Begin with imagination
The Scarecrow · The Little Bluestone · The Stone Statue of an Ancient Hero
Ye Shengtao Culture & Education Portal
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CLASSICS BY YE SHENGTAO
Classic
Works
Fairy tales, prose, fiction and textbook classics: discover Ye Shengtao through language that is clear, humane and true to life.
Open the original works archive
A WRITER FOR ALL AGES
Beginning with children's literature
and arriving at real life
Ye Shengtao's prose is plain-spoken yet filled with close observation and deep sympathy. His fairy tales open the imagination, his essays preserve ordinary life, his fiction confronts social reality, and his textbook classics have taught generations how to observe, think and write.
Each guide below links directly to the corresponding page in the original Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing archive.
READING PATHS
Four ways to begin
Readers of different ages and with different goals can find a suitable point of entry.
Begin with observation
Lotus · The Feet of the Boston Ivy · A Visit to Jinhua's Double-Dragon Cave
Begin with nature
Suzhou Gardens · Waterfall · Three Ginkgo Trees
Begin with life
Lotus Roots and Water Shield · The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl · Ye Shengtao's fiction
SELECTED WORKS
Twelve reading guides
01Prose · textbook classic
Lotus
A close observation of a lotus pond opens into an imaginative experience of life and movement.
Observation · imagination · atmosphereOpen the original archive page →
02Observational prose · textbook classic
The Feet of the Boston Ivy
Minute changes in a growing plant become a model of patient observation, clear sequence and precise description.
Continuous observation · explanatory orderOpen the original archive page →
03Retelling of a folk tale
The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
A Chinese legend retold in direct, unadorned language for modern readers.
Folk literature · narrative craftOpen the original archive page →
04Travel writing · textbook classic
A Visit to Jinhua's Double-Dragon Cave
A journey organised through movement and space, ideal for learning how travel writing creates a clear route.
Route · spatial transitionOpen the original archive page →
05Fairy tale
The Little Bluestone
A little stone's journey becomes a reflection on choice, value and the meaning of an ordinary life.
Choice · growth · valueOpen the original archive page →
06Prose
Lotus Roots and Water Shield
Everyday food evokes the landscape of Jiangnan and an enduring affection for home.
Memory of home · regional lifeOpen the original archive page →
07Expository prose · textbook classic
Suzhou Gardens
From overall principles to particular arrangements, the essay reveals the cultivated naturalness of Suzhou garden design.
Overall features · expositionOpen the original archive page →
08Prose · textbook classic
Three Ginkgo Trees
Seasonal changes in schoolyard trees preserve the memory of Ye Shengtao's educational life in Luzhi.
Four seasons · school lifeOpen the original archive page →
09Fairy tale
The Stone Statue of an Ancient Hero
A statue and the stones beneath it invite reflection on pride, identity and equality.
Fable · equality · critical thoughtOpen the original archive page →
10Children's poem · textbook classic
The Little Boat
Bright, economical images invite children to look into the night sky and enter imagination through rhythm.
Child's perspective · rhythmOpen the original archive page →
11Children's poem · textbook classic
Waterfall
Sound gradually becomes shape, allowing young readers to experience nature through rhythm, simile and imagination.
From sound to form · figurative languageOpen the original archive page →12Fairy-tale collection
The Scarecrow
A watcher in the fields witnesses hardship and reveals a profound sympathy for real lives.
Children's literature · social concernOpen the original archive page →Illustrations and original-page links: Ye Shengtao Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing archive
READ · OBSERVE · EXPRESS
Classics are more than
titles to remember
First, notice
See how Ye Shengtao discovers writable details in lotus flowers, climbing plants, gardens and journeys.
Then, understand
Explore how sequence, material and language make expression accurate and layered.
Finally, express
Transfer insights from reading into observation notes, speech, creative writing and everyday practice.
FROM THE TEXTBOOKS
A shared language memory
across generations
Many works by Ye Shengtao have appeared in Chinese-language textbooks at different times, joining literary reading and language learning with real life.
The People's Education Press anniversary feature also brings together his educational essays, textbook work, publishing practice and later scholarship.
Open the authoritative anniversary feature