The Negative Influence of Media’s Hype on the Foremost Persons in College Entrance Examination Example as Film “University Entrance Exam”
[Writing Sample 2] [Ruimeng Yang] [20 June 2013]
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Ruimeng Yang 20 June 2013
The Negative Influence of Media’s Hype on the Foremost Persons in College Entrance Examination Example as Film “University Entrance Exam”
Abstract: The media’s hype on the foremost persons in college entrance examination is more and more intense year by year. This not only shall make some examinees have incorrect attitude and pursue near benefit and not want to put their whole heart into study, but also shall make the colleges blindly enroll the students that have high scores and not work hard in improving their teaching quality. The middle school shall therefore only highly regards producing foremost person in college entrance examination and not care about improving the quality of most students. This is against the present all-round development education policy in China. Hotness in foremost student shall only make the merchants and the media profit, while Chinese education shall be the largest victim. So, we should cool this hype action. Film “University Entrance Exam” to show different life trajectory of two students to keep strengthening this negative influence.
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I. Reasons why people extremely praise the foremost person in examinations A. Historic reason It is undeniable that adoration and praise on the foremost person in examination (also Zhuangyuan in Chinese) has been existing since ancient times and is not the creation of modern Chinese media. Zhuangyuan is thus defined in the dictionary the Sea of Words, the foremost student in examinations were called Yuan; the foremost one in provincial grade examination was called Xieyuan; the foremost one in national grade examination was called Huiyuan; the foremost one in the examination held by the emperor was called Zhuangyuan. According to Tang dynasty system, the students that went to the capital for participating in the examination held by the Board of Rites must send a letter to some official. So, the foremost one in the examination was called the head of the letters, also Zhuangyuan. Zhuangyuan was called “the foremost one under the heaven” and was the highest prize in the examination. As being the top one in the examination held by the emperor, Zhuangyuan was also called Dianyuan (the top one in the examination held in the royal palace). In Modern Chinese Dictionary, Zhuangyuan is thus defined: a title in imperial examination times. In Tang dynasty, the first one in the national examination was called the newly enrolled person. In Song dynasty, sometimes it was also used to refer to the second or the third person. After Yuan dynasty, it was specially used to refer to the top one in the examination by the emperor. Later, Zhuangyuan was used to refer to the best one in some field. Zhuangyuan sees a long history in China. As the specialty of ancient Chinese
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official choosing system, imperial examination was almost the only approach that common people became officials. Thus, many students studied very hard, just for the purpose of being enrolled through this examination. Some even studied throughout their whole life. Fan Jin, a figure in the novel of Wu Jingzi, writer of Qing dynasty, even got crazy after he was enrolled in the provincial examination. This can tell the cruelty of Chinese ancient imperial examination system and the influence of it on the students. As the highest level in this system, Zhuangyuan therefore became the target that all the students worked hard for. B. Cultural and Social reason Zhuangyuan was primarily the title for the special person the won the top in the examination by the emperor. Yet at present, people seem to have forgotten its original meaning. It has become a cultural symbol and is implanted into our daily life. According to Maslo’s “hierarchical theory of needs”, people’s demand can be classified into seven levels from low to high, respectively physiological need, safety need, attribution and love need, esteem need, knowledge need, aesthetic need, and self-actualization need. The pursuit on the title of Zhuangyuan is just the need of esteem, knowledge, aestheticism, and self-actualization. In Chinese culture and religion, an individual is always “small-ized”. This makes the mass generate self-contemptuous psychology. In Chinese traditional cognition, officials and people were always regarded as two different classes and the officials were always higher than the mass. So, only rising to the level of official through imperial examinations
