Seven-year-old Lee Ying-chieh has paid a weekly visit to an elegant temple in Taipei for the past three years, rain or shine. But she isn't there to worship any deities, she has been studying the lessons of Confucius -- the great educator and philosopher of ancient China.
Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese children like Lee have enrolled in the weekend Chinese classics programs or "Duchingban" (
They study Chinese literary classics ranging from the teachings of Confucius and Mencius from some 2,500 years ago to the poetry from Tang (618-906 AD) and Sung (960-1279 AD) dynasties, which were famous for literature achievements.
The classics are often taught through songs and games while field trips to historical and cultural sites are part of the curriculum.
"I like the lessons because it's fun and I'm learning a lot more Chinese words than my classmates," says Lee during a break in a Saturday afternoon class at the Confucius Temple, a traditional yellow-roofed and red brick-walled building in the quiet Datong neighborhood of the capital.
"I want to be a Chinese language teacher when I grow up," she adds.
On any given Saturday, the rhymes from children aged between three and 12 years old reciting literary classics or poems seem to be giving a new vitality to the 121-year-old shrine to the ancient sage, a key Taipei landmark.
The growth of "Duchingban" is significant in Taiwan where a controversy has been raging over the teaching of Confucius -- China's most famous philosopher and political theorist whose ideas have influenced civilization in China and East Asia, including Japan and South Korea.
The Ministry of Education announced last November its plan to further reduce high school lessons in Chinese classics, including dropping the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, another of ancient China's prominent scholars, from the mandatory literature course list, ostensibly to ease the burden on students.
But some educators see the move as politically motivated. They say the government of President Chen Shui-bian (
Cross-strait tensions are high after Beijing last month passed the "Anti-Secession" Law threatening the country with war if it declares formal independence.
Education officials have brushed aside the criticism, saying they were adjusting the curriculum to "balance traditions and modernity."
Even if the government succeeds in wiping Confucius off the compulsory school curriculum, it will likely provide a further boost to private "Duchingban."
"I think it's crucial for children to learn more about our culture and history. Even the foreigners are now studying Confucianism," says Li Mei-yu, a 35-year-old housewife from Taipei County.
Li waited for two years to enroll her two sons in the popular free programs at the Confucius Temple, one of the first venues to offer such lessons.
Parents and teachers also hope that the teachings of Confucius, who stressed moral values, will provide a much-needed "character education" for the younger generations.
"My child is learning filial piety and other virtues through the classics. I believe such education will better equip him in today's problematic society," says Hsiung Shu-chen, whose eight-year-old son has attended the program for three years.
Parents are not alone in believing that politics and education should be kept separate.
"I think it's wrong to let politics interfere in education," says Chien Wan-hua, chief of the Taipei Classics Association which has offered Chinese classics programs in the Confucius Temple since 1999.
"Now more and more students can't even write proper Chinese compositions and they lack the values and ethics which are the foundations of Confucian classics," he sighs.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated