An education meeting held yesterday in Shanghai revealed that Taiwan pop singer Jay Chow's single "Snail" is recommended as a patriotic song to middle school students in the eastern municipality.

Among the total 100 recommended songs, "Hero at Heart" by HK veteran singer Emil Chow and "The Chinese" by HK ever-fresh pop singer/actor Andy Lau are also on the list.

"Those pop songs recommended on the list are encouraging in lyrics and of tunes easy to follow," said Wang Yueping, in charge of the selection work.

"We aim to enlist educational songs that appeal to students as well; 'Snail' by Jay Chow is one such example." Wang said, adding, "It's popular among students and what's more, the theme of the song is positive."

Jay Chow's "Snail" (a single of his 2001 debut album 'Fantasy') embodies a man's inner cry in a snail that firmly believes it'll reach its dream for the sky someday.

"I climb up step by step and wait for the warm sunshine; One day there is the sky, just for me," reads the lyrics.

HK and Taiwan pop music mushroomed in China, due to their songs boasting of relaxed themes and easy-to-follow tunes that quickly caught on among the younger generation soon after the nation's opening up policy in the late 1970s.

Shanghai, as the business hub of today's China, always leads the nation in almost every aspect. Including education.

Several weeks ago Shanghai's education authority decided to include into local middle school textbooks, the stories of Shanghai-based world top hurdler Liu Xiang, and NBA center Yao Ming, also a Shanghai native, in a bid to boost students' national pride and hard-working spirit.

(chinadaily.com.cn)

patriotic: inspired by love for your country（愛國的）

hurdler: an athlete who runs the hurdles（跨欄運動員）