Thought-Provoking Documentary

来源 :CHINA TODAY | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:chcespring
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  BORN in 2000, a documentary film produced by the Documentary Center of the Beijing Normal University, has received an overwhelming response from viewers after it was released nationwide. The production team spent 12 years tracking and recording several families with children born after 2000, telling stories about the growth and transformation of these children from kindergarten to middle school.
  The growth of each child, as well as the struggles and choices faced by both children and parents struck a resounding chord in the hearts of parents, and sparked discussions in society about growth and education of children, and even the meaning of life.
  Exploring Life’s Meaning
  In the recording looking back over the children’s previous 12 years of growth, there were scenes of joy and sadness, struggling and giving up, frustration and persistence. The influence and change of different educational methods and concepts on children raising are examined through the camera lens.
  In the film, Chi Yiyang, who was quite introverted during his early childhood, later grew into a sunshine boy who loves American football and found direction in life. Wang Sirou, changed from a spoiled little girl into a self-asserting adolescent after experiencing a challenging time of studying in the U.S. With constant changes of friends, schools, and teachers, their experience has gradually molded the teenager into a rational youngster, leaving behind unique imprints in his life.
  “The path of children’s growth actually reflects the parenting style and attitude of the parents. The so-called parent-child love must be based on understanding,” said Luo Jing, an author and online streaming show anchor on psychology and parenting.
  “The film not only helped me reflect on the growth of my own childhood, but also reflected the results of parent’s teaching methods on their children,” said a father surnamed Wu, whose son was born after 2000. Talking about parenting methods, Wu is more inclined to try and get along with his child like a friend in life. Understanding the stressful environment of his son’s academic life, the father also makes sure that his child exercises at least twice a week, doing such activities like playing basketball and swimming. “Growing up with children has always been my wish,” said the father.
  “Everyone’s growth is a unique experience,” said Yu Ming, chief director of the film. “Nevertheless, people still try to label the post-2000 generation, calling them names like ‘Internet’s aborigines,’ and defining them as being ‘international,’ ‘independent,’ ‘open-minded,’ and youngsters of personality but have no experience in hardship or difficulties of life,” Yu added, admitting that these are part of their traits. The growth of the film’s protagonists also reflects the development of the times.   “Those students have more outstanding innovative ability. Their access to knowledge is particularly broad and they have a certain international perspective,”said a teacher surnamed Li who works at Beijing No. 4 Middle School, when talking about characteristics of the post-2000 generation.
  According to Luo Jing, the advantages of this generation are particularly obvious, because the entire social environment is changing rapidly. This generation is exposed to information from around the world at any time. At the same time, they can also see themselves, life, and the world from multifaceted perspectives.


  Mr. Feng’s son is a fifth grader of an elementary school. Talking about this generation, the father believes that on the one hand, with the continuous development of society and the constant improvement of IT application, children’s comprehensive ability is significantly better than the previous generation. On the other hand, however, it is not easy to communicate with them, mainly because they are more independent in their thinking being influenced by the Internet.
  “This generation makes me really confident about China’s future. These children have a broader world vision and loftier ideals than any previous generation in China,” said Zhang Tongdao, the film director and director of the Documentary Center at the Beijing Normal University, who has kept recording the growth of the protagonists for the last 12 years.
  Family Education Is the Foundation
  The topic discussed in the film coincides with the heated debate about family education triggered by the TV drama A Little Reunion and the movie Ne Zha.
  Chi Yiyang’s parents did not criticize their son for naughty behavior during his early childhood. On the contrary, they respected the child and encouraged him to pursue his interest in American football. This way of parenting resonates with many parents. It also reflects the common perplexity of many Chinese parents regarding educational concepts.
