Other Views

Education means more than copying scientific knowledge - it should serve the transmission of values and civilization. Without traditional Chinese culture as part of their basic education, a whole generation will find themselves culturally abandoned, so how can they be confident with the country's development?

People's Daily, Sept 11

In a nation's development, it needs to, of course, absorb the good experiences of other nations, but it can never deny its own traditional culture. If China deletes the traditional poems from textbooks and replaces them with Western essays, its children will forget traditional Chinese culture in the long run. That would ruin China spiritually.

cnhubei.com, Sept 11

Which essays and poems should be included in our school textbooks? Decision-making processes always lack transparency although opinions vary, and the crisis aroused by certain authorities deleting traditional poems without consulting public opinion reveals the problem. The authorities in charge need to consider public opinion when making such decisions in the future, so that parents know what their children are learning at school and why they are learning it.

Guangzhou Daily, Sept 11

Of all forms of art and literature, traditional Chinese poems are of special value because they use synonymic characters to form unique rhythms that move our souls and create harmony and peace. Other languages might cherish similar products, and we Chinese cherish the art of our mother tongue no less than any nation in the world. They are our cultural genes and we should not let these genes go.

nfdaily.com, Sept 11

Reading traditional poems is necessary for our children's education, but many students complain about the difficulties in learning them, because in practice our exam-oriented education has placed too much emphasis on memorizing classic essays and poems. Multiple forms of classical learning need to be introduced to suit students' needs.

Chengdu Evening News, Sept 11

To truly promote traditional culture, the whole of society needs to respect old traditions and form an atmosphere conducive for that. Only when everyone has traditional culture in his or her heart will it be rooted in children's minds.

cnr.com, Sept 10