Q: What made you join Han Lin children’s shuochang group?

A: I saw a fast clapper talks performance by Han Lin children’s shuochang group on YouTube, and that’s when I fell in love with shuochang. Later one, I signed up for the group.

Q: What’s your favorite type of shuochang?

A: My favorite is fast clapper talks because it is fun and I can learn how to play clappers.

Q: What was the most interesting part of the class?

A: The most interesting part has to be when Director Wang tells us stories because it feels like he is giving us a history lesson, and I found that very amusing.

Q: Did you come across any difficulties when learning shuochang?

A: I have learned three-piece clapper at school. After I got here, I started learning seven-piece clapper. When I first started learning fast clapper talks, I couldn’t hold the clapper because my hands were too small. At the end of each performance, my hands would be bruised all over.

Q: How do you prepare yourself before going on stage? Can you share with us?

A: Before going on stage, I would briefly rehearse with my mom, and that’s about it.

Q: Did you come across any difficulties while practicing? How did you solve it?

A: When the script got too long, I had difficulties memorizing it, and I sometimes had difficulties getting the pitch right on certain songs. Then my mom would ask me to watch the clip on YouTube and practice until I got everything right.

Q: What are some of the things to watch out for when performing on stage?

A: We need to keep eye contact with the audience and articulate clearly.

Q: Can you show us how you interact with the audience?

A: I will try to scan the entire floor from left to right, and when I speak, I will try to be loud and clear. When I greet the audience, I will maintain eye contact with the audience.

Q: Have you ever felt nervous or scared before going on stage? How did you overcome it?

A: That happened quite often in the beginning. With more practices, you would no longer feel nervous because you have gotten used to performing on stage.

Q: Do you plan to continue learning shuochang?

A: The answer is definitely a yes. I want to learn different forms of shuochang.

Q: How many times have you officially performed on stage?

A: I think I have already lost count.

Q: Do you see yourself learning shuochang in the future?

A: I will keep learning because I can have interaction with other students at Han Lin, and I can also make a lot of new friends and learn lots of new shuochang skills.

Q: Will you go more in depth into any specific form of shuochang?

A: I want to study jing yun da gu more in depth because when it is performed with metal clappers and drums. It should be quite interesting and fun, so I want to learn more about it.