"Be kind to your teachers and friends. Study and practise proprieties," Zhou Linxin, a 6-year-old girl recited loudly Sanzijing, or the Classics of Three Chinese Characters.
Some other boys raised their hands and shouted, "let me have a try!"
For Zhou and her classmates at Xiyi Primary School in Beijing's Haidian District, they may be too young to understand what "propriety" means. Yet they still look excited to take this weekly class. They do not need to do homework, nor worry about exams. If they do a good job, they are sometimes rewarded with small gifts by their teacher, Zhong Cheng.
The course is part of a project initiated by Yidan School in 2001. The project aims to popularize traditional Chinese culture through bringing ancient classics back into the classroom and community.
It usually starts with primer readings, such as Sanzijing, then beautifully-written poems from the Tang (AD 618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. And classic works of ancient Chinese philosophers, like Confucius and Mencius come last.
Sanzijing first appeared in the Song Dynasty, and became a popular primer in days long gone. It covers social ethics, historical events and scientific knowledge known to those days.
In the past few decades, Sanzijing and most other classics by ancient philosophers gave way to more contemporary teachings, with some powerful voices arguing they encouraged feudal thoughts. In recent times, however, an emerging challenge to that dogma has arisen.
"As children learn these three-character sentences by heart, the core idea takes root in their minds. It will be their guide in their future," said Zhong.
A volunteer at Yidan School, Zhong is an undergraduate of Peking University. He has been giving the lesson to his 29 excitable pupils since last September.
"I attended the professional training course organized by Yidan School before my teaching in Xiyi. Though I realized it was going to be really tiresome keeping 29 lively children interested," he said. "But I am greatly impressed by their attitude towards the course."
Students often recite more passages than required. They had no textbooks at first, only copies provided by Zhong.
"Then more and more parents bought their children publications of ancient primers, the classics and selections of ancient poetry. It is their support that proves the significance of our efforts," he added.
Sometimes his charges are not content with just reading and they begin to explore, in-depth, often coming up with comical explanations themselves.
"I once asked them to explain 'to study the propriety' (xiliyi in Chinese). Some children told me it meant to welcome and bless a new-born baby by bathing it," he laughed. They had confused the word with xili, the christening ceremony in Chinese.
"It is a two-way communication. My understanding of the classics deepens as I narrate with my students," he said.
Pang Fei, founder of Yidan School, agrees with Zhong.
Located in three small rooms outside the west gate of Peking University, Yidan reminds visitors of xuetang, an old Chinese school.
It is simply furnished with stacks of books and two big tables and on the wall hangs a portrait of Confucius (BC 551-469), the great philosopher and educator and some of his calligraphic proverbs.
Pang and his four partners are seeking to revive the sense of the cultural recognition hidden in people's hearts, and their pride in rich traditions.
"Our nation is undergoing a crucial process of social transformation. Our culture is under reconstruction," said Pang. "But people are lost in so-called 'modern culture,' and younger generations seem confused about who they are and what they really want for life."
To achieve Yidan's goals, one effective way is getting people loudly narrating ancient classics, catching the virtuous essence and, hopefully, putting into practice some of the moral codes they espouse in real life. Young people especially are key to this renaissance, Pang added.
Pang, in his 30s, groups those born between the 60s and 80s as one generation, and the group can bring about a reawakening of China's historic and traditional culture, upon which they can rebuild a new tomorrow.
And that is how Yidan came into being at the end of 2000, shortly after Pang received his master's degree in philosophy at Peking University.
To set about realizing his idea, Pang first posted a notice asking for volunteers in several prestigious universities in Beijing. It immediately gained wide acclaim among college students, scholars and people who care about Chinese cultural renaissance.
Although Pang quickly enlisted 30 student volunteers, it was much more difficult to win support from headteachers to give them permission to teach the ancient classics in kindergartens, primary, middle and high schools, even for free.
Pang recalls the many hours he spent trying to persuade the heads to co-operate with Yidan, organizing training courses for volunteers, giving talks to college elites in Haidian District, and getting materials printed.
He traveled here and there on a second-hand bicycle and with nothing fancier than a pager for people to keep in touch.
There was little financial support at that time and Pang spent the money his parents had saved for his wedding to set up and run Yidan. "Those were tough times. Sometimes I felt too exhausted to speak a word," he recalls.
Was it worth it? "It is huge happiness to help people find their spiritual heaven again," he said. "And I am, at the same time, a beneficiary too. I have had all my potential exploited to run the school. That is also true for our volunteers."
To date over 1,000 volunteers have been involved with Yidan's classics classes. Some 100,000 children from 11 primary schools have taken part. No exact number for those from other schools and colleges who have joined Yidan's program is available.
Spanning generations
Apart from the courses for children, Yidan has attracted many elderly people from various walks of life who have shown impressive enthusiasm towards learning the classics.
Some, Pang discovered, had learnt them in sishu, the old private schools, and want to awaken memories. Others, who were deprived of an education during often poverty-stricken childhoods, are immensely grateful to be given the opportunity to pick up some knowledge of traditional culture.
Volunteer teachers leave more time to encourage their mature pupils to tell their own stories and share their hopes for the young and the future.
They combine their personal experiences with the philosophy of life which perfectly marry with the stories of the Chinese classical writers.
"The elderly have undergone war and times of peace, the poor and rich days. They understand culture means a lot to a nation's spiritual well-being and development, just like nutrition is needed by a tree." said Pang.
"I thought it funny to study Sanzijing at first. Then I was brought to a magical world, where my mind became rich and life turned colorful.
"I prefer appreciating a poem from the Tang and Song dynasties after class, it leaves me satisfied," wrote Wang Yanling, a restaurant employee, in a letter to Yidan.
And for those in middle and high schools, colleges, communities and other working units, Yidan focuses on detailed interpretations and ongoing interaction.
People are immersed in the enlightenment of history and life. They are free to challenge those erroneous conclusions of their ancestors, and examine what they themselves do and have done.
Every summer vacation, Yidan also organizes social research. Pang and his volunteers visit rural areas and conduct field work. What they have seen has left them very worried. "The traditional cultures are dying when urbanization invades. Young laborers flock to cities, far from their roots," said Pang.
They also hold classics classes during their visits to the rural areas and Pang hopes to reach out to migrant workers in the city.
(China Daily April 6, 2005)
