Wang Yuanyuan

    Bashu Middle School, one of the most prestigious schools in Chongqing Municipality, has opened several new optional courses. The most popular course is the one that focuses on popular romantic Taiwanese dramas.

    The course helps students appreciate the dramas and perform them.

    The dramas, about love lives of the young and attractive, are very popular among middle school students. “Young students love them whether older people approve or not, so the better way is to teach them how to appreciate the dramas — because they were meant to be appreciated — rather than simply ban them,” said Zhang Bo, teacher of the course.

    Zhang said students discuss what they had learned about life, love and Taiwanese culture after watching a drama. He would ask the students to recreate some of the scenes and improve their skills in writing, filming and working as part of a team.

    “Actually, many high school students know that much of what happens in the dramas is implausible, but they still love watching it because it portrays a life they dream of having. The hope and passion can inspire them to become more creative,” said Zhang.

    Another popular course is the “Elegant Ladies’ Club.” “Each girl is unique, so I will teach them about self-confidence and self-respect. I will also teach them how to dress properly and have good manners, letting them become more elegant in both appearance and character,” said Yang Bailing, teacher of the course.

    “The school offers 52 optional courses such as cooking, tea ceremonies and acting, and these courses are all very popular. It is a part of our class reform, aiming at teaching students something useful according to their interests. Each course only has one class a week and many students said it was not enough,” said Zhang Xuezhong, director of the school’s education reform department.