The world is recalculating the abacus' added historical and contemporary value since the device was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List last month. Xu Lin reports.
New interest in the ancient abacus can be seen on a preschool's blackboard, which is covered with photos of fruit with price tags and the ancient calculation device.
And it can be heard in the click-clack of children sliding abacus beads to answer teacher Zhang Jing's question: "How much would two bananas and three oranges cost?"
Tian Xingjian loves the class at the preschool attached to the Beijing Bright Horizon International Academy primary school, largely because of the playful pedagogical approach.
"It's very fun!" the 5-year-old says.
"I love all the games. I've learned how to buy things and calculate with an abacus."
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