A Study Of The Meiji-Era Chinese Textbook Peking Matters In The Context Of The "Kanji Cultural Circle"

This article is a textbook study of Peking Matters based on the "Kanji culture circle" and a combination of historical,cultural,and linguistic research methods.The paper consists of five chapters plus a conclusion.Introducing the basic information of the editors and,on this basis,compares them with other Chinese language teachers of the same generation,thus explaining the relatively low popularity of Peking Matters:(1)the difference in the fame of the editors(2)the difference in the identity of the editors(3)the difference in the professionalism of the editors.Next,the reasons for the compilation of Peking Matters is analyzed: family ties,older brother’s influence,and accumulated experience.Finally,a brief description of the circulating use of the textbook is given.Clarifying the meaning of "Kanji cultural circle",and on this basis,summarizes that the book is a product of the intertwining of two historical trends: "the shift of Japanese Chinese education from Nanking Mandarin to Peking Mandarin" and "the shift of Japanese Chinese teaching to the needs of real communication rather than the aesthetics of traditional Chinese studies." Peking Matters is clearly positioned as a cultural textbook with the characteristics of a language textbook.The organization of the textbook in a conversational style is considered to be the result of following the traditional classical tradition and "conversationalism";the cultural content of the textbook is considered to present the distinctively Chinese culture and in line with certain pedagogical principles of contemporary international Chinese language education;Peking Matters presents a more objective extraterritorial perception of China’s image with the intertwined cultural tendencies of "centrifugal force" and "centripetal force";the linguistic tendencies of "Peking dialect use" and "emotional language expression" together create the linguistic flavor of Peking Matters.Examining the value of Peking Matters from the macro perspective of the Kanji culture circle,and proposes two suggestions for the compilation of contemporary international Chinese language textbooks:(1)the combination of authentic materials and cultural contents to create a linguistic environment;(2)the expression of regional differences.