Psychological
Health of the Youth Cause for Concern
By
staff reporter ZHANG HUA
Today's only children have love
lavished upon them.
|
ON February 23, 2002 a student named Liu Haiyang
from Tsinghua University threw vitriol over the black bears
on Bear Hill in Beijing Zoo, causing one bear to suffer serious
and extensive burns, and completely blinding another. Liu was
caught on the spot. His explanation was that he was testing
the bears' sensitivity to the acid.
Millions of TV viewers were incensed by the
incident, particularly by Liu's cold, indifferent demeanor on
being interviewed. All condemned his callous behavior. Sociologists,
educators, psychologists and criminologists later expressed
their opinions and made comments on the incident. Instances
of juvenile delinquency, such as campus violence, rape, truancy,
and running away from home, have previously occurred, but nothing
has aroused such widespread controversy as Liu's cold sadism,
that is so removed from the conduct generally associated with
a student from China's most prestigious university.
There was, however, more to come, and further
items of bad news occurred, one after another. On being advised
by his school that he should leave after failing several exams,
a Beijing university student decided to commit suicide, but
first killed his father and grandmother so as to spare their
grief on his death. A 13-year-old Sichuan Province girl ran
away from home recently in pursuit of her favorite movie star,
and has not been seen since. People are beginning to ask: what
is the matter with our children, and where is Chinese education
going wrong?
Ancient philosophy teaches that human
beings are born with a benevolent nature, but that whether
or not it lasts depends on education. |
Chinese people traditionally revere education.
The ancient Chinese so evaluated the function of education:
"......Only when a person is well cultivated can his family
be regulated; only when families are regulated can the country
be rightly governed; and only when the country is rightly governed
will there be peace under Heaven." A popular ancient Chinese
expression describes educated people as the country's "supporting
pillars."
Fan Zhongyan, a scholar of the Song Dynasty
(960-1279) best represented the lofty spirit of Chinese intellectuals
with his maxim: Be the first to be concerned with the world's
troubles and the last to enjoy worldly happiness. On realizing
that the cause of China's lack of development was its backwardness
in science and technology, many modern scholars went to Western
countries to study. In the late 1970s, China restored its university
entrance examination, and has since trained a great number of
experts and professionals for the country's construction. Today
numerous success stories stemming from specialized knowledge
have further consolidated people's belief in the importance
of acquiring knowledge through education.
Nowadays, a mother-to-be starts her fetal
education program as soon as her pregnancy is confirmed. When
the child is born, she devises all possible ways of developing
its mental capabilities through music, numbers, pictures, and
even foreign languages. Early intelligence development has helped
nurture many child prodigies. As an increasing number of Chinese
students excel at the international maths Olympics, the international
community acknowledges the effectiveness of China's basic education.
