An error in a history textbook used by secondary schools in Singapore has gone undetected for seven years, until now.
In an explanation of governance in ancient China, the textbook erroneously refers to "feudal lords" during the Shang and Western Zhou dynasties as the "shi" - a glaring inaccuracy, say history academics and experts.
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The "shi", they point out, are the nobles and intellectuals who may hold positions in government and sometimes own land, but they ultimately yield to the feudal class, reported Lianhe Wanbao.
The textbook with the conspicuous mistake is "The Living Past - History of Ancient India, China and Southeast Asia", which is approved by the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Now in its second edition, the first version was approved by MOE for use back in 2006.
In one of its chapters, "The Living Past" deals with the topic of feudalism and the class of people who were rewarded with land for their support of the king.
The textbook refers to them as the feudal "shi", a mistake which is repeated 24 times over, according to a tally by Lianhe Wanbao.
In response to a Wanbao query, an MOE spokesperson said the ministry will work with the publisher to inform history teachers of the error, and will issue printed corrections.
MOE will also work with the publisher to print the corrected details in next year's edition.
The head of the Chinese humanities division at Nanyang Technological University, associate professor Cheung Chiu-Yee, said the textbook's author could have thought of the "shi" as a collective term for nobility, and hence used it interchangeably with "feudal lords".
