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China, as an old-line country, has been existed for over 5000 years, and it has brought various cultural treasures to the whole world. However, since historical and political reasons, Chinese traditional culture has experienced a tough time, and even now it is still facing new challenges and crisis. According to Huang Fang, Chinese traditional culture study in western sinology circle has seen a cultural colonialism tendency for a long time. Orientalists hold a unique attitude towards Chinese traditional cultures: they emphasize old and classic culture rather than present existing traditions (Huang Fang, 2011: 129). That is to say, in their eyes, oriental history is poor and can be ignored; old-time science achievements are neglected and concealed on purpose. The glamour of Chinese, or to say, oriental traditional culture, is just a kind of exotic touch in a foreign land. Moreover, in modern times, Chinese intellectuals focused on chasing modern cultural identification, and traditional cultures have once been seen as the representative of backward obscuration. Both western scholars and Chinese modern intellectuals harmed traditional Chinese cultures, and this led to the breakage and weakness of Chinese traditional cultures in modern times. Fortunately, since 1920s, later May Fourth Movement generations have put Chinese traditional culture into world culture category and started the restructuring and rebuilding work in an open angle of view.
Traditional Chinese culture has existed and developed for thousands of years, and a spiritual and cultural system mainly based on Confucianism, Taoism and the Buddhism has been established gradually, together with literatures and arts from various times and dynasties, a complete Chinese traditional culture system is established, which has infiltrated deeply into Chinese people’s ideology (Huang Fang, 2011: 130). Even though, long-time and systematic nurturing is necessary. Famous Chinese jurist John Wu Ching-hsiung believed that a person’s childhood nurturing influences his lifetime values and thoughts. And this just points out the significance of primary and secondary education of traditional culture.
1.2.2 Cultural Identification and Culture Learning
As to culture learning, language cannot be ignored. “Language cannot be separated completely from the culture in which it is deeply embedded.” (Stern River, 1985: 251). That is a clear-cut position about language and culture: language and culture are inextricably linked.
As for the relationship between language learning and culture learning, Byram remarkably elaborated the relationship between language and culture as “language is not simply a reflector on of an objective cultural reality. It is an integral part of that reality through which other parts are shaped and interpreted.” (Byram Michael, 1991: 78). “He also points out that language is a symbol of the whole as well as a part of the whole which shapes and is in turn shaped by sociocultural actions, beliefs and values. While using a language, the speakers are actually engaging in a sociocultural activity. While acquiring a language, the learners are also acquiring a culture. Language learning and culture learning are supportive and interactive” (Chen Jun, 2008: 10-11). It can be conclude that culture learning runs through the process of language learning. As to in this paper, Chinese traditional culture education is linked with Chinese learning, and for those whose mother tongues are Chinese, Chinese learning also includes ancient Chinese learning.
Although Chinese traditional culture is faced with the impact brought by western cultures, nowadays the whole Chinese society seems to be paying more and more attention to traditional culture, which lightens the gloomy circumstance of Chinese traditions. However, there is still an embarrassing situation. Since the examination system has not been changed substantially, both teachers and students are still facing huge stress brought by high school and university entrance examinations. Furthermore, the arts and sciences pision in high school made students in sciences ignore the traditional cultures or even arts subjects. Apparently, Chinese traditional culture education is in a difficult situation in middle schools. According to Zheng Dazhuan, the tough situation has extended into primary school. English is chosen to be a regular subject for grade three students in every Chinese primary school, even some school made English a regular subject for grade one students, while Chinese is not treated at an equal level neither materially nor psychologically. Although primary stage is a perfect start of reciting classical works, it is still controversial whether students should spend time reciting classical works or not. In one word, traditional education in primary and secondary school is far from mature, and there are huge problems of linking up primary and secondary, as well as university traditional culture education. (Zheng Dazhuan, 2010: 18).