Integrating Chinese Culture into College English Teaching,Enhancing Students’Ability of Telling China’s Stories Well

Teaching and Research Institute of College Foreign Languages,Bohai University,Jinzhou,China Email:1308520658@qq.com

Wang Lidong

College of Foreign Languages,Bohai University,Jinzhou,China Email:645240128@qq.com

[Abstract]With the globalization and especially in the post-epidemic era,it is very important to tell the stories of China well to the rest of the world to convey China’s voices so as to guarantee worldwide understanding and enhance China’s cultural competitiveness and build up a good image of China in the world.This paper discusses first why,and second how to introduce Chinese culture into College English education,thus enhance college student’s ability to tell China’s stories well; And the ways and principles are discussed in detail as well.Anyway,to tell China’s story is the call of the times,and to tell China’s story well is the mission of the times.

[Keywords]Chinese Culture;China’s story;College English teaching

Introduction

As China’s international influence is increasing,it’s a duty for China to establish a new international discourse system to eliminate misunderstandings in the international community,to expand consensus,and to promote harmonious and common development of mankind.Telling the China’s stories well has become one of the new strategies for China’s external publicity.As an international lingua franca,English has become the best medium for telling China’s stories and conveying Chinese voices.At the beginning of 2020,the COVID-19 epidemic swept the world.“Telling Stories of China in English”campaign sponsored by China Education Television and New Channel International Education Group attracted wide attention among young people both at home and abroad.

The Necessity of College Student’Ability in Telling China’s Stories Well

It is of great significance to tell China’s stories in college English class,which can help students broaden horizons and deepen understanding of the world,while maintaining a high degree of cultural awareness and maintain Chinese traditional culture.Telling China’s stories well in English can also guarantee worldwide understanding of China,display the unique charm of Chinese culture,which is conducive to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries,improve China’s cultural competitiveness and build up a good image of China in the world.General Secretary Xi Jinping has made it clear that storytelling is the best way to communicate internationally.Telling China’s stories well in English has strong theoretical,practical and strategic significance.

Establishing a New International Discourse System to Eliminate Misunderstandings

As China’s international influence is increasing,China tries to establish a new international discourse system to eliminate misunderstandings in the international community,expand consensus,and to promote harmonious and common development of mankind.Telling the Chinese story has become one of the new strategies for China’s external publicity to shape the image of a major country and enhance cultural soft power.

Confronting with Foreign Cultural Erosion and“Aphasia”of Mother Tongue Culture

The fundamental purpose of college English teaching is to cultivate students’intercultural communication competence,which has become a common understanding in the English field.However,while actively importing English culture into college English teaching,students’awareness of Chinese culture is becoming weaker and weaker,thus hindering the formation of their intercultural communicative competence.When faced with the erosion of foreign culture,the“aphasia”of mother tongue culture followed.(Cong,2000)

The Requirements for College English Teaching

In 2004,the Ministry of Education officially promulgated the Requirements for College English Teaching,which stated that the goal of college English teaching is to cultivate students’comprehensive application ability and improve their comprehensive cultural literacy,so as to meet the needs of China’s economic development and international communication.The“comprehensive application ability”of a foreign language includes three levels:“language ability”,“communicative ability”and“sociocultural ability”,among which“sociocultural ability”is the key factor to determine the smooth progress of cross-cultural communication.The ultimate goal of foreign language teaching is to make students carry out smooth intercultural communications with the knowledge they learned,so the integration of culture learning with language acquisition is a necessary choice of cultivating intercultural communication ability.Chinese stories are an inalienable part of Chinese culture.

Integrating Chinese Stories into College English Teaching

Teachers should consciously infiltrate Chinese culture into English teaching and help students compare expressions and structures objectively between Chinese and Western culture,expanding their world vision,raise their international awareness of intercultural communication.

Adjusting the English Teaching Objectives in Teaching Syllabus

In College English teaching introduce good Chinese culture.Make sure that the teaching content should conform to the requirements of the syllabus in college foreign language curriculum,and when integrating Chinese culture,guarantee the Chinese stories should have a certain relationship with the English teaching content.In the teachers should make full use of the contents of English textbooks and infiltrate patriotism into teaching activities.Provide some Chinese-culture-related English courses including Chinese philosophy,literature,culture,history,religion,customs national paths,values,development,domestic and foreign policies etc,or setting basic teaching requirements relating to Chinese stories.(Sun,2016)

Selecting or Compiling Textbooks Reflecting China’s Stories

To enhance students’cross-cultural sensitivity and confidence in their own national culture,teachers should select or compile textbooks reflecting China’Stories.Improving the quality of translation is a decisive factor in telling Chinese stories to the World,which provides some solutions to problems arising in the international communication.The selected content should have typical Chinese characteristics of the new era and express the inherent spirit of the national soul since the Chinese history.

Introducing Chinese Stories into English Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular practice is an important supplement to classroom teaching and an important path to achieve the goal of English education.College English activities are rich and varied,such as English speech contest,debate contest,English song contest,etc.In these extracurricular activities,the proportion of national culture can be appropriately increased to promote the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures in the process of communication.

