时间：2022-10-18 07:46:01
Abstract. China has a long history of five-thousand years of cultural heritage， both in the text and the history， to learn and to make good use of Chinese cultural knowledge will avail much in learning English culture. Culture is the important carrier evolving spiritual treasure of different ethnics. The study about the function of Chinese cultural knowledge in teaching English in China is to clarify that these two types of culture have affected each other complementarily and interconnected. This paper attempts to study the role of Chinese culture in the context of teaching English as an International language. It aims to evoke the awareness of the role of Chinese culture in English classrooms among Chinese educators of English. At the same time， this research tries to reveal Chinese college students’ incompetence in conveying Chinese culture， and as a result encourages the teachers of English to increase English input of Chinese culture in English classrooms. Therefore， only if form a well cultural concept of both Eastern and Western can we make this course of study truly become a disseminator of outstanding Chinese and Western cultures， also a bridge between China and the world.
Key words： Chinese culture；English teaching in China；function.
1. Introduction
Today’s students face an unprecedented complex and changing world. To cope with this 21st-century world requires knowing some about more than one culture. And to study another culture in any serious way requires knowing enough about one’s own heritage to be able to make comparisons. That is the goal of “Western Culture” Course， which primarily is to clarify two major world civilizations by putting them side by side through readings chosen from their several thousands of years of recorded history.
2. Chinese Cultural Knowledge
Contrary to English as a low culture， Chinese culture is a high one which is characteristic with indirectness， reserve， involvement and hierarchy. In general， Chinese culture refers to the sum total of Chinese people’s achievement and contributions to civilization. It is dominated by Confucianism and interfused with Taoism and Buddhism. Besides， Chinese culture is a dynamic concept. It also includes China’s modernism which greatly influences modern Chinese. In the narrow sense， Chinese culture refers to culture knowledge created by Chinese including the language spoken by Chinese people， the character written by Chinese people， the literary works， the innovations， the arts and crafts and so on.
2.1 Language
The origin of language and the occurrence of human society are almost simultaneous. It has been gone through about five thousand years of history when the emergence of Chinese characters from the legend of Cang Jie-defined characters. The development of language as human development can be said that languages and genes spread to future generations of human ancestors， the two most basic information： Genes determine the person's biological characteristics； and in the quest of understanding the world and their own essence， language occupies a core role. Meanwhile people accept then understand the world is in accordance with his cultural environment in the form of the mother tongue that learned to.
Chinese characters are also known as Sino graphs， and the Chinese writing system as zincography. The number of Chinese characters contained in the Kangxi dictionary is approximately 47，035， although a large number of these are rarely used variants accumulated throughout history. In the Chinese writing system， the characters are morph syllabic， each usually corresponding to a spoken syllable with a basic meaning. There is no variation about part of speech， plural form and possessive case in Chinese. Noun can not only act as a subject and object， but also can be used as attributive， adverbial and predicate； verbs， adjectives do not need word form changes when they serve as predicate， subject， and object. On the formation of the different phrases and sentences， Chinese word order can be adapted to the use of the need for change. Chinese language is based on the full meaning for the purpose of logical development needs to arrange language pages， the completion of the content of expression. Chinese emphasized the sense of a subject， it pay attention to the “grammar rely on sense”--- the law of living， rather than “sense rely on grammar” --- the law of die， so the Chinese language diction concept emphasized on that "the text is meaning-based". Thinking trait of the Chinese nation can be reflected through the organization of Chinese characters， and the Chinese way of thinking traditionally laid stress on integral， dialectical， and vivid. Directly perceived through the senses is an important feature of traditional Chinese way of thinking.
We should keep this in mind when study the history of linguistic and language laws， that is， languages all are specifically national languages which has a profound national imprint. Language is the token of national culture， rich and recondite. Of each nation’s cultural psychological state is all reflected in their national language. Therefore， the relationship between language and culture is an interrelated and mutually constraining relation， on the one hand culture affects language， and on the other hand， language also has an impact on culture. Han characters can be studied through the history of Chinese cultural exchanges between nations； through the grammatical structure of cultural psychology also account for a great value of the study of history and culture of Han nationality.