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could make a person get rid of the sense of inferiority. Undeniably, in Chinese history, no dynasty saw so hot pursuit for Zhuangyuan as today. There is the reason of social improvement, because no dynasty saw such popularized education as present time. In a time that most people were illiterate, the influence of Zhuangyuan only existed within the cycle of intellectuals, while at present, the charm of Zhuangyuan was national and deeply implanted into the mind of common people. II. Introduction of Film “University Entrance Exam” A. Introduction of “University Entrance Exam” This story is from last half year of three high school boys. They are typical “ good, middle and bad” and get three different stories around them. Good student Li Hao has no doubt get great examinations result and enter to top university, earn many praise from parents and teachers. Middle student Zhang Yuexuan he was work hard but can not go to university just because 5 points, he is disappoint and remorse. Then apply to in high school one more year and try for exam again. Bad student Guo Rui spend a lot of time to play soccer, so he almost been censured from beginning of film from teachers and parents, them think he is negative example. He even have no right to join final exam, and have to back home to help parents’ restaurant. A. Those that like to hype on Zhuangyuan the most Firstly, it is the school. That the school highly praises the Zhuangyuan has three reasons. The first is to show its achievement, i.e. the achievement of the school master
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and the teachers; the second is to contend for students resources with the influence of Zhuangyuan title; the third is to gain approval and prize from the superior department. As for a school, rate of the students enrolled by colleges competitive power reputation of the school bonus and welfare. So, many schools shall say that they have cultivated Zhuangyuan. Their purpose is to make atmosphere to contend for student resource. Some Zhuangyuan is said to be provincial level; some to be city level; some to be district level; some even to be school level; some even to be Zhuangyuan of a single subject. These schools cheat the society and the family masters. The all-round development education advocated by the nation becomes a mere scrap of paper. Secondly, it is the merchants. The merchants that most highly hype on Zhuangyuan are the restaurants. Their purpose is very obvious. They also use many names related to Zhuangyuan, such as the feast of Zhuangyuan, the feast of showing gratitude to the teachers of Zhuangyuan, etc. They thus gained lots of money. So, every year, the restaurants shall work hard to absorb people to have meals there. Additionally, once Zhuangyuan is publicized, the TV stations and newspapers shall broadcast or publish the products represented by Zhuangyuan. Though the growth of Zhuangyuan has no connection with there products at all, some merchants still try their best to attract the Zhuangyuan to be representative of the products so as to improve the products popularity. Some zhaungyuan cannot resist the temptation and make false propaganda, which not only cheat many students that want to be successful in examination, but also make these Zhuangyuan lose good faith.
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Thirdly, it is the media. Under present education system, college entrance examination has an influence power that any other examinations cannot compare with. Some media just use this to hype, so as to improve the influence of the media themselves. In ordinary sense, it is normal that the media report on Zhuangyuan according to the fact. However, the problem is that present propaganda by the media on Zhuangyuan has too much ingredient of hype and their praise on Zhuangyuan is beyond the mark. For instance, a Zhuangyuan ever whooped it up that the students excellent in study shall be officials easily. The TV program compere also agreed with this affirmatively. It seems that so long as one is Zhuangyuan, everything of this person shall be excellent. This is really harmful. Fourthly, it is the family masters. The family masters of the Zhuangyuan want to strut their children and also themselves, and to improve the “price” of their children so as to help them be enrolled by famous universities. The negative influence is that the Zhuangyuan may therefore get a personality of pride and extreme arrogance. They may think that they are the best in the world and therefore look down on others. In the end, they may even look down on their parents too. Fifthly, it is the government. Officials of some regions shall give large award to the Zhuangyuan. It is the award of cash or housing. Sometimes, they even hold an award meeting. To view from the surface, they seem to highly regard education. Yet in fact, this will make the schools and the parents that hope their children become successful even more run around the examination stick. The students therefore shall
