Yes!  Reading is a great way to learn about world cultures. Ask a librarian to help you find good examples of any culture's written works — its poems, essays, news stories, legends. And, as you read, you'll discover beliefs and values that make that culture unique. Consider these writing samples from China....

Directions:  After reading each item, answer the questions below it. Write your answers on a separate piece of paper. Include the letter and number of each answer.

A / Which Name Came First?
The Chinese marked the location of Mount Qomolangma ... on their map more than 280 years ago. [However] Westerners today continue to refer to the peak as Mount Everest.... It is time, say scholars and Tibetans, for the world to rectify the error made by British colonials over a century ago.... The ... marking of Qomolangma on the map by Chinese people preceded the British colonists' mapping by more than 130 years..... In the Tibetan language, "Qomolangma" represents the mother goddess of the earth.

Think about "A"!  This news story appeared in 2002. (1) In what century did the British name Mount Everest? (2) What is this mountain's Tibetan name? (3) Why does the writer argue that we should call this mountain by its Tibetan name?

B / Ba Jin's Advice
In 1986, Chinese author Ba Jin said: "Only those who do not forget the past will be masters of the future."

Think about "B"!  China was a great empire until it was hurt by invasions and wars in the 19th and 20th centuries. (1) As the country began to recover, why do you think Ba Jin urged the Chinese people to "not forget" their past? 

C / Confucius Says...
The Master said that Tsze-ch'an had four of the characteristics of a superior man. In his conduct of himself, he was humble. In serving his superior, he was respectful. In nourishing the people, he was kind. In ordering the people, he was just.

Think about "C"!  (1) According to this ancient Chinese teaching, what were the four characteristics of a "superior man"?  (2) How important do you think those characteristics are, in today's world?

D / Five Mascots!
Beijing [China] has unveiled its five 2008 Olympic mascots ... to coincide with the 1,000-day countdown to the big event.... Each mascot has a rhyming two-syllable name, the traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. The first characters of their two-syllable names read "Beijing Huanying Ni," or, in English, "Welcome to Beijing."

Think About "D!"  This news story was written in 2005.  (1) What "big event" was it referring to?  (2) What does the mascot Nini represent?  (3) The mascots were chosen by a committee. What Chinese traditions seem to have guided their selection?

E / One Very Old Legend
A very old man lived behind two tall mountains. He was unhappy about the fact that the mountains stood between him and the next village, where he had friends. So he assembled his family. "I suggest," he said, "that we all work together to remove these mountains and open a direct path to the next village."

His wife said, "How could you remove two tall mountains? Where would you deposit the soil and rocks?"      But his sons had an idea. "We could carry them to the seashore."      So the very old man and his sons began to break off the mountains' rocks and dig the soil, which they put into baskets and carried to the seashore.      One day, a neighbor stopped the old man. "How foolish you are!" he said. "At your age, you have chosen an impossible task!"      The old man sighed and said, "You are the one who is foolish. When I die, my sons will carry on — and so will their sons, and their grandsons, and so on. But mountains do not grow. So why do you think they cannot be removed?"      The neighbor could not answer.

Think about "E"!  (1) What comparison did the old man make between the mountains and his family?  (2) Imagine that you overhear Chinese parents telling this legend to their child. What might they want the child to learn from the legend?

Sources: A-Excerpted from "No Longer Everest, but Mount Qomolangma," in People's Daily Online, 11-20-02;  B-From a 1986 speech by Ba Jin;  C-Adapted from The Analects of Confucius;  D-Excerpted from "Mascots promise a 'friendly' Olympics," in China Daily, 11-12-05;  E-Based on Lie zi, The Writings of Lie Yu Kou.

© Learning Enrichment, Inc. Content last updated: May 2006. Page last reviewed: May 2006.