Hong Kong primary and secondary schools: Using ancient poetry as a medium to inherit and promote the essence of Chinese traditional culture
2024-08-17
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Recently, the final of the "Chinese Culture Quiz - The 4th Hong Kong Primary School Chinese History and Culture Quiz Competition" was held at the Kowloon Tong Education Services Center of the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The competition is hosted by the Education Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government and co-organized by the Chinese Cultural Research Institute. It is aimed at students from grades 4 to 6 in primary schools across Hong Kong. The content of the competition covers Chinese historical knowledge, traditional culture, classic ancient poems and other fields. Since the successful holding of the first competition in 2021, the influence of the event has been increasing day by day, and the number of participating schools and students has continued to rise. Entering the fourth session, a total of 212 primary schools have signed up to participate, covering nearly 40% of primary schools in Hong Kong.
The final of the “Huacui Xinchuan – The 4th Hong Kong Primary School Chinese History and Culture Quiz Competition”.
It is particularly worth mentioning thatThe number of participating students this year exceeded 50,000 for the first time, setting a historical record.The four competitions have attracted more than 170,000 enthusiastic participants, which shows how popular the event is in Hong Kong primary schools.
The booming trend of the above-mentioned events is actually a microcosm of Hong Kong's promotion of the inheritance and promotion of Chinese traditional culture through the popularization of ancient poetry education. In recent years, under the promotion of the Education Bureau of the SAR Government, Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools are gradually strengthening the education of ancient poetry. In addition to curriculum and daily teaching, various forms of competitions and activities are held to cleverly integrate ancient poetry into campus life, thus stimulating students' interest and love for Chinese traditional culture in a subtle way.
The size textbook adds ancient poetry and prose
"Sitting alone in the secluded bamboo forest, I play the zither and whistle. No one in the deep forest knows that the bright moon is shining on me."
At Lai Chak Middle School in Tsim Sha Tsui, the sound of reading in Cantonese can be heard. The first-year junior high school students are studying Wang Wei's poem "The Pavilion in the Bamboo Grove". The textbook in the students' hands is the school-based textbook "Jue Shi" compiled by the school for first-year junior high school students. The book includes classic works of ancient poets such as Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Liu Zongyuan. In addition to "Jue Shi" for the first-year junior high school, there are also "Lü Shi" for the second-year junior high school, "Gu Shi Ci" for the third-year junior high school, and so on. "In the past, there were relatively few chapters on ancient poetry and prose in textbooks published on the market, so many years ago we added these classic works of ancient poetry and prose to the school-based curriculum, and they are still used today." said Li Jieming, principal of Lai Chak Middle School.
Lize Middle School uses the school-based teaching materials of ancient poetry and prose compiled by the school for teaching.
The size of the teaching material is of great significance. At the same time, this can also be said to be an exploration of some Hong Kong primary and secondary schools such as Lai Chak Middle School in deepening the education of ancient poetry.
The measures taken by Lize Middle School and other schools coincide with the ideas of the SAR government's Education Bureau. In 2021, the SAR government's Education Bureau added 93 recommended chapters of classic ancient poems and essays to the Chinese language curriculum for primary and secondary schools, vigorously promoting the popularization and deepening of ancient poetry and prose education in primary and secondary schools.
Among the 93 recommended passages, the primary school stage is mainly composed of ancient poems with beautiful syllables and easy to recite, such as Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thoughts" and Liu Zongyuan's "Snow on the River"; the middle school stage is mainly composed of classic works of classical Chinese, such as Tao Qian's "Peach Blossom Spring" and Liu Yuxi's "Ode to the Humble House", so that students can appreciate the literary and cultural connotations of the passages through careful reading and deep thinking.
The Education Bureau of the SAR government requires schools to gradually include these chapters in the curriculum from the fall of 2021 and fully implement them in the 2024/2025 academic year.
“If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools.” In order to support the teaching and learning of the “suggested passages”, the Education Bureau of the SAR Government has continuously organized various teacher training courses and specially produced the book “Suggested Classical Chinese Passages in the Chinese Language Curriculum” for students to read; and compiled the appreciation, recitation recordings, calligraphy appreciation, etc. of the suggested passages for teachers’ reference.
The book "Suggested Chapters on Classical Chinese in the Chinese Language Curriculum".
