Confucius is the teacher of all teachers. Benevolence rén 仁 is the core of Chinese culture and it is the fundamental teaching of Confucius, the greatest teacher in Chinese culture.
Chinese children study Confucius words, The Analects at school. However, they learn about Confucius’ basic teachings way before they start school.
Chinese kids learn about being kind, helping others, and practicing what you have learned from their parents. They learn from the culture that they live in.
Learning the Chinese language is learning Chinese culture.
Traditionally, Chinese children start each class with a bow to the teacher as s/he walks into the classroom and they say, lǎo shī hǎo老師好 as they bow. At the end of each class, the students stand up again and bow to the teacher of the period again saying, xiè xie lǎo shī 謝謝老師.
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Hello, teacher. lǎo shī hǎo 老師 好. It literally means “teacher good.”
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Thank you, teacher. xiè xie lǎo shī 謝謝 老師. Literally, it means, “thank you teacher”
This classroom ritual shows respect to every teacher in every period throughout the day. This practice goes from elementary school to high school and even in college.
Time has changed.
There is some flexibility in the day to day classroom practice. But, the core values in Chinese culture stays. However, with easy access to the internet and global media, western culture also has made an impact on the traditional culture.
Therefore, some primary traditional Chinese cultural practices are reinforced in schools for Chinese kids. There are more and more Chinese culture activities for children to experience, to explore, and to join their peers in learning in depth about the culture.
Confucius and Chinese culture are not only for children who are learning Chinese but also for people who are in business.
Speaking the language and knowing the culture put you at a different level in the global market place. When you speak limited Chinese but you understand Chinese culture you can communicate well with Chinese people. It might not be at the language level but you can connect at the cultural level.
It is a positive influence on yours and your child’s learning journey.
image by hey tiffany.
