In our English textbooks, there are always a few friends who accompany us through our childhood, exploring questions and strolling around campus with us. They guide us to broaden our horizons and explore the world.
In the Chongqing University Edition of the 2024 newly compiled elementary English textbooks, the illustrations designed by the School of Arts of Chongqing University incorporate both the new curriculum standards and the demands of the era, making their characters more vivid and lively.
Why were new illustrations created?
In early September, following the Ministry of Education's announcement of the 2024 National Curriculum Teaching Books Catalog (Revised According to the 2022 Curriculum Standards), the newly compiled elementary English textbooks, edited by Professor Peng Jing, former Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures of Chongqing University, and illustrated by Associate Professor Xiong Xiqiu from the Department of Design of School of Arts, were published by Chongqing University Press and officially put into use. These textbooks, along with others like those from People's Education Press, were distributed and selected nationwide.
To ensure the quality of the new elementary English illustrations, the textbook compilation committee and Chongqing University Press went through multiple rounds of trial drawings and defenses before finally selecting Associate Professor Xiong Xiqiu’s studio to undertake the drawing task. After accepting the task, the team sought extensive advice from experts, fully absorbed the interpretations of the textbook compilation committee, conducted in-depth research in key primary schools within the city, gathered creative materials, and aimed to provide children with a more enjoyable and higher-quality learning experience.
What are the characteristics of the new friends?
The drawing process for the illustrations in the new edition of the elementary English textbooks took two years. During this time, the design team worked closely with the publisher and the textbook compilation committee, repeatedly reviewing, revising, and refining their work. After three reviews by the Ministry of Education, they completed nearly a thousand illustrations across eight textbooks.
The illustrations for the 2024 Chongqing University Edition of elementary English textbooks integrate the beauty of art into the teaching material, striving to showcase the vibrant, happy, healthy, and upward spirit of Chinese youth in the new era. They adhere to the cognitive and psychological development laws of children and stay close to modern life. The character images fit the text, lively and vivid, with fresh and elegant style, elegant appearance, rich and harmonious colors and distinct levels.
The new illustrations incorporate many small campus stories. By being close to the plot of life, they accompany the children to grow up happily and pay attention to the needs of each child, so that they can constantly improve themselves under the influence of beauty.
No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, there are illustrations to accompany children to go for an outing, go for a ride, fly kites and make a snowman ... to make textbooks closer to life and make education really enlightening and refreshing.
The completion of the illustration drawing of the new edition of elementary English textbooks is an important achievement of art design in assisting aesthetic education, which reflects the deep cooperation between art design and many fields and helps basic education with the beauty of art design.
In the future, the School of Arts will also engage in creating English animations to further promote the development of aesthetic education, allowing children to learn and grow in happiness. Let us look forward to even more wonderful stories from these friends!
