Making a song and dance about the sage

Beating out a rapid rhythm with a pair of bamboo clappers, Kong Fanxi spoke quickly as he related a Confucian story in the dialect used by residents of Qufu, a city in Shandong province that is famous as the birthplace of Confucius.

The loud sound of the clappers and Kong's exaggerated body language quickly attracted dozens of people, who gathered around him in Lianjie square in Qianjia, a village in Qufu, on Jan 14.

The audience listened intently to every word as the 73-year-old related a story about filial piety via the medium of kuaishu, a storytelling and rhythmic art form that originated in the area.