In addition to primary and secondary schools, there are also people in the academic community who promote ancient poetry education in kindergartens. In April this year, a picture book of ancient poetry edited by Chiu Cheung-ki, a big name in the poetry world in Hong Kong and the principal of Chan Shu-kwau Memorial Secondary School, was officially published. This picture book is designed for kindergarten children and connects 20 classic ancient poems such as "Ode to the Goose" and "Quiet Night Thoughts" through vivid and interesting stories. Each poem is not only accompanied by authentic Cantonese and standard Mandarin recitation audio, but also incorporates rich illustrations and interactive links, allowing children to get in touch with classics as early as possible through listening, seeing, speaking, and moving their hands, and experience the beauty of Chinese culture.
Create a "situation" to allow students to immerse themselves in learning
The textbooks are ready, so how should teachers teach? How should students learn? One issue worth noting is that due to the "gap" in time and space, when students learn ancient poems, they often find it difficult to resonate with the scenes, things, and emotions described in the poems.
In response to the above difficulties, Luo Jieling, Chief Education Officer (Curriculum Development) of the Education Bureau of the SAR Government, believes that the teaching of ancient poetry needs to create an atmosphere so that students can immerse themselves in the artistic conception depicted in the works.
"Literature and other art forms such as music, dance, painting, and drama have different ways of expression, but the essence and spirit of art are the same." Luo Jieling said that in order to cooperate with the teaching of the recommended chapters, the Education Bureau and relevant institutions have jointly organized a series of courses, using diversified art forms such as recitation, guqin, Cantonese opera, and calligraphy to present the different aspects of the classic literary works in the recommended chapters. Schools also strive to create rich and diverse cultural learning experiences for students, such as holding Chinese Culture Day, calligraphy, tea art, Cantonese opera and other learning activities to enhance students' interest in traditional Chinese culture. "I hope that through this teaching method, students can more intuitively feel and understand the charm and profound meaning of ancient poetry and prose."
Lize Middle School offers calligraphy and painting classes to enhance students' interest in traditional Chinese culture.
"In the process of teaching students to learn ancient poetry, our goal is far more than just letting them recite or understand the literal meaning of the poems. We also hope that students can deeply explore the historical background of the creation of the works, understand the thoughts and feelings contained in the poems, and appreciate the unique charm of these works in the field of literature." Li Jieming said that the school's teachers will also discuss these contents in depth when preparing lessons, so as to guide students to put themselves into the poet's era in the teaching process, deeply understand the poet's state of mind, and comprehend the deep meaning of ancient poetry in an immersive way.
In order to let students appreciate the charm of ancient poetry and prose more deeply, the school in Po Leung Kuk Siu Hon Sen Primary School cleverly integrates AR technology into the teaching of ancient poetry and prose. What was the scene of the "Liu Shang Qu Shui" activity in ancient times? When teaching Wang Xizhi's classic work "Lanting Xu", the school used AR technology to present the vivid scene of "taking it as a Liu Shang Qu Shui, and sitting next" in the text to students. In the cartoon image, the wine glass flows downstream from the upper reaches of the river, and the wine glass stops in front of a "poet". The "poet" picks up the wine glass, drinks the wine in the glass and writes a poem. This undoubtedly allows students to better understand the meaning of "Liu Shang Qu Shui".
Po Leung Kuk Siu Hon Sum Primary School uses AI technology to teach "Preface to the Lanting Poems".
In Mok Hing Yao Middle School, there is a quiet and elegant Chinese Cultural Museum, named "Yuanhuozhai", whose name is inspired by the famous sentence in "Reading" by Zhu Xi, a great scholar in the Song Dynasty: "Why is the water so clear? Because it comes from the source of living water." Walking through the corridor on the sixth floor of the teaching building, you will see a curved bridge, rockery, stone tables and benches, and "white walls and black tiles". Pushing the door to enter "Yuanhuozhai", Chinese wooden tables and benches are neatly arranged, and antique artifacts are displayed in a staggered manner.
The ancient and quaint Yuanhuozhai.
"There is a theory in sociology called 'field theory', which means that human behavior is affected by the environment in which they live." Chen Zhijian, vice principal of Mo Qingyao Middle School, explained that their school built the "Yuanhuozhai" in the hope that students can understand and appreciate the essence of Chinese traditional culture through "immersive experience" when learning ancient poetry.
In order to support schools in vigorously carrying out activities related to Chinese culture, in April this year, the Education Bureau of the SAR Government issued a HK$300,000 "One-off Subsidy for Promoting Chinese Cultural Experience Activities" to each public-sector and direct-subsidy school in primary and secondary schools. Schools can use this one-off subsidy to hold various activities related to Chinese culture in or before the 2026/2027 school year. This also makes it easier for schools to plan or participate in related activities.