2.2 Ancient Philosophy in China
2.2.1 Confucianism
It is universally accepted that the core of Confucianism is “仁”，a character that has different meanings for different occasions， such as benevolence， humanness， kindness， virtue， trustworthiness， charity， love， favor， patronage， philanthropy， tolerance， magnanimity， mercy， and forgiveness， etc. “ren” is the political proposition unique to the Confucian school and was inherited by some other schools that followed， for example， the Meng Ke School in the early Warring States Period. Confucian thought was worshiped as the mainstream thought in almost all feudal dynasties， boosted by the rulers， simply because they found Confucius’ theory was good for maintaining their rule over the people. Confucius was conferred with various exalted titles after his death， and temples were built for consecrating sacrifice to statues of him and his outstanding disciples throughout the vast land of China. Confucius was esteemed as the highest sage in China’s history.
Confucius once said： “.virtuous persons love all others”. This remark refers to relations among people. As for its content， Confucius did not say anything， but we can derive the content form his ideological system like this： loyalty， filial piety， respectfulness， magnanimity， mercy， forgiveness， trustworthiness， faith， honesty， wisdom， patronage， etc. All those belong to good morality， indeed. But in a class society， it is impossible to act in this way because there is no universal love of humankind. Love is characterized by its class nature. When the people are of antagonistic classes， how can you expect them to love another？ Confucius said：“. Never impose on others what you yourself do not desire”. This was infeasible between slaves and slavers， even inside the slave-owner class， because they acted in opposite ways because of their opposite interests.
Finally， Confucius’ theory of the rule of virtue and about “ren” does not rule out punishment. He thought superior men（jun zi）“laid equal stress on patronage and punishment” or “lenience and severity complement each other.” what Confucius rejected is abuse of punishment or indiscriminate punishment instead of punishment itself. He opposed “killing without guiding” and advocated “killing after guiding” instead of “guiding without killing”. This is the proposition consistent with Confucianism.
Confucius was politically conservative and counterrevolutionary. His ideological system served the ruling class in the long history of China for two thousand years. Its widespread baneful influence on Chinese civilization is still a heavy burden today. We should continue the criticism of Confucianism， which began in the May 4 Movement， 1919. But there is something enlightening in his ideological system， in his theory and practice of education is particular. We should study and inherit these good ideas and develop them to a higher level. A correct attitude toward Confucius and his doctrine， either simply affirming everything or simply negating everything is equally wrong.
2.2.2 Taoism
Taoism was one of the philosophic schools during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Unlike the Confucian school that enjoyed exalted fame endowed with by the rulers of all dynasties， and dominated in the fields of politics， ideology and culture， the Taoist school evolved for long period time， into many sects and had extensive influence on Chinese society， especially among the intellectual elite， just next to the Confucian school.
Throughout Chinese history， people weary of social activism and aware of the fragility of human achievements would retire from the world and turn to nature. They might retreat to countryside or mountain setting to commune with natural beauty. They would compose or recite poetry about nature， or paint a picture of the scene， attempting to capture the creative forces at the center of nature’s vitality. They might share their outing with friends or more rarely―a spouse， drinking a bit of wine， and enjoying the autumn leaves or the moon.
2.3 Art and Invention in China
The history of science and technology in China is both long and rich with many contributions to science and technology. In antiquity， independently of Greek philosophers and other civilizations， ancient Chinese philosophers made significant advances in science， technology， mathematics， and astronomy. The first recorded observations of comets， solar eclipses， and supernovae were made in China. Traditional Chinese medicine， acupuncture and herbal medicine were also practiced.
