Chapter 94

The day after Li Gang and Yan Shigu decided to introduce punctuation, Xia Hongsheng was once again called to Yan Shigu's presence. He was told to start teaching punctuation and sentence segmentation at the Hongwen Pavilion, and that an agreement had already been reached with Kong Yingda, the senior official. The National Supervisory Institute would also send students to attend the lectures and learn the method of punctuation and sentence segmentation, then teach it to the students at the National Supervisory Institute, promoting this method first within the National Supervisory Institute and the Hongwen Pavilion as a trial, before further promoting it to the various regional academies.

"Master Yan, if we truly want all the students to master the method of punctuation and sentence segmentation, there is only one way: to include it as a requirement for the imperial examinations. Any examination paper without punctuation and sentence segmentation should be considered invalid. Only then can we ensure that all students truly master this method, and that it will be passed down," Xia Hongsheng said. He didn't feel particularly excited about teaching these students punctuation, as these things were learned in the first grade in his future life. Xia Hongsheng himself had studied Chinese and taught Chinese literature, so it was no big deal for him. Moreover, who in the academy knew more about punctuation and sentence segmentation than him? Therefore, he wasn't surprised when Yan Shigu asked him to teach it. What he was more worried about was whether this method could be effectively promoted in the regions, especially outside the official schools in each region, where there were many private tutors and self-taught students. Without a mandatory requirement, it would be difficult to ensure that they would master this method, and it might end up like the "Mandarin" of ancient times, which could not be universally promoted.

Yan Shigu nodded: "I understand this, but it is not something that can be accomplished overnight or with a single order. It involves many aspects. The first step is to annotate the existing books with punctuation and then publish them nationwide. This alone is a daunting task. Annotating and adding punctuation is not too difficult; it can be done by dozens of scholars in a year. However, the printing process... these matters will be handled by us old men. You don't need to worry about them. Just focus on teaching the students at the Hongwen Pavilion and the National Supervisory Institute. The rest will be left to us old men to worry about. Rest assured, the method of punctuation and sentence segmentation involves millions of scholars and is crucial for the transmission of literature. I will definitely make it happen!"

Hearing Yan Shigu's words, Xia Hongsheng didn't ask any more questions. As long as they recognized the importance of punctuation and sentence segmentation, that was enough. These high-ranking officials were more familiar with the rules of the Tang Dynasty and knew better how to accomplish this task within the framework of the Tang Dynasty.

Yan Shigu then gave Xia Hongsheng a few more instructions and dismissed him, telling him to go back and prepare well, as the students from the National Supervisory Institute would be coming the next day to start the lectures.

Xia Hongsheng actually didn't need to prepare much, as he was very familiar with these things and knew exactly how to teach them. He could even recall the rhymes for punctuation. However, to make the lectures more intuitive and easy to understand, he needed to prepare some materials. He was a bit worried at first about just standing there and talking, as it might not be clear enough. Now that he had a day to prepare, he could try to make the necessary items.

It wasn't anything too expensive, just a blackboard and chalk. These two items, though not expensive, were essential for education. As the saying goes, a thousand words are not as effective as a single drawing. Some things are hard to explain clearly, but drawing and writing on a blackboard can make them more intuitive and clear, making it easier for students to understand. Writing on a blackboard also allows students to see, listen, and remember at the same time, which is much more effective than just listening.

Making a blackboard was not difficult. He could find a carpenter to make a simple frame with a wooden board in the middle, painted black. It wouldn't be as good as the blackboards of the future, but it would be sufficient for writing. As for the chalk, Xia Hongsheng was a bit puzzled. Chalk was originally invented in Europe, made by mixing lime with a little water to form a block. However, lime mixed with water can be hot and corrosive, and even if it were made into a block, it would be rough and easily crumble, making it inconvenient to use.

However, as a human being, endowed with intelligence and adaptability, he could find a solution. If he couldn't write in black on a black background, he could write in black on a white background.

He could simply paint the blackboard white and use charcoal sticks to write on it. This would work for the time being. Once someone figured out the exact composition of chalk, they could improve it later, leaving some room for future generations.

