Mainland schools adopt Taiwanese textbook

Nearly 30 high schools on the Chinese mainland have adopted a Taiwanese textbook on Chinese classics for the first time in six decades. The introduction of the cultural textbook is aimed at improving the mainland's classics education which is less systematic and weak in teaching experience, experts said. The textbook, listed as compulsory for Taiwan's students, covers 22 sections focusing on Confucianism, including the Analects of Confucius, the Works of Mencius, the Doctrine of the Mean and the Great Learning. The textbook provides interpretations and inspiring discussions on key ideas of Confucianism such as filial piety, songs, rites and the good nature of human, said professor Liang Tao of the school of Chinese classics at Renmin University. The teaching of Chinese classics in the mainland is still weak due to the lack of systematic teaching outlines and teachers in the field, said professor Sun Yuwen of Peking University. The first group of schools to adopt the textbook spread across Beijing, Shanghai and provinces including Hebei, Anhui and Hubei. Experts believe the introduction of the book could promote cultural exchange across the strait.