Pick up the classics: Guidance and Appreciation of Works Designated by the New Curriculum Standards for Chinese in Secondary Schools

Author: Zhang Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Why do we read? Why do we read poetry, songs, and prose? From a utilitarian perspective, reading helps us acquire knowledge and become useful to society, thus not fearing any competition. Fundamentally, reading enables us to live more like human beings, experiencing richer feelings of being human. Among all living beings on this planet, only humans can speak and express their experiences and emotions through words to others or to future generations. Among the countless writings that have existed so far, there is a part that is immortal—it is destined to walk with humanity to the very end. Such texts, though created by individuals, express what everyone may experience at any time: laughter and tears, sorrow and grief, life and death, spirit and flesh, love and hatred. The books formed by such texts are masterpieces that embody the common spirit of humanity. Therefore, from the "Supposedly the person I adore, stands at the water's edge" in the Book of Songs to Tao Yuanming's "Planting beans in the southern hills, the grass grows lush, but the bean sprouts are sparse" to Gu Cheng's "The night gave me black eyes, yet I use them to seek light," we read along; from the Homeric Epics to Hamlet to One Hundred Years of Solitude, we read along. Through this, what we perceive is no longer confined by the limited span of life and the limited space of existence. We might be an ancient soldier hiding beneath the walls of Troy, ready to burst forth in the morning, and in the afternoon, a carefree scholar savoring the gentle morning breeze and the withered moonlit willows by the riverside in Jiangnan. How abundant, how splendid, how romantic such a life is! To live such a life, there is no need to seek elixirs of immortality or raise funds for travel. Open a book, ponder after closing it, and the world will become yours! This book lists approximately 50 outstanding works of Chinese and foreign literature for middle school students, along with a vast number of ancient Chinese poems and songs, and provides guidance and appreciation for these excellent works.