 Many students are apparently bored with old patriotic songs |
Authorities in Shanghai have for the first time allowed Chinese pop songs into the city's classrooms, a local newspaper says. The Shanghai Daily said the aim was to liven up lessons for students bored with the usual revolutionary tunes.
A list of 100 "inspirational" songs was approved by the education commission of China's wealthiest city.
Songs chosen included Chinese, by Hong Kong star Andy Lau, and Snail, by Taiwanese singer Jay Chou.
"The lyrics of these songs are inspiring," Wang Yueping, member of the commission, told the newspaper.
"It is important for us to make a list which is both educational and caters to young students' tastes," Mr Wang added.
Music lessons are mandatory in China's middle schools.
The newspaper said many students were simply bored with singing old patriotic songs praising the virtues of communism, such as Seeing Off The Red Army and Chairman Mao Is With Us Forever.
"We are always asked to sing monotonous revolutionary songs. Finally we can sing something of our own," local student Wang Wenjia told the newspaper.
Living as they do in a country that is undergoing breathtaking economic changes, young Chinese people are becoming increasingly exposed to the thriving music industries in Hong Kong and also Taiwan, experts say.
One-Minute World News 
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