Learning from a master

Meanwhile, at the first training session, the trainees practiced stomping, one of the basic elements of the Suzuki Method repertoire.

The key, says Suzuki before the session, is to find and control the "center of gravity" of the body.

On stage, male and female trainees took turns to stomp for about three minutes at a time.

Half an hour later, with sweats starting to glimmer on some heads, one trainee cradled his feet immediately after getting off the stage and mumbled "it hurts!"

Among many trainees, a young girl with chestnut hair, her cheeks rosy from the physical strain, still maintains a perfectly stiffened upper body.

The girl's name is Liu Xin, a 23-year-old independent theater actor. And this is her second time at the camp.

Speaking about her experience, she says: "The training has taught me how to redefine my body, and has deepened my understanding of the theater."

Liu says she returned this year because she misses the intense training environment and instructions from "Grandpa Suzuki".

Liu also admires Suzuki's ingenuity in combining his culture with Western culture and she thinks Chinese artists can learn from Suzuki to spread Chinese culture to the world.

For three years in a row, Suzuki has brought his plays to the Great Wall Theater.

Electra and Kachi-kachi Yama in September 2016 and Cyrano de Bergerac in September last year all starred Chinese actors who recited their lines in Chinese without any voice amplifiers.

This September at the Great Wall Theater, Suzuki has plans to put on his rendition of King Lear starring actors from six different countries, including one from China, each saying lines in their own languages.

Separately, Suzuki is looking forward to working with talented Chinese theater practitioners on new plays, and he thinks China doesn't need to learn or borrow from anyone, but draw on diverse global cultures and represent them in Chinese traditions.

"I think China might be home to the next (theater) genius," he concludes.