China Social Science Review

No.4, 2022

A Study of the Evaluation Criteria of Chinese Children’s Literature in the Past Century

(Abstract)

Li Lifang

In the value evaluation of children’s literature, the evaluation standard, which refers to the value yardstick and boundaries applied to the subject of study, occupies a core position in the values of children’s literature. In the past century, the study of Chinese children’s literature has constructed representative evaluation criteria from three main dimensions: the triple evaluation standard of “children as the standard, a literary nature, and a social orientation” sets up the basic framework of evaluation criteria; the unity of “being good for you” and “being appealing” embodies bottom line thinking on values; and “consciousness of classical work” affirms the standard shaped by the literary tradition itself, which exists as an ideal standard in all the criteria. On the basis of the continuous development of the existing evaluation criteria, we should have a scientific understanding of children as actors, should test and perfect the evaluation criteria with children’s practice and put the development of children as actors and the evaluation standard for children’s literature in a deep two-way intercalation and cause-and-effect value construction process. This is the basic way to make the evaluation standard of children’s literature scientific and rational.