Revised textbook turns to Chinese traditional culture

[Photo/china.com.cn]

China's primary and secondary school Chinese language textbooks have been revised to focus more on traditional culture, according to an editor.

Starting this autumn, more than four million first and seventh graders from Hunan, Henan, Guangdong, Liaoning and other provincial-level regions will use the new books.

According to Wang Xuming, president of the Language and Culture Press under the Ministry of Education, 40 percent of the content in the previous edition has been changed.

Traditional material makes up 30 percent of the revised primary school textbooks, while it increases to about 40 percent for secondary school textbooks.

"We did so to address the needs of parents, who want their children to learn more about traditional culture," said a senior editor surnamed Zhu in charge of the middle school textbooks.

"Now many people cannot even understand the language in classical Chinese books, and parents compete to send their children to commercial training centers for traditional culture," she said.

China has seen a renewed interest in traditional education. A report by the Southern Metropolitan Daily said that China has more than 3,000 Sishu, or traditional private schools, in addition to training centers teaching students classical essays.

"Demand for private education grows when teaching of traditional culture in public schools is not enough," Zhu said.

She told Xinhua that the poetry and essays in the new books were selected not only so students can learn the language, but also to instruct them on philosophy.