A political adviser in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, has suggested high schools add courses on love to their curricula, to help nurture healthier romantic relationships among young people.

　　江苏省南京市的一名政治顾问建议，为培养年轻人之间更健康的恋爱关系，高中应该为他们开设恋爱课程。

　　Most parents are uncomfortable talking about romantic love with their children, while society hasn’t paid enough attention to it either, said Hou Xiaodong, an official of a chamber of commerce in the city’s Gulou district.

　　北京鼓楼区商会的一位官员侯晓东说:“大多数家长都不愿意和孩子谈论浪漫的爱情，而社会对此也没有给予足够的重视。”

　　High school students are struggling through puberty, so schools have to shoulder this task.

　　“高中生这个阶段恰逢青春期，所以学校不得不承担这项任务。”

　　Hou made the remarks during the annual five-day session of the Nanjing committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the city’s top advisory body, which wrapped up late last month.

　　在中国人民政治协商会议南京委员会为期5天的会议上，侯晓东发表了上述讲话。

　　He said he was prompted to make the proposal by a high school student who insisted he would not date girls from less well-off families.

　　他说之所以会提出这个议案是受一名高中生的影响，这名高中生坚持自己不会和家庭条件不如自己的女孩约会。

　　What’s wrong with our kids? Are they not getting enough education on love and relationships at school? he asked.

　　“我们的孩子怎么了?”他问道:“在学校里，他们没有得到足够的爱和人际关系的教育吗?”

　　An observer of the education sector for over a decade, Hou noted the core of a proper relationship should be recognition of the spiritual virtues of one’s partner, rather than being money-oriented.

　　，在过去的十多年里作为教育部门观察者的侯晓东指出，把握良好社会关系的核心应该是认识一个人的精神美德，而不是以金钱为导向。

　　He said there are some textbooks on young love, but they are far too rigid. He suggested teachers relate theories to real-life situations so that students have a better understanding.

　　他说有一些关于年轻爱情的教科书，但是它们太死板了。他建议教师把理论与实际情况联系起来，这样学生才有更好的理解。

　　Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at National Institute of Education Sciences, agreed with setting up such courses, but said only until students are in senior high school. "If you talk about love to junior high school kids, that would be a burden to them psychologically. They are just too young."

　　国家教育科学研究院的研究员楚兆辉同意开设这样的课程，但他说课程智能针对高中生开设。“如果你和初中生谈论爱情，那将是他们心理上的负担。因为毕竟他们太年轻了。

　　Yang Jingping, a teacher at Nanjing No 5 Senior High School, said although there are currently no tailored courses on love, the theme is touched upon in multiples subjects, such as in Chinese literature and group discussions on psychology.

　　南京市第五高级中学教师杨静平表示，尽管目前还没有关于爱情的专门课程，但这一主题在很多学科中都被提及，比如中国文学和心理学的小组讨论。

　　Some students, however, disagree with the idea of teaching about love. "I don’t see a need to introduce such courses," said a 12th-grader at Nanjing Foreign Language School. "Senior high school students are mature beyond their years. We discuss love sometimes. It might be better suited to students in seventh and eighth grade."

　　然而，有些学生不同意关于恋爱的教学。南京外国语学校的一名12年级学生说:“我不认为有必要开设这样的课程。”“现在的高中学生都比较早熟。有时我们也会讨论爱情。这门课程可能更适合七年级和八年级的学生。

　　Some parents are not convinced about courses on love either. "Our kids are far too busy with their studies. How would they ever have time to think about love?" said the mother of an eighth-grade student.

　　一些家长也不太赞成恋爱课程。“孩子都忙着学习，哪有时间思考恋爱的问题，我觉得不用刻意去增加 爱情课 。” 一位八年级孩子的家长说。

　　Another parent of a 10th-grader added, "Love is part of human nature. Children can learn about it themselves. This seems like making a big fuss to me."

　　另一位10年级学生的家长补充说:“爱是人性的一部分。孩子们可以自己学习。开设这一课程似乎是小题大做。”

　　In China, some high schools have banned students from engaging in relationships and penalties range from demerits to even expulsion. Hou Xiaodong disagreed with such regulations: "It’s not that when you ban it, it won’t exist. When it’s still there, what you should do is to guide it."

　　在中国，一些高中禁止学生谈恋爱，甚至开除他们。侯晓东不同意这样的规定:“并不是当你禁止它的时候，它就不存在了。”当它还在的时候，你应该做的是引导它。

　　Chu also disapproved of such a ban, saying it is only for the convenience of school management. "When a seed is sprouting, you can’t stifle it but have to guide its way."

　　楚兆辉也不赞成这样的禁令，他说这只是为了方便学校管理。“当种子发芽时，你不能抑制它，但必须引导它。”

　　Several Chinese universities have brought courses on love into the curricula. In 2013, a course on love and marriage became an instant hit at Wuhan Polytechnic University.

　　几所中国大学已将恋爱课程纳入课程。2013年，武汉理工大学的一门关于爱情和婚姻的课程瞬间走红。