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Summary#1

The Crisis of Folk Toys

Kavin Platt (1999) in “Lament for Chinese toys of old” says the power of globalization gives Chinese traditional antique toys an unfavorable result. Modern children like electronic toys like Sony Play Stations better than folk toys. Liang says children feel only satisfaction and happiness when they use modern toys, and it is very important for children to improve their imagination by using old toys. But Li, a student, states that electronic toys also can give ideas and knowledge. On the other hand, Liang says folk culture and traditional culture like stilt-walkers, which only craftsman can produce, is about to be lost. And he criticizes about Mao who made traditional artists jailed or forced to work in Mao’s propaganda machine because of a new communist society. So, he would like to protect traditional toys like shadow puppets which were used to tell the historical traditional tales like a movie for children. He is trying to let people know about the importance of China’s cultural past. So, he suggests people need to preserve folk toys to protect culture and imagination for us and future generations.

Platt, K (1999, Dec, 24). Lament for Chinese toys of old. Christian
Science Monitor, p.6.