With the teacher wearing a long traditional Chinese robe, and the students bowing to an image of Confucius hanging on the classroom wall, it is a scene that reminds people of ancient China in movies.

The setting is not from a film set, but in a sishu in Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province.

Sishu was a kind of private academy popular in China for over 2,000 years and formed the base of the traditional tutorial system in the country.

After they were abolished in 1905, mass education along with a more Western type curriculum was promoted in its place.

Suzhou is a city deeply embedded with traditional culture, which makes it a fitting location for the resurrection of sishu.

Zhang told China Daily that he chose the name as the flower stands for hermits in ancient Chinese poems, which is the quality he pursues.

Now on the weekends, a group of parents send their children to Ju Zhai to learn traditional Chinese culture.

Zhang said they selected six children with better comprehensive ability as their first intake of students out of 30 applicants.

All the lessons in Ju Zhai are taught on the weekend because they "don't intend to substitute the compulsory education, but only to serve as a complementation," said Zhang

The syllabus of Ju Zhai covers morality anecdotes, Confucian classics and ancient poetic literature.

"We want our students to learn the essence of our ancient culture, which is mainly about virtue, personal integrity and proper behaviour," said Zhang.

To bring the ancient essays into the 21st century and easier to understand for the students, Zhang selects episodes from the books and explains them with stories from daily life.

"When we prepare our lessons, we always bear in mind that we are teaching primary school students," said Xue.

"But we were surprised to find at our first lesson that those children have a wide scope of knowledge. They were very active and creative, and took in our teaching without too much difficulty," Xue added.

With ages ranging between 6 and 11, the six children generally come from well-off families whose parents have received higher education, and attach importance to ancient culture and morality.

Zhang and Xue said they conducted a market survey on the attitude of Suzhou citizens towards ancient culture, and found the market for their kind of education "quite promising."

The pair, both born and brought up in northern China, said they then decided to press ahead with the project in the city.

They have also put a lot of effort into creating a suitable environment for the youngsters to learn in.

The classroom and the villa are decorated in ancient ways.

A piece of sander is burnt to count the time of a period of class. Zhang explained that a bell ringing would destroy the tranquility of the villa.

The students are also required to bow to the portrait of Confucius that hangs at the back of the classroom and bow goodbye to their teacher after school.

However, some people in Suzhou have been left a little bewildered by the ancient practice at Ju Zhai.

Despite such comments, the locals have generally showed a great interest in Ju Zhai.

According to Wang Yuanchao, an experienced teacher in Chinese literature with No 2 Primary School of Shaxi District in Suzhou, the present public education system is score-oriented and both parents and children often neglect the importance of the virtue education.

"If Ju Zhai can do something to improve the situation, it is pretty good," said Wang.

However, Wei Jiazan, former vice-director of Suzhou Municipal Culture Bureau, is quoted by local media as saying that some messages in the ancient books, including the absolute obedience to parents, is outdated and does not match the spirit of freedom and individuality popular in the contemporary world.

"Also, Chinese ancient culture consists of more than just ancient books and essays. It also includes philosophy, history, archaeology and linguistics," said Wei.

In addition to the content of teaching in Ju Zhai, the educational background of the two teachers has also drawn public attention. Some question their capability to carry out the special brand of education.

Zhang, 36, admitted he and 33-year-old Xue did not take Chinese literature as their majors in universities and that they have been businessmen since graduation.

The private school currently charges 320 yuan (US$40) for a semester that lasts half a year and consists of about 100 periods of 45-minute classes.

For families who cannot afford the fees, Zhang said they would offer discounts.

"A core idea of Confucianism is equal opportunity for the average person to receive education, so we cannot keep them out of our door simply because they are poor," said Zhang.

With a rent of 3,500 yuan (US$410) per month for the villa, the school currently runs without profits.

"We don't expect to make a big fortune out of this. We are only using our savings to carry out our dream, a dream shared by many others," said Zhang.

It is being run on a trial basis, and is subsidized by incomes from Zhang's own business as a tour guide.

Gu Mei, a researcher with the Suzhou Education College, set up a special class in the city's Sanxiang Kindergarten last November, teaching a group of 5-year-olds basic ideas of ancient culture.

Hearing of Zhang's practice, Gu went to observe the teachings at Ju Zhai.

"The children in his class maintain good manners and exchange their opinions freely," said Gu.

"Zhang's school gives parents a good option besides the compulsory public education."

But Gu claimed that Zhang, as an amateur teacher, needed to do more to improve his way of communication with the children.

This summer, another sishu appeared in Shanghai, attracting five primary and junior middle school students.

The sishu's teacher and owner, surnamed Zhang, said that his teaching did not aim to merely equip children with traditional Confucian dogma. Instead, it is designed to help cultivate children's inner moralities based on Confucian essence, such as modesty and politeness.

(China Daily December 21, 2005)