When you enter high school this fall, you’ll find yourself immersed (沉浸) in traditional Chinese culture.
In January, the Ministry of Education worked out a new set of curriculum standards (课程标准) for high school students, People’s Daily reported. One of the biggest changes will be a greater focus on traditional Chinese culture.
According to Professor Han Zhen from Beijing Foreign Language Studies University, the new standards echo (回应) President Xi Jinping’s call for strengthening education. “The standards help students build cultural confidence,” he told People’s Daily.
The new standards call for students to be able to recite 72 ancient poems or articles. The number used to be 14. Recommended classic literature from ancient China includes The Analects of Confucius, Records of the Grand Historian and more.
Apart from Chinese language, other subjects such as fine arts, music and physical education will also focus more on traditional Chinese culture. For example, fine arts will include new lessons on Chinese alligraphy and painting.
China has also seen a growing interest in traditional culture in the private education sector. According to Southern Metropolitan Daily, since 2004, more than 3,000 traditional private schools have been built. They mainly teach traditional Chinese classics.
According to Fu Yan, a Chinese language teacher at Hangzhou Xuejun High School, learning about traditional Chinese culture is a good thing for students.
“At their age, the students may be too young to understand some classics,” Fu told Qianjiang Evening News. “However, as their life experience builds up, they may develop their own thoughts about the wisdom of the classics, which could be a driving force for their growth.”
Ancient Chinese culture is gaining popularity in China. This is reflected not only in the new curriculum standards, but also in the increasing interest in cultural TV programs.
For example, the weekly show National Treasure has become a big hit. It was first aired on China Central Television (CCTV) last December. The show uses dramatic performances to present some of China’s finest cultural treasures.
Other cultural TV programs such as The Chinese Idiom Competition and The Chinese Poetry Competition have also made more people fall in love with traditional Chinese literature.
Throughout China’s history, scholars and authors have written many classics worth studying. Those classic writings also interest people.
Here are some of the country’s most well-known works:
● Three Character Classic ● Tao Te Ching
● The Book of Poetry ● The Great Learning
● The Four Books ● Mencius
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about the new curriculum standards?
| A．They came out last year. |
| B．There will be no change for students. |
| C．They focus more on culture worldwide. |
| D．They will help students develop cultural confidence. |
| A．be able to recite 72 ancient poems or articles |
| B．introduce classic works to their classmates |
| C．spend two hours a day learning about traditional Chinese culture |
| D．take extra classes on Chinese calligraphy and painting |
| A．learning the Chinese language is a good thing |
| B．students are too young to learn about classics |
| C．students need to develop their own thoughts |
| D．the classics could help students with their personal growth |
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
| A．High school students like learning about traditional Chinese culture. |
| B．The new curriculum standards focus more on traditional Chinese culture. |
| C．China is making efforts to become an educational power. |
| D．People’s interest in traditional Chinese culture is growing. |