Among the earliest inventions were the abacus， the “shadow clock，” and the first flying machines such as kites and Kongming lanterns. The four Great Inventions of ancient China： the compass， gunpowder， papermaking， and printing， were among the most important technological advances， only known in Europe by the end of the Middle Ages. The Tang Dynasty （AD 618 - 906） in particular， was a time of great innovation. A good deal of exchange occurred between Western and Chinese discoveries up to the Qing Dynasty.
The “Four Great Inventions of ancient China” are the compass， gunpowder， papermaking， and printing. Paper and printing were developed first. Printing was recorded in China in the Tang Dynasty， although the earliest surviving examples of printed cloth patterns date to before 220. Pin-pointing the development of the compass can be difficult： the magnetic attraction of a needle is attested by Liu Heng， composed between AD 20 and 100， although the first undisputed magnetized needles in Chinese literature appear in 1086.
“Printing， gunpowder and the compass： These three have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world； the first in literature， the second in warfare， the third in navigation； whence have followed innumerable changes， in so much that no empire， no sect， no star seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these mechanical discoveries.”
Today， the arts are still popular in China. Two of the most popular arts are acrobatics and opera. Chinese acrobats practice for many years. They have turned this sport into art. Chinese acrobats are known for their grace and balance. Acrobats also juggle with swords， balls and pottery. They tour the world performing their acts.
Opera often tell of famous events. The performers wear fancy costumes. Their faces are painted like masks. Colors stand for different characters. Red is for valor. White is for trickster. Black is for uprightness.
3. The Functions of Teaching English
3.1 Necessity to integrate Chinese culture into ELT in China
The ultimate purpose of college English education is， through a development of students’ comprehensive competence，to improve the whole nation’s culture quality. In ELT， student s’ cross-cultural competence is the center. But it doesn’t follow that we have to change their value systems， customs and persuade them to mold their personal behavior on native speakers. Because language and culture is inextricably interwoven， but English as an international language is not tied to a particular culture. It is ties to the culture of its users. This follows that Chinese doesn’t need to be more American or British in order to use English well. Learning a language doesn’t involve a change of one’s cultural identity. One’s culture and ideology remain the same. English as an international language can be used by anyone to express a personal position or a cultural heritage. Instead， we should study and spread our own culture. Americans take every opportunity to propaganda their culture， why don’t we do the same？ Many foreigners are deeply attracted by China’s mysteriousness. However， there are many stereotypes in their mind. If our culture is well understood and appreciated by foreigners， some pragmatic failures won’t be failures. Besides， there is a growing awareness that through studies of ones’ own culture in foreign language， learners may be more aware of it and it is useful to help them to keep their cultural identity in cross-cultural communication.
In addition， the close relationship between language and culture puts forward a question： which culture English used in China or China English belongs to. To be specific， English used in China or China English should reflect British or American culture or English can be recon structured in terms of culture by transplanting Chinese culture into it.
Therefore，EFL teaching should lead to a better understanding of and an insight into one’s native culture. Students must be provided with the necessary linguistic communicative and intercultural skills to reflect upon and portray their own society， to express themselves， and to present their own culture in the target language. Besides， discussion can be initiated for the students to compare the underlying values and beliefs in students’ native culture with the target culture so that students can not only know the difference but also better appreciate both cultures. Integrating Chinese culture into English teaching in China makes a necessary complement to the practice of culture teaching under the influence of internationalization of this language.
3.2 Significance of cultivating English learners’ expressiven-
ess of Chinese culture in English
3.2.1 Cultivating students’ critical cultural awareness
Critical cultural awareness， defined by Byram， is “the ability to evaluate critically and on the basis of explicit criteria perspectives， practices and products in one’s own and other cultures and countries”. It involves both high sensitivity to cultural diversity and the ability to make an unbiased evaluation of both one’s own and other cultural groups. Chinese culture teaching in English can help learners get better understanding of target culture by cultural comparison and contrast between home and target culture and thus develop a right attitude towards cultural difference and cultural diversity. On the one hand， learning home culture knowledge and developing self-culture awareness will serve as the basis， as well as the necessary supplement to foreign language learners’ learning of their target language and the development of their competence with target culture. On the other hand， the process of target language learning and target cultural competence development will help language learners reflect and better understand their home culture， and learn about their own identity. What’s more， the self-awareness and reflection on one’s home culture can help learners get rid of ethnocentrism， and develop an open and tolerate value system. Only with this intercultural awareness can Chinese English learners surpass the barrier of communication and achieve successful intercultural communication.