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have more pressure. Additionally, some government officials also have their selfish motives in it. That is, they want to take Zhuangyuan in their district as their political achievement. They don’t care about the negative influence caused by what they have done at all. Zhuangyuan of college entrance examination has become hot cargo of the education department. As the number of Zhuangyuan is very limited, their value is therefore very large. Many people therefore hotly hype on them out of various reasons. The family masters of the students take Zhuangyuan as the model for stimulating their children to study hard; the publishers publish sets and sets of “guidance books” that take Zhuangyuan as the selling point; the enterprises think a lot of the influence power of Zhuangyuan and ask them to represent for their products; the universities also highly regards how many Zhuangyuan they have enrolled as their success in enrollment… Surrounding the title of Zhuangyuan, some people gain reputation, some gain benefit, and some gain both of them. Under this condition, Zhuangyuan is not only the name for the top in college entrance examination, but also a symbol of satisfying social expectation and benefit requirement. Therefore, it is no wonder that the phenomena around Zhuangyuan take place every year. B. The negative influence of media’s hype on Zhuangyuan of college entrance examination Everything in the world has two sides. It is also the same for the media’s hype on the Zhuangyuan of college entrance examination. The following are just the negative
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influences of media’s hype on Zhuangyuan. 1. Influence on the students Firstly, most chances of showing on TV and newspaper, flowers, and applauses are given to the Zhuangyuans. The students that do not get good score or that are not enrolled by any college shall have great psychological fall compared with the Zhuangyuans. “No one knows your ten years of hard work. But when you succeed in the examination, everyone shall know you.” This is the pursuit of people in imperial examination times on those that were enrolled. It is also an epitome of abnormal education. College entrance examination is the largest talent selection system in China. It has feasibility, but its justice, fairness and rationality are also doubted. In addition, the first score of the Zhuangyuans also has chanciness. Many Zhuangyuans are not the best in normal time. Hype on Zhuangyuans to some degree enlarges the psychological pressure of the students. Some even see distortion in psychology. There was such a case: a student got a score of 620 in college entrance exam, but he did not go to the university to study. He chose to stay in the middle school to study for another year. He persisted to be enrolled by Beijing or Tsinghua University. Some parents even pay the “school choosing fee”, “over-region fee”, “sponsorship fee”[1], so as that their children can study in a good middle school. This also brings economic burden for the families of the students. Secondly, hype on Zhuangyuans makes many students generate the feeling of failure. Graduation from high school is also a success in a phase. Yet under the
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circumstance of hype on Zhuangyuans, not only the students that are not enrolled by any college are losers, those who are enrolled by common colleges also have the feeling of failure. Can an education system that makes most students become losers be called successful education system? Plenty of students enter into the society with feeling of failure will have deep negative influence on the society. Under present education system, college entrance examination itself is a large mountain on the students. So, all the aspects of the society must correctly regard this examination. The above-mentioned endless hype on students surely would bring negative effect and make most students have misunderstanding on the exam. Additionally, some individuals and units like Zhuangyuans so much because they want to realize their own value or do self-hype through this means. It is actually awarding the highest score and awarding the examination-oriented education system. A real Zhuangyuan should develop himself all around, instead of only in study. Some parents think, hype on Zhuangyuan is a good thing as it can encourage other students and also provide study experience for them. This is not correct, because the pressure shall be given to the students easily. After China recovered college entrance exam system, it was beneficial to suitably propagandize the Zhuangyuans as it could alter the wrong deeds and arouse people to highly regard the intellectuals. However, at present, 80~90% parents hope their children be enrolled by universities. They begin to force their children to become talent. This is really an abnormal psychology of the society. It also brings many problems. Under this background, to propagandize the
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Zhuangyuans is really adding fuel to the fire. Rather than awarding the Zhuangyuans, it is more significant to give money those families that cannot afford their children to study. On the other hand, hotness on Zhuangyuan has more disadvantage for both Zhuangyuans and non-Zhuangyuans. It is really a good thing that a Zhuangyuan has got such good achievement, but hot hype on it would easily bring them much psychological burden. Too many flowers, applauses and prizes are not helpful for the psychological health of Zhuangyuans. On the contrary, these Zhuangyuans and their parents, relatives and friends usually will have too high expectation on them. Many Zhuangyuans thus have the heavy complex of Zhuangyuan. Many become lost in their study and life due to not being able to undertake small frustrations. “Those who are excellent in their childhood are not necessarily excellent when they are grown up.” This saying just tells the situation. Grade three students in high school are usually 17 or 18 years old. Their thought is not fully grown yet. Their knowledge can also not be called professional. They still have a long way to go in their study and life. If a Zhuangyuan hears too much praise, he may therefore get proud, which is really not good for his future development. Hype on Zhuangyuan may also bring many bad influences on them. 2. Influence on the schools and the whole education system Hype on Zhuangyuan enhanced fickle psychology of the educational cycle. Why do middle schools like to cultivate Zhuangyuan and why colleges like to enroll
