge, starring Hou Danmei, head of the theater company, was broadcast on China Central Television and received wide acclaim.

The club helps its registered members with appropriate training.

"Membership has reached 600, with people ages 8 to 86 joining," says Hou.

Activities have attracted not only members but also opera lovers from around the country.

More than 1,200 amateurs have taken part in the club's activities, attracting an audience totaling about 15,000 over the past three years.

The Guizhou Peking Opera Theater has also worked with Fangzhou Opera Stage, a theater in Guiyang, since last September to provide more opportunities for opera fans to perform.

A program to take operas to school campuses was started in July. The organizing committee hired 10 famous Chinese opera artists as advisers to help primary and middle school students discover the traditional art form.

It is expected that by the end of the year, all schools in Guiyang will host such activities.