Integrate ancient poetry into life to accompany students in their daily life
In Hong Kong's primary and secondary schools, a set of quaint stationery sets is very popular among students. The stationery set includes a stationery bag and a small and exquisite "pocket book". The surface of the stationery bag is painted with vivid cartoon patterns, and inside are pencils, wooden rulers and sticky notes printed with Chinese classical quotations. The pocket book contains 40 Chinese classical quotations.
This is a cultural and creative product related to Chinese classical quotations launched by the Education Bureau of the SAR Government. "Many students like this series of products very much." Ho Yin-ping, Chief Curriculum Development Officer (Chinese) of the Education Bureau of the SAR Government, gave an example, saying that there was a fourth-grade student who liked to carry a pocket book with him on weekdays. Once, his mother forgot to take out the pocket book when washing clothes, and the book was washed to shreds. "The student was very unhappy, and later her mother found us. After understanding the situation, we gave the child another book."
Cultural and creative products related to famous Chinese classical quotes launched by the Education Bureau of the SAR Government.
"Culture is closely linked to life. Chinese language learning should not be confined to the classroom, but should be integrated into campus life and daily life to allow students to feel the fun of Chinese. The same applies to the study of ancient poetry." Luo Jieling said that it was for this reason that the Education Bureau of the SAR government designed the above series of cultural and creative products, hoping that students can be influenced by Chinese traditional culture anytime and anywhere in campus life and daily life.
In addition to launching cultural and creative products, the Education Bureau of the SAR Government also launched the "Chinese Classic Quotations Online Self-Study Platform" in December 2021, allowing primary and secondary school students to learn Chinese classic quotes through online games and self-study resources. Over the past three years, the number of game participants on this platform has increased year by year. This year, more than 28,000 students participated in the game competition, and the total number of game participations reached more than 230,000.
The online self-study platform for Chinese classic quotes is full of traditional cultural charm.
The above measures are all innovative measures launched by the Education Bureau of the SAR Government to integrate ancient poetry into students' lives. "We are very happy to see these positive changes. When students participate in these competitions, it is also a learning process, so that they can more deeply appreciate the charm and value of traditional culture." He Yanping said happily.
Poetry inspires wisdomCultivate a positive outlook on life and improve literary literacy
"Students learning classic literary works that contain rich cultural and moral elements will benefit in self-cultivation, learning, being a person, and dealing with things." Lai Miu-yee, Chairman of the Chinese Language Education Committee of the Curriculum Development Council-Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, hopes that students can strengthen their reading ability to appreciate Chinese classical classics from an early age by learning classic chapters of ancient poetry and prose, enrich their language accumulation, and improve their cultural literacy.
"The ancients made friends with wine and expressed their emotions with poetry. Poetry is not only an expression of their emotions, but also an indispensable part of their lives." Zhao Xiangqi hopes that contemporary students can integrate poetry into their daily lives and make it a part of their lives. Then our ancient poetry education will truly be on the right track.
Personnel related to curriculum development in the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government held a meeting to discuss the promotion of ancient poetry and prose education.
Today, the vision of educators is gradually being realized under the impetus of all sectors in Hong Kong. Ancient poems are gradually entering students' daily lives and have a profound impact. Shi Zhuowen, a student at Yinghua Primary School, is a vivid example. He has a small cabinet covered with ancient poems and classic quotes that inspire him. He told reporters that when he encounters difficulties or setbacks, he will draw strength from these ancient poems and adjust his mentality, such as using the idiom "Do not impose on others what you do not want others to do to you" to remind himself to stay calm and be considerate of others.
The emphasis on ancient poetry education has also significantly improved the language literacy of Hong Kong students. In the national finals of the Chinese Middle School Students' Essay Competition held in April this year, Hong Kong performed well, with 16 students standing out from the national contestants and winning first prizes, and 3 outstanding students won the highest honor of the competition, "Hengyuanxiang Literary Star".
He Yanping pointed out: "We are delighted to find that students quoted classics in their essays, showing their understanding and flexible application of classic works, and also showing their love for Chinese traditional culture."
Text/Guangzhou Daily New Flower City reporter: Long Chengliu, Wang HaoPhoto/Guangzhou Daily New Flower City reporter: Chen Xi, Long Chengliu (some pictures provided by the interviewees)Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor: Li Huiting