Enabling Students to Tell Stories of China Well

One should be more active in using English as the international language to better convey China’voice and tell China’s stories well.As a college English teacher,one should introduce Chinese culture consciously,systematically and completely in teaching,so that students can improve their intercultural communication ability,and even have the ability to spread Chinese culture in English.One should deeply learn the essence of Chinese and Western culture,constantly strengthen language skills,and improve cultural accomplishment and intercultural communication quality at home and abroad.

Cultural Identity

Cultural identity refers to citizens’recognition and acceptance of the country’s mainstream culture and values.(Hu,1999)Teachers should take corresponding measures,to make students fully realize the importance of cultural identity in English education,to make students realize the excellence of Chinese culture system,effectively arousing students’love of Chinese culture,national spirit and devotion.And at the same time,teachers should actively incorporate Chinese stories into English teaching,train their correct outlook on life and values.Teachers should promote students to grasp and understand cultural identity in English education.Sapir,a famous American linguist,once said:“There is something behind language,and language cannot exist without culture.”Only with a full understanding of Chinese culture can one truly understand the connotation and far-reaching influence behind Chinese stories.

The love of Chinese culture can stimulate students’emotion,which is conducive to the transmission of cultural implication and the spread of Chinese stories.One need to respect the difference between Chinese and western culture,build the bridge of communication,and promote better communication between the two.

Language Guarantee

To tell a good story of Chinato the world,it is necessary to use the language that overseas are willing to accept,and the choice of logic should conform to the thinking mode of the audience.Such a story dissemination effect will be ideal,the story to achieve the desired effect.Telling Chinese stories well in a foreign language can not only eliminate misunderstanding and increase mutual trust,but also build up the cultural confidence of the Chinese nation.Translating consists in reproducing the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message,first in terms of meaning,and secondly in terms of style.Translation is not only the conversion of languages of different nations,but also the conversion of different cultures.It’s imperative that college student mastered English Paradigm and thinking mode,and translate well and tell stories of China well and effectively.

Principles in Telling China’s Stories Well

Preciseness and Accuracy

Professor William N.Brown,the first permanent resident of China,is well aware of western prejudice against China and is keen to be the“spokesman”of this land,hoping to make Westerners have a more comprehensive and objective understanding of China.In 2018,Brown publishedOff the Wall--How We Feel for China(《我不见外--老潘的中国来信》),which presents the great changes of China from reform and opening up.The book adopted a unique perspective of foreigners and with precision and accuracy of English language.It contains the distillation of The China’s story summarized by General Secretary Xi and the cultural concepts of“benevolence,putting people first,keeping good faith,upholding justice,harmony and seeking greater harmony’.

To tell a story about China to the world well is to convey China’s political,economic,cultural and other contents to foreign audiences in a real and objective way,so that they can have a comprehensive understanding of China’s actual situation.

Classics and Modern

In telling China’s stories,educators should on one hand cover traditional culture such as Chinese calligraphy（书法）,the classics such asThe Analects/The Analects of Confucius(《论语》);The Book of Songs/The Classic of Poetry(《诗经》);Five Classics(《五经》);The Songs of Chu(《楚辞》),Compendium of Materia Medica(《本草纲目》),History Retold as a Mirror for Rulers(《资治通鉴》)the ancient and masterpiece of Chinese culture.The Internet Celebrity Li Ziqi tried to tell the stories of China clearly and turned his patriotic aspiration into a patriotic action.

On the other hand the modern ones such as:不忘初心(remain true to our original aspiration)Since China’s reform and opening up,a lot of new words and phrases has entered into social life,such as“the five principles of peaceful coexistence,“One Country,Two Systems”“New Normal”“supply-side reform”“Internet Plus”and so on.

Patriotism in College English Education

Patriotism is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese people.Patriotism education includes political identity which is the recognition and acceptance of the country’s political system and the cultural identity.(Zhao,2016)With the development of globalization,and with the invasion of foreign culture,patriotism education in our country faces great challenge.Colleges and universities should actively carry out patriotic education,build a value system with patriotism as the core,strengthen national cultural identity,and combine cultural introduction with English education.

In 2017,the latest revised College English Teaching Guide issued by the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education clearly states:Socialist core values should be organically integrated into college English teaching content.Colleges and universities may offer different levels of intercultural communication courses according to their needs.

The concept of“a community with a Shared future for mankind”fully embodies the fine traditional Chinese cultural values,and displays the vision of human best civilization.Patriotism is as patriotism does.

Conclusion

As China’s international influence is increasing,China tries to establish a new international discourse system to eliminate misunderstandings in the international community,expand consensus,and to promote harmonious and common development of mankind.Telling China’s stories well has become one of the new strategies for China’s external publicity.Telling Chinese stories is not the ultimate goal but to convey Chinese ideas through telling stories.It is a new bridge between China and the rest of the world.One should carefully consider how to spread the Chinese voice,carry forward Chinese strength,contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions.

Under the background of developing quality-oriented education and fully implementing the fundamental task of cultivating young talents with morality,patriotism,international vision and cross-cultural communication skills.Educators should consciously integrate Chinese culture into their English teaching,to guide students to tell stories of China well in English and show a real,three-dimensional and comprehensive China.