Calls made for modern poetry to be included in school textbooks

Participants at a forum on the work of the influential author Jin Bo have called for more of his works to be included in textbooks for primary school students in China.

Jin Bo is a renowned children's book writer. Born in 1935, he won a number of prizes, including awards from the China Writers Association for excellence in children's literature.

"His poetry represents a typical Chinese style, although it also includes some elements of Western culture. His sonnets were pioneering in China, they are classics," said Wang Quangen, a professor from Peking Normal University who attended the forum.

Several children's books written by the children's author Jin Bo.[File Photo provided to China Plus]

According to Wen Rumin, a professor of Chinese education research at Peking University, the 12 textbooks for students at primary school contain a total of 132 poems, including several by Jin Bo. Students need to learn an average of 20 poems a year, which account for about 30 percent of the content of the textbooks.

Participants at the forum agreed that the study of poetry should begin in early childhood, as it's an important way to foster an interest in traditional Chinese culture. Jin Bo's fans argue that his contemporary poetry compliments the ancient poetry found in the textbooks. "Jin Bo has a lot of works that explain life's virtues to children using stories of daily life. His poems, which are close to children's lives, are easy for children to understand," said one of the participants at the forum.

Jin has dedicated more than 60 years to writing poems for children. His first work was published in 1956.