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Zhuangyuan? The reason is that compared with full-round development of students, caring on a few students that have high scores is much easier. In these years, research on examination has become a systematic science. Many people also taste the sweetness of it. Those that want to hype on Zhuangyuan are usually the people that are trying to obtain more benefit. In this circumstance, they only care about short effect and don’t acre about long development; they only pursue visible score and don’t research on the rules of talent cultivating. Thus, our education system becomes a large examination machine. However, machine is also not appropriate to stand for this system, as real machine aims at producing more eligible products, while examination machine can only produce a few “excellent products” and most students become shoddy products, rejected products, or even dangerous products and enter into the society. Nanfang Weekend Newspaper ever published “the report on the event that the art Zhuangyuan in Chongqing almost had no university to enter into to study” on July 26th, 2007. On August 2nd, “the diary of the member of 2007 Beijing University enrollment team” disclosed the fact that Qinghua University and Beijing University contended on student resources. Qinghua University did not care about the benefit of the student. It used money as the attraction and did not regard enrolment rules and disciplines. It tried to get student resource through abnormal special procedure and means. This made the Zhuangyuan also have no university to study in. This is really worth our caring. The universities also have their reasons. The media like the most to
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report how many Zhuangyuans have been enrolled by Qinghua University and how many are enrolled by Beijing University, so as to prove the power of the two universities. Thus, more students are attracted to choose these two universities as their target. This is a process of circulation. However, on the other side, this also enhanced the competition between the two universities. Both of them want to be the first one in China and neither wants to lose at the student resource line. So, they tried their best to create the miracle of “how many top students in a province all choose Beijing University or Qinghua University as their first will”. It is normal that famous and important universities want to enroll students of high scores. However, if it becomes bad competition, it is abnormal and miserable. We can take Hong Kong University as a comparison. In 2006, Hong Kong University enrolled students in China mainland. It received 4848 applications of 17 provinces and cities. Half of the applicants had very high score. What beats all is that among 250 students enrolled, 11 Zhuangyuans from different provinces were not enrolled due to plain interviewing score.[2] University education should cultivate the all-round qualification of the students. According to the saying of UNESCO, it is to help the student to “learn survival, learn to be a good person, learn cooperation and learn to study”. So, score is not the only standard for judging a student. The modus operandi of Hong Kong University has reminding significance on the talent evaluation concept of China mainland. Our education should be able to improve the quality of all the nationals. It must
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be full-round development of the students. However, hype on Zhuangyuan reinforced the pursuit on score and it would lead to the education that neglects morality, PE, and other aspects. The all-round development shall be a bushwa. The bad result has been shown more and more seriously. We don’t need example to improve it here. 3. Influence on the society Hype on Zhuangyuan to some extent stirred the standard of talent. Talent is not decided by the score in entrance examination. High-scored students are talents; students whose score is not so high can also be talents. Even those that are not enrolled by any college can also be talents. Whether a person is talent or not should be proved in the future after he enters into the society. The popular “No. 10 phenomenon” and the phenomena that high-scored students are employed by low-scored student have both reflected the rule of talents. However, hype on Zhuangyuan generates the inclination that talents are evaluated according to their score. People’s standard and cognition on talent-becoming rules is simplified and monotonous. This restricted cultivation of talents objectively. “On August 8th, 2003, Beijing Golden List Culture Festival was held. 62 Zhuangyuans from 31 provinces and cities, 2 Zhuangyuans from foreign countries and 6 Zhuangyuans from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan rode horses and wore red flowers and ribbons and passed in review. Their names were also recorded in the book and their stories were written on the monument, which was collected in the China Imperial Examination Culture Exhibition Hall.[3] Though the holders of this festival
