(September 23)
Chinese Language Teaching Plan (Second-Year
Chinese Language Class)70 (September 1917)
Text: Volume Four, Lesson Ten, “Clothing” (review).
Review:
1. Reading: individually, by rows, and all together.
2. Grammar: (The original text: As material for making clothes, silk may be used,
or cotton cloth. Silk is very expensive, and moreover cannot be washed frequently.
Hence, for making everyday clothes, it is better to use cotton cloth.)
3. Dividing into sentences: the first three phrases, which point out that there are
two kinds of material for clothes, namely, silk and cotton cloth, form the first
sentence; the two middle phrases, which simply state the defects of silk, that it is
expensive and cannot be washed frequently, and lead to what comes after, form
the second sentence; the last two phrases, which draw out the conclusion of the
whole passage that it is better to use cotton cloth for making clothes, form the
third sentence, ending the whole text.71
4. Change the order: As material for making clothes, cotton cloth may be used, or
silk. Silk cannot be washed frequently, and furthermore it is expensive. (balance
omitted)
5. Add and subtract words and phrases: The material for making clothes may be
either silk or cotton cloth. Silk is very expensive, and furthermore, it is difficult
to wash it frequently. So for everyday clothes, it is better to use cotton cloth.
6. Selected examples:
7. For the talented pupils: As material for making umbrellas, cotton cloth may be
used, or paper. Cotton cloth is very expensive, and moreover is not good against
wind and rain. Hence, for making umbrellas for everyday use, it is better to use
paper.
8. For the less able pupils: The material for building the fence around the well may
be wood, or rock.
9. Supplementary information not covered in the text for the use of the teacher:
10. Advocate the virtue of frugality (use cotton cloth instead of silk).
11. Encourage the use of products made within the country (Chinese cotton cloth).
12. Add a discussion of cloth made from animal hair (sheep’s wool, ox hair, pig hair).
13. The addition and subtraction of numbers:
14. Eight feet of white cloth and nine feet of blue cloth make how many feet of cloth
in all?
15. Nine square ink sticks and seven round ink sticks make how many ink sticks in
all?

--- Notes

68 The reference is to the Yuelu Academy, one of the most famous academies of the Song dynasty,
founded in 976.
69 This individual has not been identified.
70 This is the teaching plan that Mao Zedong wrote during his practice teaching in the primary
school attached to Hunan First Provincial Normal School. There is no indication on the original
manuscript as to when it was written. Mao’s classmate Li Duanlun made the following note about
this practice teaching on September 22, 1917: “Mr. Mao’s attitude, teaching method, and language are
all excellent. The only pity is that he does not yet have an appropriate position.” This teaching plan
must have been prepared shortly before that date.

71 The sentence structure of the translation, and the division into phrases and clauses, can obviously
not follow exactly that in the Chinese, but we have tried to adopt the same pattern as much as possible,
so that Mao’s points can be understood. Similarly, in points 2 (2) and 2 (3), and 3 (1) and 3 (2), we
have made the English wording identical with that in the translation of the “original text” whenever the
Chinese was the same.