Textbooks on ancient Chinese culture will soon be available to middle school students to boost their knowledge of the past, a local newspaper said.

The list of cultural books was organized by the Ministry of Education and carried out by the Ancient Chinese Culture Center. It will be available next semester for schools to adopt should they choose, the Beijing News said Tuesday.

It is the first textbook dedicated to ancient philosophy and classic Chinese culture. Currently, middle school students are taught modern literature with a minimal focus on classics.

The textbook will help middle school students understand classics by Lao Tze, Confucius, Mencius and others. It will also analyze the differences between the East and the West, comparing the concepts of Confucius' benevolence and Socrates' virtues, as well as Mencius' ideas of moral and profit versus Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism.

The textbook came as ancient Chinese culture regains popularity in society amid extra emphasis by the government.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed on several occasions the importance of traditional Chinese culture, saying that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation needs the prosperous Chinese culture.

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