Customized textbooks to be released soon

A sample page of the Doctrine of Mean (zhong yong), one of the Four Books of Confucian philosophy, is pictured here. [Photo: The Beijing News]

China's first set of textbooks on traditional cultures is going to be released in 25 of China's provinces this year in an effort to promote the country's culture which has a profound and long history.

The set of books has been submitted to the educational authority for approval and is expected to meet students in the fall.

Unlike old textbooks that only have a fraction of traditional Chinese texts, the new textbooks will not only cover Confucian classics but also folk costumes and local cultures, as editors want to highlight the fact that Chinese cultures are not only about Confucianism.

For instance, in the Beijing version of textbooks, students can learn about the history and cultures of the hutong, traditional cuisine and local cultural relics in the capital.

Starting from the basic Three Character Classic (san zi jing) to the more advanced Master Sun's Art of War (sun zi bing fa), students at different ages will be able to read these non-Confucian classics in their textbooks.