Tsinghua University President Qiu Yong has announced all first-year students will be forced to take a “writing and communication” course taught by Liu Yong, a Chinese professor and a famous writer, alongside history professor Peng Gang.
Many Chinese college students are losing their basic writing skills, The Paper editorializes. Chinese courses are often overlooked at universities, and their dull, rigid curricula often fail to ignite students' enthusiasm. Many see universities as a place to further their education, not learn to write, so few enroll in writing courses once there.
But this indifference takes a toll. Many college students have no idea how to write a formal letter, and some lack logical persuasion skills. Learning to write well, the editorial says, is not only useful for everyday tasks – it expands one's capabilities outside the field of writing.
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