BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday criticized Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for trying to reshape education along its secessionist line, warning that such actions could leave Taiwan detached from its Chinese cultural heritage.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a regular press conference in response to a question about the DPP authorities' long-running efforts to reduce Chinese cultural elements in education and remove classical Chinese texts from school curricula and textbooks.
Zhu said the DPP authorities' secessionist education has had "serious consequences."
Chinese culture constitutes an essential part of the spiritual heritage of Taiwan people and has provided cultural impetus for the island's economic and social development, she said.
When Chinese cultural traditions are severed on the island and classical Chinese works are removed from textbooks, Taiwan students will have fewer opportunities to study Chinese classics and learn about important historical figures and events in school, Zhu said.
"This is not children's fault that they are ignorant about Chinese history and tradition but the fault of the 'Taiwan independence' forces," Zhu said.
With "education reform" starting in the 1990s amid a rising secessionist narrative, the changes to curriculum and textbook guidelines in Taiwan have been highly political, aimed at removing Chinese cultural elements and severing historical ties with the Chinese mainland.
Taiwan adopts a textbook selection system in which the education department issues guidelines on what should be included in textbooks, and schools can then choose from different editions of textbooks that follow the guidelines.
With the implementation of the 2019 guidelines, the number of recommended classical texts for senior high school students has been reduced to 15 from 30 recommended by the previous guidelines. Several landmark works that are important for Chinese identity and values are no longer on the recommended list.
Before the 2019 textbook guidelines, Taiwan's history textbooks generally followed a chronological structure, starting from the birth of Chinese civilization and covering various imperial dynasties before reaching contemporary history. Under the current senior high school curriculum, Chinese history is more often taught as part of a broader East Asian and regional history, with greater emphasis placed on Taiwan's history.
Many educators and parents on the island have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the rising secessionist tendency in education. Some of them have operated an association and a website since 2018 to compile and teach history and Chinese language courses themselves. ■
