A group of authors and professors of literature yesterday gathered outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to protest against the new high-school Chinese language curriculum which reincorporates a high percentage of classical Chinese material while neglecting Taiwanese and contemporary literature.
Na Su-phok (藍士博), one of the founders of the Alliance of the Young Safeguarding Taiwanese Literature and History, said that while concerns have been raised against the adjustments made to the history and civil education curriculum guidelines, there have been relatively few objections made public against the adjusted curriculum for Mandarin Chinese-language study.
However, that does not mean that the adjusted Chinese-language curriculum is problem-free, Na said.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“On the contrary, the problem is serious to the point that [the curriculum] is in the intensive care unit,” Na said.
Chu Yu-hsun (朱宥勳), a young author of several books and editor of anthologies of contemporary Taiwanese fiction and essays, said that the percentage of classical Chinese has been raised from 55 percent to 65 percent, with less flexibility.
What is more, according to Chu, a subject called “Chinese culture basic materials” has been singularly highlighted in the new guidelines, which suggests that is to be set up as an elective.
Classical Chinese literature is set to take up 72 percent of the allocated learning hours for Chinese-language study, Chu said.
He opposed the arrangement, saying that the curriculum should be designed to introduce young students to literature “from recent to ancient times and from easily accessible texts to works that require further interpretation.”
Earlier this week, another group of academics also drew attention to the new Chinese-language curriculum.
Referring to themselves as the Alliance for Saving the Education of Chinese Language, the group campaigned for even more class hours for Chinese and the adaptation of “Chinese culture basic materials” as a required course.
The alliance, led by National Taiwan University political science professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), who is also the chairman of the pro-unification Chinese Integration Association, has said that younger generations — without the cultivation of Chinese culture — have become empty, “with no identity, confidence, patience, vision, direction or viewpoint.”
Chang also said that more Chinese-language learning hours would equate to “more filial piety and sibling love.”
Former Soochow University president and alliance member Liu Yuan-chun (劉源俊) said he worried that Taiwan “would become the next Philippines,” if Chinese culture continued to lose its influence in public education in Taiwan.
Their comments have since been widely ridiculed and criticized as a “great Chinese superiority complex,” and as examples of explicit racism for deeming other cultures to be less sophisticated and less worthy of respect.
‘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
RSS