  The film also exemplified some parents’ eagerness shown in their children’s education. Wang Sirou’s mother wants her daughter to grow up happily and gives her full support in dancing. However, the father is more of an old-school parent and determined to help his daughter enroll in the best school. He personally tutors her in mathematics. When parents with differing ideas face various challenging situations while raising their child, they are always stubborn and do not actively look for solutions, making themselves the main obstacle of family education. In particular, the lack of parental care and protection for their daughter while studying abroad, makes the viewer worried about her psychological health.   How parents grow together with their children, a core topic about family education, remains a major focus of public discussion. In the film, there is innocent laughing, heartbreaking crying, and unavoidable quarreling, but behind it all is the growth of the children. According to some experts, for children of the post-2000 generation who are going through adolescent rebellion, understanding-oriented education promotes their development. Dialogue is a wiser choice when conflict is encountered, they said, suggesting that parents create a relatively safe environment in which children can make independent choices and decisions. They should also remind children of potential consequences and dangers to protect them from losing confidence in life, according to experts.
  “Family is the source of power in people’s growth,”said Zhu Yongxin, vice president of the Chinese Society of Education. “Parents and children should have a dynamic relationship. If parents devote energy in examining problems with their parenting, they will find a solution and help themselves grow up in the process.”
  Growing Together
  With the great response to the release of this documentary film, various topics like personality and the national system, exam-oriented education and quality-oriented education, studying abroad or not, puberty and parent-child relationships, and onechild policy and two-child policy have become bone of public contention. In addition to this, questions like “What kind of educational philosophy is more suitable for the post-2000 generation?” and “How can we better achieve our educational goals for this generation?” also aroused much discussion.
  Sun Yunxiao, executive vice chairman of the Family Education Committee of the Chinese Society of Education, believes that education in modern society is about growth of two generations. Parents educate their children not only by relying on their educational background, income or social status, but more importantly influenced by educational ideas, methods and abilities. “The prerequisite is to understand the children. To achieve this, parents should first respect them,” Sun said. Noting respecting each child’s personality should be the starting point for education, Sun continued that such a process of growth not only requires parents to develop themselves, but also shows a need for competent family education.
  An important mission of education is to learn how to discover the different characteristics and individuality of each child. “During the filming, I personally felt that there was no one-fit-for-all standard for education. We should teach children in accordance with their aptitudes,” said Zhang Tongdao, and then added, “If the film helps promote harmony in families who watch it and make children grow up in a healthier manner, then our 12 years of hard work will not be wasted.”
其他文献
CIVIL law, as the basis for civil adjudication, guarantees citizens’ civil rights, and plays a key role in maintaining market norms.  On December 23, 2019, the draft civil code of 1,260 articles, cons
期刊
MORE than 4,000 years ago, the ances- tors of the Tibetan people lived in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin. The unique geographical environment, climate and religious belief of the Tibetan people create
期刊
JOKA was born in Damxung Grassland, 200 kilometers from Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region. Visitors to Damxung can enjoy famous tourist destinations, such as the elegant peaks of the
期刊
As soon as Qing Ying stepped into the village where Xu Erhai’s family lived, she was immediately enveloped by the peaceful atmosphere and delighted by swathes of greenery.  Qing was a reporter from a
期刊
China, Italy to Enhance Cooperation on Old City Wall Protection  The city of Xi’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province and the Veneto region of Italy will strengthen cooperation on old city wall pro
期刊
CHINA is taking up the challenge to offset the severity of the novel coronavirus outbreak in one fell swoop mostly in China as well as around the globe. In this difficult time, China made the difficul
期刊
A New Round of Policies to Strengthen IPR Protection  The central and local governments are making concerted efforts to strengthen IPR protection. The focus is on strengthening endeavors in new fields
期刊
Xi Holds Talks with Micronesian President  Chinese President Xi Jinping on December 13 held talks with visiting President of the Federated States of Micronesia David W. Panuelo, calling for joint effo
期刊
Spring Festival Travel Rush Kicks off  The 2020 Spring Festival travel rush kicks off on January 10 and will end on February 28. This year, over 440 million passengers are expected to travel, an incre
期刊
Fighting Against the Coronavirus  Xinmin Weekly  Issue No. 4, 2020  During the recent Spring Festival, China was reeling from the impact of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Progress in the preve
期刊