学校应该教传统礼仪吗？

Throughout most of China’s long history,the relationships between people were based on carefully prescribed forms of behavior, that is, etiquette.Learning and following etiquette is so important that people are always judged by how closely they follow these rules of behaviors.For those who do not follow those prescribed rules of conduct,they are regarded as uncivilized barbarians.

However,as China has been increasingly entangled in the global village,many Chinese people, especially the young,have lost some traditions because of the influences of Western cultures.According to a famous professor,the majority of Chinese college students have not had systematic training on traditional Chinese etiquette. As for me, traditional etiquette should be taught in class.

Firstly, if college students can receive a systematic education in traditional etiquette in class,they can get more prepared for the future.As is known,college students usually have learnt some traditional etiquette through daily interaction with friends and relatives,but the process is time-consuming.They have to be sensitive enough to observe other people’s behaviors and then know what proper behaviors in different social situations are.Sometimes the learning process is by trial and error.They can only form right behaviors after breaking the rules of conduct and being corrected by the costly consequence.If they have already taken a systematic etiquette course in college,they can follow proper etiquette and have a more guaranteed future.

Secondly, as these meticulous rules of conduct have been formed throughout Chinese history,they are unique Chinese characteristics and are inseparable to Chinese culture.With the advent of globalization,western culture is so influential that many young people often look to Western customs and etiquette as being fashionable.For example, nowadays most young women in China would like to wear western-style white dresses and veils at wedding while traditional Chinese weddings feature red gowns for brides and white is an absolute taboo. In the long term, if the trend to adopt western etiquette can not be curbed, the Chinese generations in the future will lose their cultural identity.

Furthermore, the extinction of Chinese etiquette will be to the detriment of the diversity of global culture.To some extent,the course can serve to arouse college students’ cultural pride and help to preserve and further develop Chinese culture.

In conclusion,taking traditional Chinese etiquette in college will not only make graduates more prepared for their future, but also can constitute an important measure for college students to form Chinese cultural identity and therefore to preserve Chinese tradition and further develop it.