| China, as a country with long reading history and tradition, accumulates abundant materials and historical documentaries. Thus, reading becomes a topic which needs urgent attention and in-depth investigation. This study categorize the Confucian classics reading into ‘Confucian classics reading in family’ and ‘Confucian classics reading in school’ based on the reading location.The family Confucian classics reading in Tang Dynasty contains two categories: the Confucian classics reading under parental guidance and the self-motivated Confucian classics reading. The reader under parental guidance are mostly preschool children, which has a variety of reading methods. Their reading activities in the whole Dynasty, mostly is in the middle Dynasty, the second is the early Dynasty. And it was characterized by the basic education, which has fewer relationship between the reading and the subject of imperial exam inat ions. In the Tang Dynasty, the people in the self-motivated Confucian classics reading are mostly female and Chu Shi. Chu Shi also read Zhou Yi, made their Confucian classics reading was characteristic with metaphysical. Their Confucian classics reading also made them become a messenger spreading Confucian Culture, which played the role of social education. Female’s Confucian classics reading have the function of basic education, emphasis on the cultivation of the ceremony. Since the middle of the Tang Dynasty, Book of Songs has become the main content of female reading, which has greatly improved the literary attainments of women.The school Confucian classics reading in Tang Dynasty has the same contents with the imperial examinat ion, and it also have the unif ied Confucian classics materials in reading version. This chapter mainly analyzes and illustrates the uniformity of reading content and though, the transition of reading focus: from classics to diction, the reading features including optional reading which is simple and few, and the school Confucian classics reading not being taken seriously by degrees. In addition, based on Dunhuang Documents Unearthed " miscellaneous copy" recorded analysis "Bibliography", the Tang Dynasty’s Confucian classics reading in local schools in-depth inquiry.In the Tang Dynasty, the educational function of the study of Confucian classics mainly refers to the influence and function on the individual development and the social development. The functions of the individual development mainly shows by: promote personal accumulation of knowledge, rich cultural heritage; moral education, enhance self-cultivat ion; aesthetic education, promote the creation; practice guidance. The functions of the social development mainly shows by: guide the mainstream polit ical ideas; adjust the social internal relat ions; pass on the good reading atmosphere; select the cultural focus of Confucian classics study. In addition, due to the reading activit ies deviate from the goal of education, and the social environment is not harmonious, the Confucian classics reading has a certain negative function to the individual and the society. The negative function is the deterioration of learning culture in the late Tang, because of the excessive utilitar ian reading motivat ion which is the people’s over pursuit of the official examinat ion. |
