Peking University Hall looks back on 25 years of pushing the boundaries of cultural education, Fang Aiqing reports.

Peking University is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Peking University Hall this year, which is not only a landmark of the prestigious institution, but also a venue for college aesthetic cultivation.

In collaboration with organizations including the National Ballet of China, the China National Symphony Orchestra, and the China National Opera House, hundreds of lectures and performances are held at the hall every year, in addition to film screenings with guided interpretation by critics and film industry insiders.

This semester, 41 performances and 15 screenings, as well as exhibitions about the hall's history and of art based on the stories of students and staff, will be organized in honor of its anniversary.

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Recently, the venue hosted 75-year-old Hungarian conductor Adam Fischer and Germany's Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra that performed Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 9 on May 13. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Yue Opera House performed traditional Yueju Opera adaptations of the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber, and mythical story The Butterfly Lovers on April 25-26.

During a forum on May 13 to celebrate the anniversary and discuss the hall's future, Min Weifang, former Party secretary of Peking University, said that it has become a vital platform for liberal arts education.

For the university, it serves the internal need for aesthetic cultivation and the training of well-rounded talent, while also acting as a window to external cultural exchange, and generates a positive impact on the university's international reputation, Min adds.

A seminar attended by representatives from universities and art institutions was also held, during which topics such as how university theaters can fulfill their roles in aesthetic cultivation, integrate resources, promote innovation and tackle challenges were discussed.

Peking University has more than a century's experience in aesthetic cultivation. After taking the position as university president in 1916, prominent educator Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940) started art courses and since 1917, founded research groups in fields such as painting, calligraphy, music and traditional opera.

In 1923, the university set up an orchestra, first conducted by composer Xiao Youmei (1884-1940).According to a Guangming Daily report, it was the first professional orchestra organized by Chinese musicians, and performed not only on campus but also for the wider audience. The orchestra's repertoire included symphonies from the Western classical and Romantic periods such as those written by Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as orchestral works composed by Xiao.

In the 1950s, a large timber dining hall capable of accommodating thousands was built. It gradually became the venue for major university events and academic, cultural, and recreational activities.

The current Peking University Hall is situated on the original site of the former dining hall, and has inherited its cultural role on campus.

It was completed in 1999 and officially put into use in 2000, with a management department specially formed to facilitate operations. It independently organizes and hosts events, with tickets sold at favorable prices, to promote art and enrich campus culture. Over the past 25 years, it has been host to around 5,000 art activities.

Since 2021, the hall has also invited artists to give experiential courses in fields like vocal and instrumental music, dancing, drama and sculpture.

Film screenings are an important part of events organized by the hall. During this April's Beijing International Film Festival, five films up for the Tiantan Award, the official competition section of the festival, were screened.

On April 30, film critic Dai Jinhua, who is also a professor at the university's Department of Chinese Language and Literature, conducted her 50th guided film screening in the past three years. This series of events has become one of the university's most influential cultural brands.

According to Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Peking University Convention Center, which oversees the hall, more than 100,000 people have attended Dai's series.

Dong Zhenting, who graduated from the university's Law School, says she has regularly attended since the first screening — Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso — in 2022, and still returns.

Zheng Muhan, an undergraduate of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, says Dai's interpretations have made her realize for the first time the public value of film as a form of expression.

"These great films empower me with the confidence and courage to face life, and feed my curiosity and imagination," she says.

The 66-year-old Dai says that despite having given numerous lectures on films throughout her career, she had never shared the emotional resonance following a screening in such a large space, and under the gaze of so many eyes.

"Rather than spreading knowledge or reaching for an aesthetic pinnacle, this series is more about sharing a love for cinema. I expect these films to evoke thought and awe, and through cinema and the passion for it, I hope to inspire a love for the world, life and people," she says.

A new book based on notes from Dai's series is set to be published later this year.

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At the forum on May 13, Dong Zhiyong, vice-president of Peking University, said that over the past 25 years, Peking University Hall has blazed a new path for the development of campus cultural and art centers, and provided a reference for the advancement of college aesthetic cultivation.

Hao Fenglin, first-level inspector of the department of physical, health and arts education at the Ministry of Education, expresses hope that university theaters, including the Peking University Hall, will explore and gather artistic resources to support the teaching, creation and promotion of art and culture, while deepening cooperation with both campus and external art institutions to develop replicable models.

Contact the writer at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn