A post on social media demonstrating a string of falsehoods published in Chinese textbooks currently used in primary schools has recently gone viral.

One example is a story titled Young Thomas Edison Saved His Mother, which appears in textbooks for second grade primary school students. According to the story, when Edison was 7, his mother suffered from acute appendicitis and needed a surgical operation. However, the operation could not start since the light in their home was too dim. Edison used several mirrors to reflect the light from oil lamps so that the doctor could go through with the operation. To begin with, there are no records of appendicitis operations having taken place during Edison's time. Furthermore, such action would not achieve the desired lighting effect.

Another story about George Washington claims that he damaged his family's cherry tree. The fictitious fable goes on to explain that since the tree in question was his father's favorite, Washington was so scared that he hid in the house. But he eventually confessed to his father, who then praised him for his honesty. The source of the myth can be traced to Mason Locke Weems, who wrote the apocryphal anecdote in his biography of Washington published in 1809.

Some argue that textbooks are not supposed to convey phony stories related to real historical figures, as they may have a negative impact on children. However, some proponents claim that a lot of stories in textbooks are fabricated, such as fables and fairy tales. They argue that those texts are fine as long as they deliver positive messages, since they are not history books.

Misleading

Wang Jian (www.rednet.cn): These accounts are designed to deliver messages on kindness, virtue and truth to pupils, but it is embarrassing that the stories are false. At first, children may feel moved and inspired by Edison's wisdom and bravery as well as Washington's honesty, but how will they feel when they are told that these stories are fictitious?

If these were fairy tales or novels, readers would accept such stories as long as they are interesting, helpful or inspiring. However, when historical figures are used in textbooks, one often assumes it is history. Children may feel they have been misled once they are told the truth.

Why were such texts selected as formal educational material for school? Isn't there a standard to follow regarding the authenticity of textbooks?

Are mistakes in textbooks tolerable? Of course. Nothing is perfect. The important thing now is to make it clear that such texts will be removed as they do not accord with history.

Meng Wei (www.cjn.cn): Although some forms of literature are different from historical records, fictional accounts in textbooks reveal their compilers' lack of scrupulousness in their work. An important part of school is to educate children on the importance of the truth. The truth is especially necessary for pupils who are at a key stage of mental development since they are too young to identify what's right and wrong. In this sense, educators, including publishing houses, must be particularly careful about textbooks' authenticity and veracity.

Yan Yang (Dazhong Daily): If you want to write something based on a historical figure, what you write should not go against history.

We expect educators to teach their pupils properly instead of feeding them false information. We hope textbook publishers will admit their mistakes. As educators, they need to do so more readily than anyone else.

Wang Yubao (Zhejiang Daily): Some argue that Chinese textbooks are different from history books, and thus it's unnecessary to require every text to have an accurate historical source. Fairy tales and legends are fabricated, but this does not prevent them from conveying positive messages.

That said, this does not mean all texts can be fabricated as there is still a line between the realistic and fictitious literary forms. If historical figures or important historic events that truly happened are used in fictitious stories, students will get confused.

Honesty is a virtue that is highly advocated in textbooks. When phony stories are created and imposed on pupils as real, hypothesis and falsification are embedded in their hearts.

In practice, if children finally discover that a certain story is fabricated, and the admired hero in the text did not do the excellent work they believed he did, everything related to the story will be distrusted, including the virtue that the story means to deliver. Therefore, to fictionalize and beautify historical figures' experiences risks producing the opposite effect.

To falsely beautify historical figures is itself an ugly practice. The problem now facing Chinese textbook compilers is how to present the real world to pupils in a way that encourages them to develop a positive outlook on life, as fabricated stories do.

Well-intended

Liu Yunxi (www.rednet.cn): Why can't we have fabricated stories in textbooks? These books are just a tool for education. They're neither news reports nor history textbooks, and thus it's unnecessary for every story to be accurate, as long as they deliver what's right and positive.

Shen Jingwei (www.southcn.com): The ideas and philosophy these texts mean to deliver are righteous. Primary education is designed to help children develop a correct understanding of what's right. They'll be encouraged to do what is lauded as right and great in textbooks.

The so-called "false texts" are already there. While it's necessary for educators to be more careful in selecting texts in the future, the task at hand is to find a way to make up for the mistake. For example, those who are interested in this issue may work together with teachers to find a solution, instead of simply punishing the compilers and publishers.

It actually makes little sense to question the authenticity of stories in textbooks. What matters most is whether the compilers and teachers are able to help students understand the important and valuable information in texts. The process of learning should also be a process of independent thinking, so that even if it is a fake story,students can still extract value from it.

Huang Lang (news.cjn.cn): Compiling textbooks on all subjects is a huge project, and mistakes are unavoidable. Compilers have the responsibility to minimize or eliminate mistakes. The public's attention to the matter and their well-intended criticism, if correctly taken, will help to improve the quality of textbooks.

A negative criticism of the texts will not help anyone. Rather than doing harm to children, these "false texts" are not only a way for them to learn Chinese characters and language, but also help them develop their critical thinking.

However, regardless of the reasons behind the publishing of those false texts, those responsible for the books and the educators that use them must admit their mistake. If these errors are due to negligence, they must be corrected immediately. But if these actions were taken in order to have a greater impression on the pupils, their good intentions should be understood.

Copyedited by Bryan Michael Galvan

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