The cultural diversity of Chinese folk paper-cutting and the relevance of international Chinese teaching
In the context of international Chinese teaching, the objects of paper-cutting teaching have diversified characteristics. There are many differences in age, gender, cultural background, etc. between teaching objects. For different teaching objects, paper-cutting teaching should follow the teaching-centered principle and conduct teaching design based on the actual situation of the teaching objects.
When designing instruction, teachers should consider the following factors. The first is the age difference of the teaching subjects. From the age difference point of view, the teaching objects can be divided into two categories: young paper-cutting learners and adult paper-cutting learners. For early childhood paper-cutting learners, direct cultural interpretation should be minimized in teaching, and cultural communication should be carried out in a more intuitive way. Teaching can be promoted through various means such as pictures and videos. In terms of teaching content, content should be selected that is easy to learn and can arouse childrens interest in learning, such as simple patterns such as folded butterflies and animals. For adult paper-cutting learners, direct cultural interpretation can be carried out, but over-interpretation must be avoided. The selection of teaching content can also be difficult, and patterns with strong cultural significance can be selected for teaching. The second is the learning needs of the teaching objects. Also as a cultural class, different teaching objects have different learning needs, so the teaching design should also be different.
The School of International Education at Minzu University of China, where the author works, offers paper-cutting classes for language students and foreign masters students in international Chinese education. For these two different teaching objects, the teaching design is also different. Both teaching objects are adult paper-cutting learners, so the teaching contents are both highly cultural, but there are also differences. For language students, the paper-cutting class is a cultural elective course in addition to their Chinese learning. The purpose of setting up the paper-cutting class is to spread culture while enriching their spare time life, cultivating their interest in Chinese culture, and thus stimulating their enthusiasm for learning Chinese. . For foreign masters students in international Chinese education, in addition to cultural dissemination and letting them understand and learn Chinese culture, their learning needs must also be considered.
They are the native Han people of their own country in the futureChinese teachers not only want to understand paper-cutting, but also want to apply paper-cutting to their future Chinese teaching. Therefore, in addition to considering the cultural nature of the teaching content, the teaching design must also consider the practical operability of the teaching content. Finally, there is the cultural background of the teaching objects. The cultural background of the teaching objects is also a factor to be considered when designing paper-cutting teaching. This is mainly for cross-cultural communication to avoid cultural conflicts. The same thing has different cultural meanings in different cultures.
Bat symbolizes blessing in traditional Chinese culture. "Bat" and "Fu" are homophonic. "Five blessings and longevity" is a traditional pattern in paper-cutting. To Westerners, bats are a scary animal. As a nocturnal animal, they give people a mysterious and eerie feeling. Especially in some visual cultural works, the scenes where bats appear give people an ominous premonition. Another example is the owl. There are folk sayings in our country such as "Night owls come into the house and come for anything", "If you are not afraid of the night owls cry, you are afraid of the night owls laughter". The cats head is often regarded as an "unlucky bird" and is called a soul-chasing bird or a mourning bird. Birds, etc., are also called strange crows, ghost cars, ghosts or wanderings in ancient books, and are regarded as symbols of misfortune and death. There is no shadow of owls in Chinese paper-cuts. In Western countries, the cat head is a symbol of wisdom. If these cultural differences cannot be handled well in teaching, they will inevitably lead to unnecessary cultural conflicts. From this point of view, it is necessary to consider the cultural background of the teaching objects when designing instruction.
