Amulet of protection

Author: Zhou Keda
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-04-01
Features: Society has many latent acupoints. Some seemingly important matters are actually unimportant, while some things that appear unimportant are actually significant. For example, extracurricular reading for middle school students may seem like a minor issue at first glance, but upon closer reflection, it relates to the knowledge and personality structures of the younger generation, and consequently to the prospects of sociocultural transformation. It seems small but is substantial. As a result, many cultural thinkers have long been concerned with this issue, with some even taking the initiative to compile essential reading lists for young people. It has been proven that the extracurricular reading of countless young people in the past has enriched history beyond professional endeavors and facilitated broad communication beyond various boundaries. However, it is evident to everyone that, today, extracurricular reading for middle school students has encountered a genuine dilemma. On one hand, with the acceleration of social development, the close comparison of different civilizations has become increasingly intense, and the responsibility of reviving Chinese civilization has inescapably fallen on this and the next generation. Therefore, enhancing the comprehensive cultural literacy of today's middle school students is urgent, and the importance of extracurricular reading is once again strongly highlighted. On the other hand, the cultural information from ancient and modern China and the world that today's middle school students face is a hundred times more abundant than what their predecessors encountered, and it continues to expand rapidly. Even if they endure years of hard reading like their predecessors, they can only touch upon a few small corners, and it remains uncertain whether these corners are important. Every aspect of modern life exerts a strong temptation on them, and these aspects themselves are worth careful interpretation. As a result, whether teachers, parents, or the students themselves, all experience anxiety and helplessness. Consequently, many cultural figures wish to make a difference. One approach is to gather the judgment and selection capabilities of seasoned wisdom, to preselect a range of extracurricular reading for middle school students. Seasoned wisdom has varying professional backgrounds, thus forming a convergence of expert perspectives. This perspective is then transformed into a systematic reading recommendation to help middle school students avoid the blind search of "miles of darkness." The "Excellence Library for Middle School Students' Extracurricular Reading" series, edited and published by Guangxi People's Publishing House, has made encouraging efforts in this regard. This series is divided into two main parts: traditional culture and modern life, forming a rough balance. In the traditional culture section, it is further divided into two approaches: one is to select outstanding literary works from ancient and modern China and the world, providing plot summaries for long novels; the other is to offer introductory and analytical guidance on various art and science disciplines, striving for concise, accurate content and fresh, fluent writing. I think such a design is quite ingenious. Regarding the modern life section, I haven't read it yet, but from the outline, it aims to align with the actual lives of contemporary middle school students. The content of this section may have been more challenging to compile than the traditional culture section, as it lacks the filtering of time and professional discernment, but someone must attempt it. As far as I know, internationally published encyclopedias for young people also include such content. Overall, this series, through its structure, portrays the reader demographic of the next generation. They should have broad horizons, rich knowledge, a tolerant mindset, and healthy personalities, capable of making their own choices from the cultural achievements of ancient and modern China and the world, and then contributing to the creation of the new century. This is an exciting blueprint for personality. It is a heartfelt aspiration for the future of cultural construction. Regardless of how many difficulties we encounter during this period of sociocultural transformation, we adhere to a simple principle: only through construction can there be hope.