Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ph5wq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T22:50:27.634Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

English-language creative writing by Chinese university students

The challenges and benefits of creative writing for university students in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2012

Extract

In China, most universities have a school of foreign languages, where students majoring in English, German, French, Japanese, and other languages study the language for the first two years, and take introductory courses in the linguistics and literature of the language concerned, and then progress to higher-level linguistic and literary courses, as well as translation studies. English is the most popular foreign language in China, and, with the improvement of English teaching in high schools, the average student entering university now has a higher level of English proficiency than previous generations of students. However, students with high scores in English often choose to study ‘practical’ subjects other than English, such as business studies, computer science, economics, medicine, etc. Increasingly, a number of programs at universities in China are even being taught through the medium of English. Consequently, English majors have less and less advantage over non-English majors, and departments of English have had to restructure their syllabi to cope with the situation. Courses in translation studies, intercultural communication and applied linguistics have thus gained greater recognition because of their functional importance in the real world (see Qu, this issue).

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brande, D. 1981. Becoming a Writer. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.Google Scholar
Cleaver, J. 2005. Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course. New York: St Martin's Griffin.Google Scholar
Dai, F. 2010. ‘English-language creative writing in mainland China.’ World Englishes, 29(4), 546–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, F. 2011. ‘Writing, sharing and growing together – creative writing in Sun Yat-sen University (in English).’ TEXT, April. Online at <http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue10/FanDai.pdf.> (Accessed July 2, 2012).+(Accessed+July+2,+2012).>Google Scholar
Diao, K. 2011. ‘Writers can be trained; everyone can write.’ Guangming Daily. Online at <http://epaper.gmw.cn/gmrb/html/2011-11/23/nw.D110000gmrb_20111123_1-14.htm?div=-1> (Accessed July 2, 2012).+(Accessed+July+2,+2012).>Google Scholar
Ellis, S. (ed.) 2006. Now Write! Fiction Writing Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers. New York: Tarcher/Penguin.Google Scholar
Ellis, S. (ed.) 2009. Now Write! Nonfiction: Memoir, Journalism and Creative Nonfiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers. New York: Tarcher/Penguin.Google Scholar
Ge, H. & Xu, D. 2011. ‘The outline for the study of creative writing in China.’ Exploration and Discussion, 6, 6272.Google Scholar
Huang, Y. 2006. ‘Good composition comes from practice.’ Foreign Language World, 5, 1316.Google Scholar
Jin, Y. 2005. ‘Art: from creative writing to creative industry.’ Chinese Art. Online at <http://www.ilf.cn/Theo/11435_1.html> (Accessed July 2, 2012).+(Accessed+July+2,+2012).>Google Scholar
Wen, Q. & Chang, X. 2012. ‘The theory and practice of intensive seminars for foreign languages in higher education.’ Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 1, 48.Google Scholar
Wu, Y. & Gu, W. 2011. ‘An empirical study on reducing anxiety for English composition in non-English majors.’ Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 6, 5160.Google Scholar
Xu, D. 2011. ‘Creative writing: course models and training methods.’ Journal of Xiangtan University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 5, 113–18.Google Scholar
Xu, Z. 2011. ‘Urban reading and reading the city.’ Online Chinese Literary League. Online at <http://www.ilf.cn/Theo/90212_1.html> (Accessed July 2, 2012).+(Accessed+July+2,+2012).>Google Scholar
Zheng, C. (ed.). 2004. Write to Learn: the Concept and Operation of ‘Writing it Long’ in English. Beijing: Science Press.Google Scholar