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gave it a glorious aura—to express the great culture of China and the charm of the civilization implied in 1300-year-old imperial examination system, yet we still can see the track of hype and showing-off in it. I want to ask, why Zhuangyuans can be written on the monuments? According to normal sense, this special award should be given to those people that have made great contribution to human society and those who have played extremely important roles in driving social development and advancement. They must have special contribution to human beings and the society before they are recorded by people and commemorated, such as Yu Fei and Wen Tianxiang who died for their country, Li Bai and Du Fu who had written famous poetry, the revolutionists who had founded new China, the doctors and nurses who had dashed ahead regardless of their safety in the war against SARS. Compared with them, what was the Zhuangyuans’ contribution to the human being and the society? The reason that they were recorded in the “historic book” is just that they had high score in an examination. However, high score only represents that they studied harder than others, their learning method was better, their performance in the exam was good, and their fate was also not bad. We even can say, Zhuangyuan itself is just an accidental result of one examination. It can not represent more. As for contribution, their contribution is no more than scientific learning method. Under the precondition of examination-oriented education system, this cannot mean how high their IQ, level and qualification are. This also doesn’t imply that they will have any special contribution
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in the future. At this time, to make them show an appearance of “success” is really too early. In fact, college entrance exam is just a necessary exam of ordinary advanced education. It is far from the exam in imperial examination times which made the students see success and official positions at once. That Zhuangyuan enters into university is just the beginning of new phase of life. There is a long way afterward. People’s life has many variables. It is far from the time of self-summarization and writing biography. At this moment, the Zhuangyuans should have been modest and accumulating knowledge. If people let them ride horses and wear flowers at this time, it is no different from cultivating their vanity, which is really bad for their growth. Actually, the whole qualification of present university students has been doubted by people from all fields. The Zhuangyuans also need to advance with the times and improve themselves from all aspects. If they feel too proud at this, there must be a day when they fall from the heaven to the ground. Though the Education Ministry strictly forbids hype on Zhuangyuan, yet it is really difficult not to hype and care on it. The reason is, under present education system that one examination decides a student’s future and diversified talent selecting mechanism is lacked, score is still the only approach that students can apply to change their fate. This is also the reason why the whole society cares about college entrance exam and the Zhuangyuans of it. III. Countermeasures
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Actually, the education department, the mass, and the media all have begun to think over the phenomenon of hotness of Zhuangyuan. The film “University Entrance Exam” aggravates negative influence through three boys story. It will lead audience to get conclusion： Only student who is pass the exam and go to top university can call succeed. Why there is a distorted value popular? Firstly, the committee held opposition opinions on this issue; secondly, some counselors thought that this clause could be easily avoided by the school and was hardly to be forbidden and the aim of this clause could not be reached. Simultaneously, the Education Ministry showed their opinion on the fact that some media and websites hyped on Zhuangyuan and hoped that they stop these kinds of propaganda and the publicized content be deleted at once. The person in charge in the Ministry held, in the following enrollment report, the hype on Zhuangyuans should be ceased and the good atmosphere and social environment beneficial for students’ growth shall be created. Every Year the education departments express that they don’t hope to hype on Zhuangyuan, but the society cares about Zhuangyuan every year. This is really a contradiction. It is not correct to blench from this contradiction. It is also not appropriate to block the news on Zhuangyuan. It is doubtless that media have some inclination in Zhuangyuan report that is not beneficial for students growth. The education department should care on this issued. However, only to name all of them as “hype” and to stop and delete them are also rational.
