Photo: Weibo account of Yu Yin She

A group of children dressed in traditional Chinese costumes and makeup performed a scene from Peking Opera, accompanied by music in the background. While not yet at the level of a veteran professional, their confident performance captured the full attention of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who complimented the young actors and actresses in Chinese.

Cook visited Chinese artist Wang Peiyu's Peking Opera studio Yu Yin She on Wednesday as part of his recent trip around China.

A traditional Chinese culture enthusiast, Cook encouraged the young performers to continue learning and practicing Peking Opera, saying their prospects are beyond measure, Shanghai media reported.

Some 20 Peking Opera actors and actresses, all between 5 to 10 years old, participated in the Wednesday event, a studio representative told the Global Times.

They are members of the studio's "little opera class." The class started recruiting children who are interested in learning about Peking Opera in 2022, said a studio staffer nicknamed Huahua, who is in charge of the "little opera class" affairs.

"Now we have some 60 children learning Peking Opera here," Huahua told the Global Times on Thursday.

At the studio, Cook also watched the little actors and actresses draw pictures of Peking Opera masks on iPads.

"These talented young performers are using iPad to bring the tradition of Peking Opera to life," Cook wrote on Sina Weibo on Wednesday after the visit.

"Thank you to Wang Peiyu and all the students for sharing this beautiful expression of art and technology!"

During his stay in China, Cook also visited Apple's Design and Development Accelerator in Shanghai and several Apple retail stores, video game company miHoYo and paraswimmer and triathlete Wang Jiachao.