CRI听力:Calligraphy Teaching

Today is the first day of the fall semester for most primary schools in Beijing.

From this semester, pupils in grades three to six will have one hour of calligraphy class every week according to the notice issued by the ministry of education on. Senior high school students will have optional calligraphy courses, and they can also attend various after-school activities related to calligraphy.

What are the students' opinions toward this, and are they in favor of it?

"I want to learn calligraphy, because it can reflect one's character and personality. I'll be very happy if my handwriting is presentable."

"I think it's useful to learn calligraphy, because if one day I become famous, it would be embarrassing if my autograph looked terrible."

"I'm looking forwards to having calligraphy class, and I will give my calligraphy work to my parents."

Similarly, most of the parents hail the policy.

"It's definitely good. Calligraphy is one of the fundamentals of traditional Chinese culture. But nowadays, many people think little of calligraphy due to the widespread use of computers. Many people can type Chinese characters but forget how to write them by hand. So I think it's very helpful for the children to nurture their minds and learn about Chinese culture by learning calligraphy."

"I think it's very good. Few children have calligraphy lessons nowadays, and some of them don't even know how to hold a writing brush."

Some primary schools in Beijing have already set up calligraphy courses, and Jing Shan School in Yuan Yang community is one of them. Ms. Qi, deputy headmaster, explains the importance of learning calligraphy in primary school.

"Firstly, from the cultural perspective, the development of calligraphic styles represents the development of Chinese culture. Therefore, students can learn about calligraphy and culture at the same time. Secondly, Chinese characters hold aesthetic value, so the teaching of calligraphy and the appreciation of writing is also aesthetic education. Thirdly, the handwriting ability of children has declined rapidly in recent years. Presentable handwriting will prove advantageous for a person in later life. So, every child should learn to master this ability."

According to Ms. Qi, teaching calligraphy is not easy. They have had difficulties hiring calligraphic teachers, because few people study it as a major. It also costs much more money to teach the course compared to other subjects. Thanks to the notice issued by the Ministry of Education, Ms. Qi says this will help to solve the problems and popularize calligraphy teaching.

"We hope that the Ministry of Education can compile a good calligraphy teaching textbook and provide more opportunities for teachers to undergo training and carry out research."

Calligraphy is, in some parent's hearts, not as important as mathematics, which can help their child enter the key schools upon graduation. But learning calligraphy can help cultivate a calm state of mind and also allows Chinese culture to remain strong within the modern environment, which is very important for the younger generations.

For CRI, I'm Yajie.