It can be said that college
entrance exam is the summit of exam-oriented education system and Zhuangyuan of it
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is the aftermath of this system, while the education officials are just the beginners of this sytem and policy. It is not correct for them to criticize on Zhuangyuan hype now. The core position of college entrance exam under present university-entering mechanism should be admitted by us. So, since it is greatly cared about, why can’t people pay attention to it after the score of the students is shown? If hype on Zhuangyuan is not correct, is it correct that various departments provide special condition for the college entrance examination itself? Another important fact is that “evaluating the students with score” is just the certain result of the college entrance exam system. The enrolled are happy and those not enrolled are sad—this phenomenon has no connection with hype at all. In fact, we can see that care on college entrance exam is not what people really want. To make people not hype on Zhuangyuan, the college entrance exam should firstly be disposed. The reason is, Zhuangyuan is produced on the chain of college entrance exam—if the exam is not crazy, Zhuangyuan shall not make so many people crazy. At present, how many benefits are put—the future of the students, the hope of the parent, the guidance of the school, the achievement of the government, the business chance of the merchants… As Zhuangyuan is so important, how can people not pursue it? It can be said that whenever the college entrance exam is normal the hype on Zhuangyuan shall stop. So, as for the hype phenomenon on Zhuangyuan, the education departments should think more on the source of it. The key of the issue is that the relative departments and media should have a
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calm and responsible attitude when they publicize the news on Zhuangyuans. They should not have the purpose of hype. Relative enterprises also should not use Zhuangyuan to gain illegal benefits. Except for this, other things are all surplus and can be easily solved. As for this problem, why don’t we consider from another angle? The champion in the front is also an encouragement for the behind. At the same time, blockage on information is also neglect on the knowing right of the public. Actually, this problem can be solved with an effective way. For instance, the education department can hold a news press to publicize the information and give people complete information. Thus, the Zhuangyuan shall not need to face the media again and again and the public shall acquire the information. Both sides shall be satisfied. Generally speaking, care does not mean to hype and blockade is not an effective method. If correct attitude is applied and the method is suitable, the Zhuangyuans of each year can show themselves in the media normally. Of course, what we want to see the most is that when people look at the Zhuangyuans, they would have a common mind. In the future, the college entrance examination shall not have so close distance with people’s fate as that of today. Doubtlessly, this requires our intelligence and the further development of our education.
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Bibliography [1] Unknown author. China Golden List Culture Festival to be held; the zhuangyuans
from
different
places
to
be
recorded
in
the
book.
http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/CU-c/380595.htm,9/13/2004 [2] Unknown author. Only caring on score, should hype on zhuangyuan be cooled? http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/CU-c/380595.htm,8/15/2007 [3] Unknown author.Hype on zhuangyuan, who have been made famous and who have been made unhappy? http://edu.sina.com.cn/gaokao/2007-06-26/113290570.Shtml, 7/4/2007
References: [1]Unknown author. China Golden List Culture Festival to be held; the zhuangyuans from
different
places
to
be
recorded
in
the
book.
http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/CU-c/380595.htm,9/13/2004 [2] Unknown author. Only caring on score, should hype on zhuangyuan be cooled? http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/CU-c/380595.htm,8/15/2007 [3] Chen Lidan. Media qualitification and news education, 4/23/2006 [4] Zhang Zhian, Shen Guolin. Media qualification: a national education topic requiring urgently regard—review and short comment on Chinese mainland media qualification research. News Reporter, 2004(5)
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[5] Zhang Yi, Zhang Zhian. Feature and experience of US media qualification education, News Reporter, 2007(10) [6] An Yu, Shen Shan. Culture Establishing Country Strategy of Japan and South Korea and its Reference Significance on China. World Economy and Politics Forum, 2005(4) [7] Michael Ruham. Understanding the Media, translated by He Daokuan. Commercial Press, 2000 edition, p426. [8] Chen Long. Media Globalization and Adjustment of Public Media Qualification Structure. Modern Propagation, 2004(4) [9] Guo Qingguan. Propagation Science Course. Edition I. Beijing: Renmin University press, 1999. [10] Liu Na, Yin Jun. Foreign Media Education and Chinese Qualification Education. Chongqing University Journal (social science edition), 2002.8(2)