3.2.2 Motivating students in English study
Culture can be an educational lubricant. By contextualizing language and language learning， relating English language to the real life of learners and traditional culture they are deeply rooted in， language teaching is sure to capture the interest of learners. Instead of dealing exclusively with discreet language point the text contains， the teacher can provide materials and devise classroom activities based on Chinese culture which are familiar to students. To try to express those very familiar things with Chinese characteristics in English is fresh and challenging to Chinese learner， which will greatly arouse their interests in English study. Meanwhile， these interactive activities can create a lively and relaxed classroom atmosphere and thus further promote the harmonious teacher-student relations. Chinese culture provides colorful and vivid learning materials and context for language learning while English learning becomes an effective means to express their cultural knowledge. The combination of Chinese culture teaching and English language teaching will heighten motivation on part of students and thus facilitates their language learning.
3.2.3 Building up English learners’ cultural confidence
When Chinese students learn English and also western cultures， many of them begin to admire western ways of life， political and economic systems and radically turn a critical attitude towards their own culture and traditional values. It is believed that culture learning is inseparable from language learning， but it doesn’t follow that we have change learners’ value systems， customs and persuade them to mold their personal behavior on native speakers. In other words， Chinese learners don’t need to be more American or British in order to use English well. Learning a language doesn’t involve a change of one’s cultural identity. Different cultures have different norms of behavior， but there is no inferiority or superiority in any of these norms. The Chinese conventions of greeting， apologizing， showing gratitude， giving advice and accepting compliments are neither better nor worse than any other country’s. On the contrary， they should be encouraged to be confident when using English to express Chinese culture. If our culture is well understood and appreciated by people from other culture， some pragmatic failures can be avoided and won’t be failures. Furthermore， there is a growing awareness that through studies of one’s own culture in foreign language， learners may be more aware of it and it is useful to help them to keep their cultural identity in intercultural communication. We want the world to know us， to understand us， so it is important and necessary that we speak out the cultural peculiarities of our nation. The people in other cultures could be able to understand be glad to accept or at least to tolerate the existence of the norms， as what we have done to their cultures.
3.2.4 Exporting Chinese culture
As a growing great country in the international political and economic area， China is not a country to be ignored. With 5，000 years of civilization， Chinese culture is one of the most brilliant cultures in the world and has contributed a great deal to world civilization. Education in China has the initial task of transmitting Chinese culture to the world. Since communication is a two-way process， with more and more intercultural interactions occurring in the Chinese cultural context， one thing we should not neglect is that while we are communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds， the other might be trying at the same time to enter our own cultural context. Brilliant Chinese culture arouses the interest and curiosity of more and more foreigners， who show a great amount of demand for Chinese culture with them when they are talking about Chinese things， It will require us to have certain knowledge and understanding of our own cultural context to facilitate intercultural communication. Cultural exportation has become a hot issue of many sensitive scholars. The emergence and wide spreading of Confucius Institute around the world is strong evidence to this.
4. Conclusion
Culture teaching has been a hot issue in foreign language education and culture has already been widely considered as an inseparable part of foreign language teaching and learning. However， some teachers misunderstand the culture teaching and pay full attention to the western culture while neglect our home culture. Culture teaching， if without the teaching of home culture in English， cannot be regarded as complete and mature for the reason that intercultural communication is a reciprocal activity involving the two-way exchanges of cultures. Integrating Chinese culture into English teaching in China makes a necessary complement to the practice of culture teaching under the influence of internationalization of this language.
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