On the afternoon of April 24,2026, the lecture series of the College of Liberal Arts 'Excellence Training Camp for Future Chinese Language Teachers was successfully held at the Hong' ai Auditorium in the Middle Building. Professor Hu Baoqing was invited to deliver a lecture titled "The Builder of Language and the Awakened Soul: The Competencies and Responsibilities of Chinese Language Teachers in the New Era" for our faculty and students. Hu Baoqing is a graduate of the Chinese Language and Literature (Teacher Education) program from our college, class of 1992.Professor Hu currently serves as Vice Principal of Nanjing Foreign Language School, holds the title of Senior Teacher, and was recognized as an Outstanding Young Teacher at the Second Nanjing Municipal Awards. With 34 years of experience in Chinese language teaching—including 20 years teaching the subject to senior high school students—he chaired the event, which was moderated by Vice Dean Zhu Yimiao.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Hu emphasized the unique role of the Chinese language discipline in basic education. She pointed out that Chinese language teachers must have a sense of mission and foster genuine interest in the subject among students, rather than focusing solely on exam points and scores. Chinese language teaching should enable students to both "enter" and "exit" the subject—grounded in textbooks yet transcending them. Professor Hu particularly noted that Chinese language education represents a perfect blend of "usefulness" and "non-usefulness." The "usefulness" refers to the practical value of language as a tool, while the "non-usefulness" lies in its profound impact on the mind, emotions, and aesthetic sensibilities—an influence that is often difficult to quantify yet persists throughout one's life.

Meanwhile, when discussing the characteristics of the Chinese language curriculum in secondary schools, Teacher Hu analyzed them from two dimensions: "change" and "constancy." She emphasized that what remains constant is the discipline's inherent unity of instrumental and humanistic values, as well as its ongoing commitment to fostering emotional development and stimulating interest. In contrast, what evolves is the deep understanding of the meaning behind language usage. Teacher Hu noted that the Chinese language curriculum embodies both precision and ambiguity; associative thinking and imagination inherent to the liberal arts are crucial, and only by organically integrating these two aspects can one truly grasp the profound meaning of a text. For Chinese language teachers, understanding and skillfully managing this relationship is essential to effectively conveying this understanding to their students.

Next, Teacher Hu elaborated on the core competencies that middle school Chinese language teachers should possess in the new era, with the first being the ability to interpret texts. She emphasized that text interpretation requires both deliberate effort and a certain degree of innate talent. When working with a text, teachers must first develop their own understanding before refining and enhancing it using teaching references, academic materials, or even AI-assisted tools. Using the teaching of "Ode to the Red Cliff" as an example, she noted that the text's profound exploration of life's vicissitudes and cosmic philosophy demands that teachers first gain personal insight before leveraging tools like AI to deepen their understanding and optimize instructional design.

Secondly, Professor Hu emphasized that Chinese language is a highly interconnected discipline. Therefore, comparative reading among texts is essential; attention should be paid to introducing the authors' backgrounds and historical contexts, and the relationship between textbook excerpts and the original full texts must be properly addressed. Only by establishing connections between texts, between texts and their contexts, and between excerpts and the complete works can students develop a comprehensive understanding of the Chinese language.

Regarding instructional curriculum design capabilities, Teacher Hu outlined clear requirements. First, teachers must establish precise teaching objectives—avoid covering too much material or excessively integrating academic research into middle school Chinese language classes. An effective lesson should feature a clear structure with coherent goal connections between its components. Educators should not only know how to pose questions but also link them coherently to form a unified thematic thread. Second, curriculum design should be contextualized to encourage students 'bold expression. Reasonable student responses should be promptly encouraged, while unreasonable ones require gentle yet firm corrections. Teacher Hu provided practical suggestions for enhancing curriculum design skills: Attend more classes—not only to observe what teachers teach but also to focus on how they pose questions; identify "unexpected insights" in student responses, nurture children's curiosity, and improve one's on-the-spot responsiveness during the process. Additionally, teachers should develop well-crafted "question sequences," which require an in-depth understanding of the text.

Furthermore, Professor Hu particularly emphasized the importance of assessment and test design capabilities. She advised teacher trainees and young educators to practice extensively with numerous exercises—first becoming familiar with the questions, then analyzing the underlying test design logic to understand how each knowledge point might be assessed. Subsequently, they should categorize, summarize, and systematize these insights, clearly communicating to students the specific competencies required for each question type. Additionally, mastering test design is crucial; by studying others' approaches, educators can apply this knowledge broadly to truly grasp the principles of assessment. Equally important is cultivating a strong writing proficiency. Whether drafting teaching reflections, providing guidance for student compositions, or writing educational papers, teachers must engage in continuous writing practice to refine their thinking and expression skills.

Finally, Teacher Hu delivered heartfelt remarks to the students present. She emphasized that the teaching profession is characterized by solemnity, nobility, and independence, and that educators bear the lofty mission of "enduring hardships, demonstrating responsibility, and showing compassion." She advised young teachers to maintain positive relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. Additionally, she stressed the importance of maintaining an aesthetically pleasing blackboard presentation and cultivating a exemplary demeanor as educators through consistent practice.

During the interactive Q&A session, students actively raised their hands to consult Professor Hu on topics ranging from their academic studies and potential challenges in future teaching practice to career preparation. Drawing on real cases from his 34-year teaching career, Professor Hu provided detailed and patient answers that combined theoretical insights with practical recommendations, eliciting frequent heartfelt laughter and enthusiastic applause from the audience.

At the conclusion of the lecture, Dean Zhu highly praised Professor Hu Baoqing's insightful presentation in her summary. She noted that drawing on thirty-four years of profound experience in frontline Chinese language education, Professor Hu delivered a report that combined intellectual depth with practical relevance for the audience. Dean Zhu encouraged the students to thoroughly absorb the lecture content, internalize its principles, and apply them in practice, emphasizing the need to continuously hone their abilities in text interpretation, instructional design, and classroom adaptability during their future studies and internships, striving to become Chinese language teachers of the new era who are passionate, competent, and responsible.