Home (New Curriculum Standard Required Reading Series: Chinese Language)

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: To comprehensively improve the Chinese literacy of primary and secondary school students, enhance the modern awareness of language teaching courses, and vigorously promote new learning methods, the Ministry of Education issued the "Full-time Compulsory Education Chinese Curriculum Standards" and the "General High School Chinese Curriculum Standards" as core content of the basic education curriculum reform in 2001 and 2003, respectively. The "Chinese Curriculum Standards" serve as the basis for teaching, assessment, and examination question setting, as well as the foundation for national curriculum management and evaluation, reflecting the fundamental requirements of the state for students at different stages in terms of knowledge, skills, processes, and methods. Compared to the original "Chinese Teaching Syllabus" for primary and secondary schools, the "Chinese Curriculum Standards" have made significant revisions to the specific titles of extracurricular reading materials in the original syllabus and stipulated the total amount of reading required for students at different stages, urging primary and secondary school students to read widely. To this end, we have compiled and published this series of "New Curriculum Standards Chinese Reading Series," with all the book titles designated by the new standards. To assist students in reading, we have included an introductory essay before each classic, providing an in-depth yet accessible introduction to the relevant information about the book. The novel Family (The River Trilogy), one of the masterpieces of literary giant Ba Jin, is also an outstanding realist long in the history of modern Chinese literature. With skillful artistic techniques, the book portrays numerous typical literary figures. There are over seventy characters in the book, including the autocratic, aging, and decadent feudal family rulers and representatives of the feudal patriarchal system, such as the licentious and cruel fake scholar and executioner Feng Leshan, the corrupted and dissipated wastrel fifth uncle Ke Ding, and the cunning and greedy fourth uncle Ke An, among others representing the various figures of the ruling class. There are also victims of feudal ethics and feudal rituals, such as the pure and fierce maid Mu Feng who dares to protest against feudal autocracy with her life, the gentle and meek Miss Mei Fen who quietly swallows the evils of old rituals, and the kind, generous, and tender young daughter-in-law Rui Jue, among others. Additionally, there are images of young awakening and rebellious figures influenced by new trends of thought, who yearn for freedom and equality, boldly strive for personal liberation, and dare to resist feudal rule, such as Jue Hui, Jue Min, and Qin.