Hold up the classics — Guidance and Appreciation of Works Designated by the New Curriculum Standards for Chinese in Senior High Schools

Author: Zhang Wei, Yang Guang, Editors
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Why do we read? Why do we read poetry, songs, and prose? Why do we read essays and novels? Practically speaking, through reading, we can acquire knowledge and become useful to society, thus not fearing any competition. Fundamentally speaking, reading allows us to live more like human beings, with richer experiences of life. Among all living beings on this planet, only humans can speak and express their experiences and feelings in words to others or to future generations. Among the countless writings that have existed so far, there is a part that is immortal—they are 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, suffering and sorrow, life and death, spirit and flesh, love and hatred. The books formed by such texts are masterpieces that embody the collective spirit of humanity. Therefore, from the "Supposedly the person I adore, on the far shore of the water" in the Classic of Poetry to Tao Yuanming's "Planting beans in the southern mountains, the grass grows lush, the bean sprouts are few" to Gu Cheng's "The night gave me black eyes, yet I use them to seek light," we read along; from the Iliad to Hamlet to One Hundred Years of Solitude, we read along. Through this, what we perceive is no longer confined by the limitations of our finite lives and limited living space. 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 enjoying the gentle morning breeze and the withered willows by the riverside in Jiangnan. How abundant, how splendid, how romantic is such a life! To live such a life, there is no need to seek elixirs of immortality or raise funds for travel. Open a book, reflect upon it, and the world becomes yours! This book lists approximately 50 outstanding works of Chinese and foreign literature for the secondary school level, along with a vast number of ancient Chinese poems and songs, and provides guidance and appreciation for these excellent works.