英闻天下——361 Mixed Responses for Calligraphy Education

 　　The popularity of Chinese calligraphy¹ has been dwindling². With technological³ advances, many young people no longer write words by hand but use keyboards. Many now struggle to write sentences on paper let alone attempt the complexities⁴ of calligraphy.

 

　　China's Ministry⁵ of Education has now introduced compulsory⁶ calligraphy classes in primary school. It has announced that students in grades three to six in all schools must attend one calligraphy class each week. It also mandated⁷ that calligraphy should be an elective subject in middle school.

 

　　Zhou Heyang has more.

 

　　The announcement by the Ministry of Education has received mixed responses from schools. Some have put special emphasis on calligraphy education and come up with the resources to ensure such classes are offered. The Education Department of Haidian District in Beijing has allocated⁸ professional calligraphy teachers to respective schools in its jurisdiction⁹.

 

　　Qi Han, vice¹⁰ principal at Beijing Jingshan School's Yuanyang branch, says calligraphy is not just about writing beautiful Chinese characters by hand, but a important life skill.

 

　　"The fundamental skill of handwriting exerts a huge impact on a person's life. Practicing calligraphy helps to shape a child's habit of persistence¹¹ and patience and aesthetic¹² taste. It is the root of Chinese culture which we should pass on."

 

　　But many schools have encountered difficulties in implementing¹⁴ calligraphy classes in primary schools. A lack of qualified¹⁵ or competent teachers is the main concern. Principal Wang at a primary school in Beijing says:

 

　　"The problem is we have Chinese language and literature teachers substituting for calligraphy teachers. They may not have practiced calligraphy themselves, so they are not qualified to teach it. They may use the class time to teach Chinese instead, since calligraphy is not tested, after all. Things would be a lot better if we had professional calligraphy teachers holding the classes."

 

　　To solve this problem, Zhang Xin, a professor of Chinese Calligraphy at Shanghai Normal University, suggests making calligraphy a required course in normal universities, so teachers at least have a basic understanding of the skill.

 

　　Lack of money is another problem. Not all schools have sufficient funds to hire specialized¹⁶ teacher even if they could find one. Buying writing brushes and ink for all students also cost money.

 

　　Even in today's digital age, handwriting with brushes is not obsolete¹⁷. Chinese calligraphy is more than just a method of communication; it embodies¹⁸ Chinese traditional culture and fosters a kind of self-refinement via practice. However, education authorities need to introduce practical policies to implement¹³ calligraphy classes in all primary schools; otherwise, the goals are nothing more than lofty words.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Zhou Heyang.

1 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

2 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

3 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

4 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

7 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

8 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

9 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

10 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

11 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

12 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

13 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

14 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

15 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

16 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

17 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

18 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》