Yanjing Normal University.
Educational expert Shen Danyang was recently invited to give a lecture at Yanjing Normal University, titled 'How to Improve Education in Huaguo'.
The title wasn't chosen by Shen Danyang himself, but rather by the university as a final piece of guidance for its soon-to-be graduates. They hoped that through this lecture, their students would be better equipped to contribute to the education sector of Huaguo. Upon receiving the invitation, Shen Danyang happily agreed.
He, too, believed that, with these education majors about to graduate, his personal experience might be helpful to them. At the same time, Shen Danyang felt that recent media outlets had been promoting the narrative that "exam-oriented education is harmful," and he wanted to take this opportunity to speak directly to the students. He didn't want the current media rhetoric to influence these future educators.
With more than two hours to go before the lecture, Shen Danyang sat in the university-provided lounge and picked up one of the neatly arranged newspapers to read.
'People's Daily, Xinhua Daily, Youth Morning Post, Southern News…' Schools have always been major subscribers to print media, and Yanjing Normal was no exception. As a university specializing in teacher training, it especially prioritized educational publications. Among these, Shen Danyang easily found a copy of 'Youth Daily', a paper he'd long made a habit of reading.
It wasn't that Youth Daily was his favorite. In his view, in terms of rigor, it couldn't match 'People's Daily'; in terms of literary elegance and depth, it fell short of 'Youth Morning Post'; and when it came to entertainment value, it couldn't compete with 'Xinmin Daily'. Still, being a national-level newspaper, it featured either writings by young prodigies or insights from gold-medal teachers and experts, so there was always something worth reading. Since Shen Danyang's work focused on youth education, he naturally paid more attention to Youth Daily.
Some time ago, Youth Daily ran a special feature discussing Huaguo's education model. One particularly talented writer had casually written a brief piece about an incident that occurred in class. The article was brilliantly written, but the editor, to Shen Danyang's dismay, had twisted the narrative to focus on "cramming-style education." The inclusion of the highly philosophical phrase "My life is finite" sparked widespread attention.
At first, Shen Danyang thought it was just a publicity stunt by Youth Daily. After all, newspapers, unlike academics, had to chase hot topics to boost circulation. But things took a turn. After the article was published, the author followed up with quotes like "one who deems himself knowledgeable" and "among three people, one can be my teacher," instantly silencing all the young writers who had tried to argue back.
Even the education experts themselves, Shen Danyang included, were taken aback by these deeply philosophical lines. None dared refute them head-on. So they decided to shift the focus and responded with a long essay attacking exam-oriented education.
He wasn't sure if the author would write back.
Shen Danyang believed that he and other scholars had already explained the issues with exam-oriented education in great detail. The opposing side likely didn't have much ground left to argue. The debate might just end there. He figured Youth Daily had only intended to stir up discussion for a few days; they wouldn't go so far as to challenge exam-oriented education outright.
Still, Shen Danyang felt a bit disappointed. With such deep knowledge, if the topic were anything else, maybe the other party could have kept debating for days. But since it was about domestic education, a few more rounds of intellectual sparring seemed unlikely.
Hmm… He would have to ask Sun Zaian who this author Qiushui actually was; he had no recollection of such a name.
Setting the thought aside, Shen Danyang opened Youth Daily and prepared to read.
But at first glance, his eyes landed on the headline in the first row of the front page:
"The Way of the Great Learning."
Who wrote this?
Frowning, Shen Danyang found the title unsettling.
What exactly is a "university"?
A university isn't just a modern-day school or a so-called institution of higher learning. A 'university' is a place for great learning, for profound knowledge. It's a term that stands apart from elementary learning, early learning, or basic learning. In this context, education is categorized as elementary, intermediate, and advanced; thus, elementary school, middle school, and university.
Elementary school teaches small-scale knowledge. Middle school raises the level. Only in university do you encounter profound, wide-reaching learning.
But people have used the term so casually for so long that they think a university is merely a school.
They don't understand just how weighty those two characters, "university", truly are.
If you grasp their meaning, you'll realize how monumental a title like 'The Way of the Great Learning' really is.
Even literary giants like Nan Huaijing or Chu Yinyu wouldn't dare give their essays such a title.
With a critical mindset, Shen Danyang continued reading.
But with just one glance, Shen Danyang rubbed his eyes.
He thought he had misread it. Then, putting on his reading glasses, he held the newspaper with trembling hands.
Word by word, Shen Danyang began to read:
[The Way of the Great Learning lies in making one's inner virtue shine bright.
It aims to manifest noble character, care for the people, and attain the highest good…]
Just from the first line, Shen Danyang's whole body began to tremble.
He was not only an education expert but also well-versed in literature. Though the article used classical Chinese, Shen Danyang fully understood its meaning. And that understanding only made his reaction more intense.
[Investigation of things, acquisition of knowledge, sincerity of intent, rectification of the heart.
Self-cultivation, family harmony, governance of the state, peace under heaven.]
With trembling hands, he traced each character of The Way of the Great Learning, feeling as though every word and sentence burned like boiling water, so hot it scalded him just to touch it.
He pulled his hand back, then closed his eyes to absorb the wisdom contained in the essay.
For centuries, scholars had debated the ultimate ideal of Confucianism.
Some claimed it was impartiality.
Others said it was harmony.
Still others argued it was goodness, the highest virtue, like water itself.
But no one ever truly convinced the others.
Shen Danyang had long studied this question but had never found the key.
Today, through this, The Way of the Great Learning, he felt as if he were finally standing at the threshold.
[Investigating things, acquiring knowledge, sincerity of intent, rectifying the heart, all of it leads to self-cultivation.
And the goal of self-cultivation is to bring harmony to the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.]
Perhaps the highest goal of Confucianism was embedded in these lines all along.
Two hours passed in a flash. Shen Danyang was still immersed in the essay when several teachers from Yanjing Normal arrived to escort him to the lecture.
Reluctantly, he set the paper down and headed toward the auditorium.
"Students, today's lecture was originally meant to be about foundational education for youth. Because, as I saw it, that would be the first issue you'll face after graduation. And youth education starts with building solid foundations. But now, I believe that focusing only on foundational knowledge isn't enough. We must also prioritize moral education."
"A great master once said: In Huaguo, we govern by law, but we must also govern by virtue."
"So now, let's begin, this is the true Way of the Great Learning…"
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Glossary
The Way of Great Learning (大学之道) - In this classical context, "大学" refers specifically to "大学" (Dà Xué), one of the Four Books of Confucianism. Though the modern term usually means "university," here it carries its traditional meaning of Great Learning, the highest level of education, distinct from elementary and middle school. When Shen Danyang first sees the title "大学之道", he initially interprets it as referring to a modern university, when in fact it alludes to the Confucian concept of Great Learning.
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