Liang Rongruo on the content of Guowen class

Liang Rongruo (in the same essay cited below) has the following to say about what students should read about in secondary-level Guowen class:

… 有些古代的文學作品，從文學史學術學的觀點上看，也許是很重要很有價值的，但是從現代的教育目標上看，或不合於民族主義，或不合於民權主義，或根本違反 民生主義，或與現代的科學知識不免牴觸，就失掉其為精讀教材的價值。譬如我們要建立職業平等，生產建設的社會，那麼凡以高官厚爵沾沾自喜，自居為特殊份子 的作品是不足取的。我們要提倡國內各民族一律平等，凡是偏激狹隘，輕視邊疆民族的作品，也是應當斟酌的。此外如迷信傳說，怪異掌故，妄誕的怪力亂神記事， 陰陽五行思想，大部與現代科學精神根本不相容。但是在舊文學作品裡，常常充滿這種氣氛。(15-16)

Here, Liang argues that while some ancient works of literature are perhaps worth studying from the perspectives of literature, history, or art, they are not necessarily worthy of studying from the point of view of modern educational goals. He goes on to name some of the "guilty parties," such as the Song dynasty's Gao Xi (高錫), whose essay 勸農論 advised against helping farmers increase their production, and the Tang writer Bai Juyi (白居易), who wrote an essay against killing locusts. Liang concludes that when choosing course materials for Guowen, one must make sure to avoid these kinds of historical poison (歷史的毒素).

It's notable (though not surprising) that Liang identifies educational goals (教育目標) and Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People--the principles of nationalism (民族主義), democracy (民權主義), and the people's livelihood (民生主義). He also writes that literary works that conflict with modern scientific knowledge should also not be considered worthy of intensive study. (So works that discussed superstitious legends, gods, or the ideas of Yin/Yang and the Five Elements would best be avoided. But, as he admits, ancient writings are full of that kind of mythological atmosphere.)

Liang also discusses the issue of what students should write about in their Guowen classes. He suggests having students write about subjects that they study in other classes and emphasizes that writing for secondary students should be primarily focused on training students to record their thinking; training in literary composition is of less importance (中學生的作文應當以訓練記述思考能力為主，純文藝的寫作訓練是次要的…). One reason for this, he notes, is that few students will have an interest in or talent for literary composition; most students need only learn to write "practical" or "applied" compositions (應用文字) that are clear and accurate. He suggests that teaching such kinds of writing is an easy task on which it is almost unworthy to place too much emphasis (16).

Source: Liang Rongruo 梁容若. "Ruhe Gaijin Zhongxue de Guowen Jiaoxue" 如何改進中學的國文教學. Zhongdeng Jiaoyu 中等教育 6.2 (1955). Rpt. in Guoyu yu Guowen 國語與國文. 2nd ed. Taipei: Guoyu Ribao She, 1969. 13-18.

[updated 5/14/05, 12:14 a.m.]