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Hi everyone,
I hope you all have an enjoyable holidays. As I mentioned in other thread I hate simplified Chinese because it is a disaster. It cut away our root and mind you the ultimate goal of the so-called simpiflied Chinese movement is to Latinize Chinese character into phonetic symbols like the pin-yin symbols we are using in writing our names. I really don't think it is a good idea. You may notice that even the Korean they have to use traditional Chinese character to write their names in the parliament as the phonetic symbols they are using cannot distinguish a character with the same sound.
I would also like to share with you my message to the Principal of Renaissance College stating the importance of using traditional Chinese character. Some of the points may be out-dated and I also agree that nurturing a reading habit of the kids is very important in learning Chinese, be it using simplified or traditional characters.
Mr. Peter Kenny,
Principal
Renaissance College
Dear Peter,
It was nice meeting you and discussing with you on the issue of using simplified Chinese in the Chinese Curriculum of Renaissance College. I hope it is not too late to voice out my concern on the issue as I have been doing some travelling lately and should have written this email to you earlier.
The Chinese Curriculum in Renaissance College
Unlike other ESF schools Renaissance College draws my attention because of its commitment to quality Chinese Curriculum. The most heartening sentence that caught my eyes in your Chinese Studies Mission Statement is " They can also understand what they read in quality Chinese newspaper like Ming Pao, classical literary works like the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or modern literature like Jing Yong's novels" I said to myself this is "The School" that I would send my child to.
My daughter was offered a place in ESF Kindergarten in Tsing Yi in this acamdic year but we finally turned down the offer and the reasons are two folds. Firstly, the timing for the school bus was not convenient but the main reason was we would like our daughter to learn Chinese at an early stage. While we valued a lot the opportunity of gaining a place in ESF Kindergarten we finally gave up the offer. It was a difficult decision to be made. We treasure the way ESF school is adopting in encouraging students to learn by themselves. The cultivation of the habit of reading is the most valuable thing that ESF schools impart on its students.
The "discovery" of Renaissance College offers the "best of two worlds" to our daughter. I registered as an interested party through your website since I found out the address and have been longing to learn about the progress of construction. My wife and I have been eager finding out the curriculum and the enrolment procedure of Renaissance College since we learned about its inception. My wife attended an information day in Beacon Hill School last year and I attended the information day on 20 May.
My heart sank when I learned that the school has been considering using simplified Chinese in the Chinese curriculum.
Simplified Chinese is not conducive to learning
"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler", Albert Einstein.
Peter, to me, simplified Chinese is a disaster. It is most unfortunate that the UN would adopt it in 2008 (?). As I mentioned to you on 20 May while the root of simplified Chinese can be traced back to a few hundred years its basis came from a style in Chinese calligraphy. It is perfectly fine to use simplified Chinese as a calligraphy as it is an art. But it is not preferred as a medium despite the fact that mainland China has been using it since the birth of the PRC. I can tell you that even the academics from the mainland preferred traditional Chinese if they are not wearing an official hat. There was a revival of traditional Chinese in the mainland a few years ago. It was stopped only after the government interfered by adminstrative means.
It is very easy for a person to swith to simplified Chinese if he/she has already learned traditional Chinese. Myself, my friends, my wife and so many others who studied traditional Chinese can share with you our experience. But it is not the other way round. We encounter no difficulty at all when reading newspaper, books, magazines in simplified Chinese. But a students who was taught simplified Chinese would have to make an extra effort to switch back to traditional Chinese.
I strongly believe that if a student who prefers to pursue his/her academic quest in Sinology the knowledge of traditional Chinese is a must. If he/she only knows simplified Chinese he/she will not be able to read all the first hand materials inherited in the past, like the imperial decree from the emperors, correspondence between government officials and the original copy of all the Chinese classics, to name a few . It is a big handicapp for academic research.
I trust Sir David Wilson, the last but one Governor of Hong Kong and a famous Sinologist, would agree with me that learning traditional Chinese helps a lot in his study. I am also sure that if the late Dr. Joseph Needham only knew simplified Chinese he would not be able to produce the Science and Civilization in China series as he would not be able to read the historical files written in traditional Chinese. Other Sinologists like the author of the book China, Empire of the Written Symbols, Cecilia Lindqvist, opposes the use of simplified Chinese both on emotional as well as academic grounds. Inside her book it quotes "... despite the huge changes the written language has undergone, the foundation of the modern language is still the original characters...... Once one has learned to recognize and understand them, they provide a key not only to the written language but also to the reality from which they once came, as well as to life lived today." She used "original characters" instead of traditional character.
The use of tradtional Chinese in its curriculum is a distinct advantage as well as a niche that Renaissance College possesses over other ESF schools not to mention its stronger emphasis on Chinese Studies. Please don't lose your distinctiveness and advantage. I really want my daugther to receive quality education at Renaissance College and be truly bilingual.
Sorry that I'm a bit long-winded but I am really concerned about my daughter's education and I hope you would consider my point before reaching for a decision.
Yours sincerely, |
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發表於 09-4-15 09:17
