This paper will explore zhusuan (the study and
practice of the use of the abacus), China’s 30th entry into the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and
will look at zhusuan study as a developmental trend in the theory and practice
of culture and education. This paper adopts a comprehensive research method
that includes literature review and profile analysis. Profile analysis uses the
CNKI database as for the scope of its searches to comprehensively review the
theory and educational practice of zhusuan study. The research and development
of zhusuan study can be roughly organized into three aspects: 1) From courses within the system to education outside of the system; 2) From a cultural view to educational view; 3)
From the Han cultural milieu to the cross-cultural sphere. Research on zhusuan
study can be divided into three stages: 1) The
past: the history and culture of zhusuan; 2) The
present: Research on zhusuan culture and education; 3) The
future: Research on the integration of zhusuan across separate disciplines.
This study believes that: Owing to the transformation of zhusuan theory and
educational discourse ecology, zhusuan has expanded from the Han cultural
milieu to a cross-cultural sphere, and the educational practice of “mental
abacus” has also been integrated across separate disciplines. That being the
case, this study suggests that zhusuan research can be developed in three
directions: 1) Taking multiple intelligences as its theoretical
basis; 2) Taking interdisciplinarity as its research method; 3) Taking lifelong education as its educational
discipline.
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