Classical Chinese texts optional in Jiangsu schools
- Source: Global Times
- [18:30 September 09 2010]
- Comments
Works of the Chinese writer Lu Xun and some classical Chinese texts have either been included as optional reading materials or have been removed from schoolbooks in the province of Jiangsu, according to Yangtze Evening Post Thursday.
Fu Yuanfeng, a member of the editorial board responsible for the content of the textbooks, said some of the classics were out of date.
"Articles in the textbook should both reflect the essence of the Chinese language and have a positive influence on teenagers. In addition, classics should stand the test of time, but some of the classics are not real classics. The spirit they reflect does not suit the current age. The editorial board just has simply replaced them with more updated, elegant texts,"he said.
Chinese scriptwriter Liu Yi revealed on his micro-blog that over 20 classical Chinese texts were removed from current textbooks, which has led to much online debate, with many netizens expressing their anger at the move.
One netizen said, "Lu Xun's work really touched me deeply. The old China in his stories had shocked my world. Do the editors think Lu Xun's critical spirit is out of date? Or do they think the next generation doesn't need to know about it?"
But Fu said that there has been a misunderstanding, "We didn't kick Lu Xun's work out. There are both required reading materials and optional ones in current textbooks. Some of his well-known texts were moved to optional textbooks."
He added that there are strict rules on editing teaching materials, and that there are usually not many changes to school textbooks unless the editing standard is significantly changed.
