With the teacher wearing a long traditional Chinese robe, and
the students bowing to an image of Confucius hanging on the
classroom wall, it is a scene that reminds people of ancient China
in movies.
The setting is not from a film set, but in a sishu in
Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu
Province.
Sishu was a kind of private academy popular in China
for over 2,000 years and formed the base of the traditional
tutorial system in the country.
After they were abolished in 1905, mass education along with a
more Western type curriculum was promoted in its place.
Suzhou is a city deeply embedded with traditional culture, which
makes it a fitting location for the resurrection of
sishu.
Zhang Zhiyi and Xue Yanji, two men in their 30s, began their first
lessons on traditional culture this summer, in a villa called Ju
Zhai, which literally means Chrysanthemum Room.
Zhang told China Daily that he chose the name as the
flower stands for hermits in ancient Chinese poems, which is the
quality he pursues.
Now on the weekends, a group of parents send their children to
Ju Zhai to learn traditional Chinese culture.
Zhang said they selected six children with better comprehensive
ability as their first intake of students out of 30 applicants.
All the lessons in Ju Zhai are taught on the weekend because
they "don't intend to substitute the compulsory education, but only
to serve as a complementation," said Zhang
The syllabus of Ju Zhai covers morality anecdotes, Confucian
classics and ancient poetic literature.
"We want our students to learn the essence of our ancient
culture, which is mainly about virtue, personal integrity and
proper behaviour," said Zhang.
To bring the ancient essays into the 21st century and easier to
understand for the students, Zhang selects episodes from the books
and explains them with stories from daily life.
"When we prepare our lessons, we always bear in mind that we are
teaching primary school students," said Xue.
"But we were surprised to find at our first lesson that those
children have a wide scope of knowledge. They were very active and
creative, and took in our teaching without too much difficulty,"
Xue added.
With ages ranging between 6 and 11, the six children generally
come from well-off families whose parents have received higher
education, and attach importance to ancient culture and
morality.
"The children today are too spoilt, and they don't know the
essential virtues our ancestors handed down. I want my child to
pick them up in this special school," said a mother surnamed Gao,
whose 6-year-old son is presently attending the sishu.
Zhang and Xue said they conducted a market survey on the
attitude of Suzhou citizens towards ancient culture, and found the
market for their kind of education "quite promising."
The pair, both born and brought up in northern China, said they
then decided to press ahead with the project in the city.
They have also put a lot of effort into creating a suitable
environment for the youngsters to learn in.
The classroom and the villa are decorated in ancient ways.
A piece of sander is burnt to count the time of a period of
class. Zhang explained that a bell ringing would destroy the
tranquility of the villa.
The students are also required to bow to the portrait of
Confucius that hangs at the back of the classroom and bow goodbye
to their teacher after school.
However, some people in Suzhou have been left a little
bewildered by the ancient practice at Ju Zhai.
"I don't think it is necessary for them to adopt the ancient
rituals and wear ancient clothes. Maybe they just want to catch the
eye of the public," said Xiao Chen, a 23-year-old girl studying at
Suzhou University.
Despite such comments, the locals have generally showed a great
interest in Ju Zhai.
According to Wang Yuanchao, an experienced teacher in Chinese
literature with No 2 Primary School of Shaxi District in Suzhou,
the present public education system is score-oriented and both
parents and children often neglect the importance of the virtue
education.
"If Ju Zhai can do something to improve the situation, it is
pretty good," said Wang.
However, Wei Jiazan, former vice-director of Suzhou Municipal
Culture Bureau, is quoted by local media as saying that some
messages in the ancient books, including the absolute obedience to
parents, is outdated and does not match the spirit of freedom and
individuality popular in the contemporary world.
"Also, Chinese ancient culture consists of more than just
ancient books and essays. It also includes philosophy, history,
archaeology and linguistics," said Wei.
In addition to the content of teaching in Ju Zhai, the
educational background of the two teachers has also drawn public
attention. Some question their capability to carry out the special
brand of education.
Zhang, 36, admitted he and 33-year-old Xue did not take Chinese
literature as their majors in universities and that they have been
businessmen since graduation.
"But we have been learning ancient culture ever since our
childhood," said Zhang. "I believe in our ability to teach those
primary school children."
The private school currently charges 320 yuan (US$40) for a
semester that lasts half a year and consists of about 100 periods
of 45-minute classes.
For families who cannot afford the fees, Zhang said they would
offer discounts.
"A core idea of Confucianism is equal opportunity for the
average person to receive education, so we cannot keep them out of
our door simply because they are poor," said Zhang.
With a rent of 3,500 yuan (US$410) per month for the villa, the
school currently runs without profits.
"We don't expect to make a big fortune out of this. We are only
using our savings to carry out our dream, a dream shared by many
others," said Zhang.
It is being run on a trial basis, and is subsidized by incomes
from Zhang's own business as a tour guide.
Ju Zhai is just one of a handful of privately run initiatives to
have tried to carry out traditional culture education in China.
Gu Mei, a researcher with the Suzhou Education College, set up a
special class in the city's Sanxiang Kindergarten last November,
teaching a group of 5-year-olds basic ideas of ancient culture.
Hearing of Zhang's practice, Gu went to observe the teachings at
Ju Zhai.
"The children in his class maintain good manners and exchange
their opinions freely," said Gu.
"Zhang's school gives parents a good option besides the
compulsory public education."
But Gu claimed that Zhang, as an amateur teacher, needed to do
more to improve his way of communication with the children.
This summer, another sishu appeared in Shanghai,
attracting five primary and junior middle school students.
The sishu's teacher and owner, surnamed Zhang, said
that his teaching did not aim to merely equip children with
traditional Confucian dogma. Instead, it is designed to help
cultivate children's inner moralities based on Confucian essence,
such as modesty and politeness.
(China Daily December 21, 2005)
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