Convinced of this, Xia Hongsheng hurried back and called Qi Yong and a few others to go to the Western Market. The Eastern Market was closer to the residences of the nobility and had higher-quality goods, while the Western Market had more craftsmen.

At the Western Market, they found a carpenter and explained their purpose. The wooden frame was easy to make, and the materials were already available. The carpenter quickly made the outline of the blackboard according to Xia Hongsheng's description. Unfortunately, the carpenter didn't have any lime, so they couldn't paint it. At this point, being a nobleman had its advantages. Xia Hongsheng mentioned it, and a guard knew where to find lime, so he and two others went to fetch it. Xia Hongsheng instructed two other guards to buy charcoal and cut it into one-inch-long, two-inch-thick sticks, as charcoal is soft and brittle and needs to be thick to be durable. The guards then went to carry out the task. Xia Hongsheng, along with Qi Yong, returned home, marveling at the efficiency of being a nobleman.

The guards were indeed efficient. By lunchtime, they returned with the lime-painted blackboard and two bags of charcoal.

After a day of drying, the lime was completely dry. Xia Hongsheng tried it out and found that the writing was very clear. To erase it, he just needed to use a damp cloth, as the charcoal marks were not permanent and the lime was dry.

With the preparations complete, the next morning, a few guards carried the blackboard, and Qi Yong carried the charcoal sticks to the Hongwen Pavilion.

The students gathered around, curious about what Xia Hongsheng had placed under the tree and what it was for. After the morning class, Xia Hongsheng came out of the classroom and saw Yan Shigu and Li Gang examining the blackboard, tapping it curiously.

Xia Hongsheng walked over and bowed to the two men. Yan Shigu waved his hand and said, "Ha ha, today, Li大人 and I have some free time, so we came to see how you teach the other students. The students from the National Supervisory Institute will be here soon. Are you well prepared, Jing Shi? Just teach with confidence; we will be here to support you."

Xia Hongsheng understood. Yan Shigu and Li Gang were concerned that the students might not respect him, so they came to support him. He bowed again and thanked them, "Thank you, Master Yan and Master Li! I am well prepared. Please rest assured."

Yan Shigu stroked his beard and nodded, then asked with a smile, "Jing Shi, I heard you made this? What is it, and what is it used for?"

Xia Hongsheng bowed again and replied, "Master Yan, yesterday you asked me to teach the method of punctuation and sentence segmentation. I thought that just explaining it verbally might be unclear, and writing it on paper would be more intuitive. However, if I wrote on paper, not all the students could see it. So, I asked a carpenter to make this. The whiteboard is like paper, and I use charcoal sticks to write on it. This way, the content is clearly presented, and all the students can see it, making it easier for them to understand."

He then took a charcoal stick from a bag hanging on the blackboard's frame and wrote a line on the whiteboard: "民可，使由之；不可，使知之."... with punctuation, making it very clear.

"This... if used as a teaching aid, it will greatly benefit the teaching!" Li Gang and Yan Shigu looked at each other in surprise. They could see the value of these tools, as they had both been teachers for most of their lives. As soon as Xia Hongsheng wrote on the whiteboard, they immediately recognized its usefulness.

"Jing Shi, in just half a day, you came up with this teaching aid to help teach punctuation and sentence segmentation?" Yan Shigu looked at the whiteboard and then at Xia Hongsheng, surprised. "They say there are people with seven clever hearts. Could you be one of them? With such a teaching aid, wouldn't it be useful for teaching anything, making it more intuitive for the students?"

"I felt that just explaining verbally was not as clear as writing it down, so I came up with this idea. This whiteboard is simple to make and inexpensive, making it suitable for use in the academy. Any carpenter can make it," Xia Hongsheng replied. "I would like to leave this whiteboard in the academy for the other teachers to use. Is that acceptable?"

"Very good!" Li Gang nodded and stroked his beard, smiling. Yan Shigu also nodded in approval.

Yan Shigu and Li Gang tried writing on the whiteboard and found it very useful. They decided to equip the Hongwen Pavilion with these teaching aids in the next few days. As they spoke, the guards of the Hongwen Pavilion led a group of students from the National Supervisory Institute to the front.

Xia Hongsheng's first class in the Tang Dynasty was about to begin. Thinking about it, he felt a bit excited!