1 Introduction

The intrinsic connection between language and culture was discussed, emphasizing the importance of culture in foreign language teaching. The paper points out that as important materials for foreign language education, textbooks present cultural content that has a profound impact on learning outcomes. At present, Italian language teaching in China mainly focuses on higher education, but there is relatively little research on related textbooks. This study selected three representative Italian language textbooks to conduct a longitudinal content analysis of the presentation of Chinese culture, aiming to enrich relevant research in China.

Cultural Presentation in Italian Language Textbooks

There is a lack of research on the content of Italian language textbooks in China, and only Zhang Qian (2019) analyzed the evolution of local textbooks for Italian language majors in domestic universities. Foreign research mainly focuses on textbooks published by Italian publishers, analyzing the applicability and scientificity of their content arrangement from a teaching perspective. Foreign research also focuses on gender culture in textbooks, such as Marinari's (2013) analysis of gender stereotypes in textbooks and Vu č enovi ć's (2022, 2023) revelation of gender bias in textbooks. At present, there is little attention paid to Chinese local textbooks both domestically and internationally, and there is a lack of analysis on the presentation of Chinese culture in local textbooks. This study will be based on domestically compiled textbooks and conduct an in-depth analysis of the presentation and evolution of Chinese culture in the textbooks.

3 Research Design

This chapter introduces the research design on the presentation of Chinese culture in Chinese Italian language textbooks. The study selected three locally compiled Italian language textbooks published in different periods and used a diachronic content analysis method to explore the changes in the proportion, presentation types, and ways of Chinese culture in the textbooks. The selected textbooks for the study are the third volume of three sets of textbooks published in 1972, 1988, and 2022. The analysis framework encodes and calculates the weight of Chinese culture in textbooks from three levels: region, cultural type, and presentation method. Study the use of MaxQda software for coding, and ensure the consistency and effectiveness of the coding through team discussions and expert guidance.

Analysis of the Presentation of Chinese Culture in Italian Language Textbooks

Analyzed the presentation of Chinese culture in Italian language textbooks in China. Research has found that with the update of textbook versions, the proportion of Chinese culture has significantly decreased, while the proportion of target language country culture has significantly increased. In the subdivision of Chinese culture, modern culture has always dominated, traditional culture has gradually increased in proportion, while revolutionary culture has rapidly declined. The presentation intensity of Chinese cultural products in textbooks is higher than that in cultural practice, and the presentation of cultural products is increasingly inclined towards implicit ways. The presentation of cultural concepts, cultural communities, and cultural figures has always been relatively low in the three textbooks. The presentation of Chinese culture has also undergone significant changes, from T1 to T3, with a significant reduction in explicit presentation and the mainstream of implicit presentation. The presentation of Chinese culture in textbooks is increasingly inclined towards implicit ways such as grammar examples and vocabulary and grammar exercises, rather than explicit ways such as main texts and cultural knowledge sections.

5 Discussion and Reflection

Explored the presentation and importance of Chinese culture in foreign language textbooks. Research has found that as communication between China and the West increases, the content of Chinese culture in foreign language textbooks decreases, while the cultural content of the target language country increases. The author believes that foreign language textbooks should present more Chinese culture to enhance learners' motivation, strengthen cultural identity, and improve cross-cultural communication skills. Textbooks should balance the presentation of target language culture and Chinese culture, and cultivate learners' cross-cultural awareness and critical thinking abilities. The study also pointed out that the presentation types of Chinese culture in textbooks are uneven, and it is recommended to increase the presentation of cultural communities, characters, and concepts to promote learners' comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture and cross-cultural adaptation. In addition, the presentation of Chinese culture in textbooks has shifted from explicit to implicit, which may help internalize language knowledge but may also lead to learners lacking critical thinking about cultural content. Therefore, textbooks should balance explicit and implicit cultural presentation to promote learners' cross-cultural competence development.

6 Summary

By analyzing three Italian language textbooks from 1972, 1988, and 2022, this paper explores the presentation and changes of Chinese culture in the textbooks. Research has found that over time, the content of Chinese culture in textbooks gradually decreases, modern culture dominates, revolutionary culture sharply declines, and the proportion of traditional culture is not high. Textbooks mainly present Chinese culture through cultural products and cultural practices, with less emphasis on cultural concepts, communities, and characters. Early textbooks showed a balance between explicit and implicit presentation of Chinese culture, while later textbooks mainly presented it implicitly through practice questions and grammar example sentences. Despite the changes in textbook content, they all respond well to the demand of the times for foreign language talents. The T3 textbook focuses on the culture of the target language country and echoes other textbooks that emphasize Chinese culture, achieving a multicultural balance and helping to cultivate students' cross-cultural awareness and abilities. However, culture is a dynamically constructed symbolic network, and language is not equivalent to culture. Relying solely on quantitative analysis and preconceived conceptual frameworks can easily lead to a static, essentialist understanding of culture. Therefore, research attempts to sort out the social and historical information behind the text, but further interpretive analysis is still needed in conjunction with specific contexts. Due to data limitations, the study was unable to comprehensively analyze the entire set of textbooks, and the comprehensiveness of the analysis results needs further verification.