Children play the role of the Monkey King at The Star Theatre in Beijing. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Great experience

Rebecca Campbell, a Chinese-Australian living in Beijing, allowed her three children, Joshua, 10, Gabriel, 8, and Elizabeth, 6, to join the percussion summer camp during this year's festival.

She said that last year, Joshua took part in the Peking Opera summer camp, which was a great experience for him.

"I wanted the kids to learn about Peking Opera this year, but the tickets sold out fast," she said. "Percussion is fun, too. They played various instruments, such as the African drum, hand drum and the Chinese big drum."

She moved to Beijing from Sydney with her husband Tim and the children a few years ago. The couple works in the capital.

Joshua Campbell, who is also learning piano and violin, said, "I love the rhythm of percussion and I couldn't help making drum beats on my lap in the car on my way to the summer camp."

During the festival, nine Beijing art troupes, including the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, the China National Acrobatic Troupe and the China National Theatre for Children, will tour Tianjin and Baoding, Hengshui and Tangshan in Hebei province.