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Q: How far back do people teach about history in China?
Since China has one of the longest documented histories out of other countries how far back do they teach about that history in China? I've read and bought some materials from bookstores recently at Barnes & Nobles back at home. I found out the book that I bought had paper that was folded differently than any other paper I have ever come across. They said that was how Chinese use to make their books. I know there is other historic things but how far back does the teaching actually go?
12 years 19 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
They teach that the sanhuangwudi are euhemerized memories of early tribal leaders, approxamately five thousand years ago.
Are you talking about a polyptich? Fellow foreigner, as I am sure you have forgotten, Barnes and Noble is a commercial chain of bookstores.
Foreignly,
kchur
mattaya:
I'm not sure what your asking. But I mean what do they teach as far as history. In America they taught us about black history and slavery and the civil wars etc., How far back does the teaching in China go back and what types of stuff do they teach. Like recently I found out that traditionally in China they use to make a book a certain way etc.,
kchur:
They go back about five thousand years, with a big euhemerization footnote. Like I said. Book binding isn't that old, in the grand scheme of things (roughly late antiquity in China, to my knowledge). Chinese traditionally used bamboo strips, which were sown together at both ends into a rather bulky scroll. Your English is not very clear, and your reading skills are poor. Fellow foreigner from America. Shall we admire China's long history together? Not nearly as long as Babylon or Egypt, but well long none the less. Yes, it would be sweet and appropriate of us, as two foreign Americans, to admire the flower of China's long history together!
mattaya:
I don't know what a sanghwanwudi is if you would let me know what this is maybe I can understand what your trying to say a little better. I know how they make the books I bought a book at Barnes and Nobles and it told me how they use to make the books and I'm pretty sure it didn't say they used bamboo and tied a big knot to hold it together. They actually folded the paper in half and used both sides for some reason but I forget. It was just the way they use to make books and the way they use to fold the paper. All the books were thick because of the folding of the paper. It's actually neat you can put some notes in between pages that way. I'm trying to find more things that traditionally they have done not just the books that was just my example. Thanks anyways! o.O
kchur:
*sigh*. Books bound by that method are called polyptichs. Variants on the polyptich are still used in parts of Europe (with glue, instead of sowing, today). A few hundred years ago, you could find it from the Atlantic to the Pacific. You could find sown polyptichs in America as late as the early 20th century. San huang are three legendary demi-gods who ruled earth for its first ~4000 years and the wu di are five non-dynastic God-like emperors that succeed them, the first, Xuanyuan, is thought to be the ancestor of the Chinese race. They represent an extremely important part of Confucianism, and its rare for a pre-republic Confucian not to reference them. History textbooks in China claim they were real people who were obscured by legend.
HugAPanda:
kchur, is your head bruised yet from banging it against the wall?
Michael Thomas, oh how I have missed you.
Perhaps you should visit some of the wonderful museums China finances to share their proud history with the world.
Yes, China has a long history but I'm constantly shocked by how little of it the Chinese people know. The only dynasties most people know of is Qin, Han, Ming and Qing. Seems like schools just gloss over everything else and focus on the "humiliation" of the 19th and 20th centuries and the "triumph" of the communist party.
