Master Jing Kong repeatedly emphasized the importance of classical education. 淨空老和尚 2014於孝廉講堂開示-中國傳統教育是聖賢教育. As one of the last generation in China who received traditional classical training, he sensed the important role of classical education in shaping the standard for many of his good characters, he become an strong proponent for the revival of classical Chinese teachings.
Another famous educator Master 南怀瑾 echoed the same sentiments. He advocated learning the Four Books and Five Classics should start from kindergarten, let the kids recital classics. (南怀瑾建议幼儿教育要学习国学四书五经)。 Realize the importance of passing down the culture and tradition, He put decades of work to translate and commend on the classics writings in history and philosophies, updated those books for the modern learners. Well aware of the weakness in modern education approaches, and duly conscience of the responsibility to pass down the culture and traditions （不二门中我亦僧,聪明绝顶是无能。此身不上如来坐,收拾河山亦要人）, he spent all his final years to disseminate traditional teachings.
Master 南怀瑾 criticized the change of Chinese character writing after 1919, cutting off the continuity of thousand years of traditional teachings. （ 譬如中国文学自“五四运动”以来，由旧的文学作品改成白话文后，有什么功用呢？几十年来亲眼所见，中国的教育普及了，知识普遍了，对世界知识的吸收力增加了，无可否认，这些对于国家的进步有贡献。但是对于中国文化，却从此一刀斩断了。什么原因呢？中国文化库存里堆积的东西太多了，几千年来的文化都藉着古文保留着。至于接受白话文学教育的人们看不懂古文，当然就打不开这个仓库，因此从中国文化的立场看，就此一刀拦腰斩断了。）
The traditional Chinese education are based on the three teachings (Chinese: 三 敎). They are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, considered as a harmonious aggregate dated back to the 6th century. Three teachings were harmonious as one simply reflects the long history, mutual influence, and (at times) complementary teachings of the three belief systems.
Confucius believed that education and reflection led to virtue, and that those who aspired to command others must cultivate discipline and moral authority in themselves. He regarded government and education as inseparable. Without good education, he reasoned, it was impossible to find leaders who possess the virtues to run a government. “What has one who is not able to govern himself, to do with governing others?” Confucius asked. Confucius saw education as a process of constant self-improvement and held that its primary function was the training of noblemen (junzi). He saw public service as the natural consequence of education and sought to revitalize Chinese social institutions, including the family, school, community, state, and kingdom.
The main concepts of Confucianism include ren (humaneness 仁), yi (righteousness 义), li (propriety/etiquette 礼), zhi (reasoning 智 ), and xin (trustworthy 信). He said in The Analects of Confucius: “The superior man has a dignified ease without pride. The mean man has pride without a dignified ease. ” He taught his student to cultivate good characters through daily life rituals: to have empathy is the start of humaneness, to have conscience is the beginning to cultivate righteousness; to have humility is the beginning of etiquette, to have discernment of right and wrong is the start of reasoning. （恻隐之心,仁之端也; 差恶之心,义之端也, 辞怀之心,礼之端也； 是非之心,智之端也。）
Confucius also said, people who have the quality of humaneness will not anxiety because he will be able to handle disturbing people and issues with grace; people who has wisdom has good mentality and methodology to solve problem when run into puzzles and unknown; people who has courage will be able to do the right thing when facing with challenges. (孔子说:”仁者不忧,智者不惑,勇者不惧.”意思是说:有仁爱之心的人,不会有忧愁,他会用宽容来对待给他带来忧愁的人和事; 有大智大慧的人,遇见有迷惑的事物,不解的地方,他会利用他的聪明才智去求得解决问题的方法; 勇敢的人,面对强敌,是不会有所畏惧的,他会义无反顾的去迎接挑战.)
Confucius teaching is compiled in the Four Books and Five Classics (四书五经). The Neo-Confucian sage Zhu Xi (1130–1200) fixed the texts of the Four Books and wrote commentaries whose new interpretations became accepted as being those of Confucius himself. Over more than one thousand years, Four Books and Five Classics were taught as standard texts in the school. Students were required commit the texts in memory from very beginning in the schools. It formed the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the imperial examination system in the following dynasties until 1930.
