2021-2022学年度第  1  期总第  839 期
Living fossil in writing (Pages 4-5)
邯郸市第一中学  李松

Lead-in
Do you know anything about some of the oldest languages in the world?
纸草文字
Ancient Egyptian papyrus script

甲骨文
Chinese oracle bone scripts

楔形文字
Cuneiform in the Mesopotamia basin

Prediction
Can you guess the meaning of the word in the following picture?

Please read the first 3 paragraphs and see if your guess is correct.

Do you know anything about Dongba pictographs?
Please watch the video clip and talk about it in English.
【纳西族东巴文：活着的象形文字-哔哩哔哩】https://b23.tv/q86o2J

Read and explore
Read the rest of the text and answer the following questions.
1.Why are Dongba characters of great importance?
2.What are the characteristics of Dongba characters, according to He Runyuan?
3.Why is learning Dongba characters hard for He Runyuan?
4.How does He Runyuan help promote the legacy of Dongba writing?
5.What is the main challenge of passing down Dongba culture? Can you give your solution?

1. Why are Dongba characters of great importance?
Dongba characters are not only the soul of Dongba culture, but also a treasure for the whole world. As an ancient system of pictographic glyphs, they enjoy a long history and are praised to be the “living fossil”  in writing.

2. What are the characteristics of Dongba characters, according to He Runyuan?
They are stylized and usually colorful, recognizable.

3. Why is learning Dongba characters hard for He Runyuan?
Dongba culture is always mastered by Dongbas, the Naxi priests (祭司), and passed down by oral explanation.
He has to travel far to the Old Town, where many Dongbas are gathered.

4. How does He Runyuan help promote the legacy of Dongba writing?
In 2016, He set up the Center of Naxi Dongba Pictographs and Paintings, which promotes the legacy of writing by decorating everyday items, such as fans, glasses and even T-shirts, with Dongba characters.

5. What is the main challenge of passing down Dongba culture? Can you give your solution?
As more old Dongbas pass away over time, people may gradually forget Dongba characters.
The answer to the second question may vary from person to person.

Language study
Read the text again and talk about the meaning of the following words and expressions:
1.soul                         灵魂                    
2.treasure                    财富
3.enjoy a history of...            享有……年的历史
4.its great significance            它的重要意义
5.master                        掌握
6.pass down                    传承下去
7.promote                    发扬
8.let more people know about it    让更多人知道它

Writing
Write about a cultural legacy that you think is very important to your hometown or people, using at least 5 of the following words and expressions.
1.soul                                             
2.treasure
3.enjoy a history of...
4.its great significance
5.master
6.pass down
7.promote
8.let more people know about it

text structure
1. its name and great significance
2. your love for it
3. your/people's efforts to promote it