Should Chinese Language Course Be Adopted in College Curricula?
The moment I saw the topic,a post originally submitted in Peking University BBS occurred to me. The post composed of a conversation between a Chinese young man, the author, and a waiter coming from Japan. The author suffered frustration when the waiter asked him about Chinese culture. Surprisingly, the Japanese demonstrated that he got command of more Chinese culture than most Chinese young people. I do not know what your initial response is supposing that you were set in the circumstance. As a matter of fact, Chinese language course has drawn scant attention among college students, for many students lay their emphasis on English learning. I am of opinion that Chinese language course should be set in the category of compulsory courses in college curriculum.
Firstly, it is high time for college students to re-learn Chinese language. For many Chinese students, they just learn Chinese language for examinations’ sake in elementary schools and high schools. In other words, many learn Chinese language to get high scores instead of grasping the essence of Chinese culture. In fact, we can not measure one’s understanding of culture by how many scores he get in the examinations or how many poems and essays he has memorized. What matters is whether one can figure out the gist and facilitate his life through what he gains from the learning. In college, students are not imposed as much pressure as in high school in learning Chinese language.Besides, they are more mature than in childhood and have the ability to think critically. If they do not seize the chance to re-learn the Chinese language, odds are that they can not inherit wisdoms of our ancestors and not get prepared for the future.
Secondly, since western cultures are looming large in China with the advent of globalization, Chinese traditional culture seems to be endangered. Many people, especially the youth, are interested in learning foreign language, English in particular, and their cultures. They prefer to watch American movies, Japanese cartoons, and listen to foreign music. While western cultural products are well received, the popularity of the Chinese counterpart is on the decrease. When foreign cultures are so prevalent in China, will our future generation figure out our Chinese cultural identity? As the basic manifestation of culture, Chinese language deserves more attention and better treatment. Chinese universities should take the responsibilities to preserve and develop our traditional culture, Chinese language in particular.
All in all, as traditional Chinese culture and wisdom manifest themselves in Chinese language, adopting the course in the curricula will not only educate college students, but also help preserve and develop Chinese culture.
