A bedroom of a residential apartment has been adjusted into a classroom for children learning traditional Chinese texts.

By Ni Wangzhen and Han Jing

An unlicensed kindergarten in Ningbo has aroused concern among the neighboring residents for its noisy operations.

In an apartment in Jiangnan Spring residential area, more than 10 children sit in a room holding a copy of the Yi Jing, or Book of Changes — a classical Chinese text — and read loudly.

Feng, a nearby resident, said that the apartment is actually an unlicensed kindergarten that has been operating for more than a year. Neighbors are annoyed by the noise but have found it difficult to solve the problem.

“The noise has lasted for more than one year,” Feng said. “We are all disturbed by this and can’t get a good night’s sleep.”

Students often read aloud from ancient texts while sitting in a room on the first floor of the building. Inside the apartment, clothes hang from a pole. In the center of the living room, there is a portrait of Confucius.

The children’s ages range from 3 to 6 years old. The children follow one of the two female teachers reciting the words.

When class is over, the children happily chat about what they learned. “I could recite at least three articles of ancient Chinese literature,” said one child with pride.

With the help of the two young teachers, Dong, the kindergarten director, said it is actually a place to keep her friends’ children during the day. “We opened this house for more than one year, and it is indeed unlicensed. The students are all children of my friends and we gather in love of our traditional culture,” she said.

She said that so far, the school only accepts children from 3 to 6 years old. After three years’ study, most of the children are able to recite some paragraphs, which makes their parents happy.

Dong added that if classes disturb the normal life of residents she will seek some ways to improve the situation, stressing that it is out of her love of ancient Chinese literature that she launched her school.

“I hope these students can understand the beauty of ancient Chinese literature while they are very young.”

Song Wenbing, a professor at Ningbo University, said the class has its own attractiveness and should be regarded as a good experiment welcomed by parents. The problem lies in whether such classes can really win applause from both children and parents.

By Ni Wangzhen and Han Jing

An unlicensed kindergarten in Ningbo has aroused concern among the neighboring residents for its noisy operations.

In an apartment in Jiangnan Spring residential area, more than 10 children sit in a room holding a copy of the Yi Jing, or Book of Changes — a classical Chinese text — and read loudly.

Feng, a nearby resident, said that the apartment is actually an unlicensed kindergarten that has been operating for more than a year. Neighbors are annoyed by the noise but have found it difficult to solve the problem.

“The noise has lasted for more than one year,” Feng said. “We are all disturbed by this and can’t get a good night’s sleep.”

Students often read aloud from ancient texts while sitting in a room on the first floor of the building. Inside the apartment, clothes hang from a pole. In the center of the living room, there is a portrait of Confucius.

The children’s ages range from 3 to 6 years old. The children follow one of the two female teachers reciting the words.

When class is over, the children happily chat about what they learned. “I could recite at least three articles of ancient Chinese literature,” said one child with pride.

With the help of the two young teachers, Dong, the kindergarten director, said it is actually a place to keep her friends’ children during the day. “We opened this house for more than one year, and it is indeed unlicensed. The students are all children of my friends and we gather in love of our traditional culture,” she said.

She said that so far, the school only accepts children from 3 to 6 years old. After three years’ study, most of the children are able to recite some paragraphs, which makes their parents happy.

Dong added that if classes disturb the normal life of residents she will seek some ways to improve the situation, stressing that it is out of her love of ancient Chinese literature that she launched her school.

“I hope these students can understand the beauty of ancient Chinese literature while they are very young.”

Song Wenbing, a professor at Ningbo University, said the class has its own attractiveness and should be regarded as a good experiment welcomed by parents. The problem lies in whether such classes can really win applause from both children and parents.