Despite the growing popularity of foreign holidays, the Spring
Festival, which this year falls at the end of January, is still the
most significant festival in the country. At that time, family
members gather together and have reunion dinners, as well as
setting off fireworks and visiting friends. Yet, particularly among
younger people, the holiday is not without its stresses.
RED GLOW: In the Lantern Festival, children are
cheered by skillfully made lanterns
As more people leave their hometowns and work in major cities
like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the Spring Festival is a time
when they can go back home and meet with their parents after a long
separation. The national broadcaster reported that commuters made
1.9 billion trips during the 2005 Spring Festival period, and it is
estimated that the number will increase to 2 billion this year.
Although the transportation capacity has improved each year, it
still does not meet the demand, and as a result, the transportation
situation remains tight. Many people choose to travel by train,
which is less expensive than flying, and that causes big headaches
since it is extremely difficult to buy a train ticket at this time
of year.
Ma Liqiang, Deputy Secretary General of the National Development
and Reform Commission, contended, "The shortage of transportation
capability will not be fully made up for even in five to 10 years,
and the tight situation during the Spring Festival frenzy may last
longer than in the past," as more people travel and extend the
holiday period.
FESTIVAL FEAST: Eating jiaozi is one of the
customs of the Chinese Spring Festival, especially in the country's
northern part
Referring to the Spring Festival, Lin Xi, who works for the
Ministry of Construction, said, "I believe many people have mixed
feelings toward it." It is exciting for people to get together with
their parents, but the process of buying a train ticket takes up
too much energy and is a headache, he added.
For many young people, the Spring Festival can be a difficult
experience. Lin said for those who have a good career, the holiday
could be a platform for showing off their accomplishments. But
those who have just started out in their careers might feel an
intangible pressure: Their "worth" could be materialized in the
value of the presents they send to others. Therefore, those people
may feel embarrassed by both the excitement of coming home and
their inability to give more expensive gifts.
Like Lin, many young people in cities are growing tired of the
rituals of eating, drinking and sending gifts at the Spring
Festival. As a result, some experts are concerned that the holiday
may lose some of its significance.
Protecting heritage
Early this month, Gao Youpeng, an expert on folklore, wrote a
Protecting Spring Festival Declaration, noting that the holiday, as
a symbol of Chinese traditional culture, should be preserved in a
world where globalization is gaining the upper hand.
Compared with the increasing popularity of foreign holidays,
traditional Chinese festivals seem less attractive to the younger
generation, and this worries many people. Although the majority of
Chinese will have yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) in the Lantern
Festival and zongzi (dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in
bamboo or reed leaves) in the Duanwu Festival, the cultural content
of the holidays has been declining and people are less passionate
about celebrating the festivals than before.
DRESSING UP: In the Lantern Festival, Chinese
people dress up and dance so as to wish good seasons in the coming
year
Sociologist Wu Ming also warns that traditional festivals are
facing a predicament, which is closely related to changes in
society. Urbanization has altered the social structure, people's
way of life and human relations. Thus, many of these festivals,
which are closely linked to agriculture and village life, can be
easily ignored by people living in urban areas.
At the same time, the cultural content of festivals is changing
slightly. For instance, the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is supposed
to be a day full of idyllic charm, has become a showcase for
manufacturers' ability to make ever-more-luxurious moon cakes, a
snack typical of the day. Those expensive moon cakes serve not only
as food, but also as networking presents for business people and
individuals.
In November 2005, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization accepted South Korea's application to list
the Gangneung Dragon Boat Festival as a masterpiece of oral and
intangible heritage of humanity, bringing closure to a yearlong
dispute between Korean and Chinese academic communities over the
festival.
The Duanwu Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) was originally
celebrated in China, and has a 2,500-year history there. That
tradition was transmitted to neighboring countries and became
localized in following years. The successful bid of South Korea's
dragon boat festival for intangible cultural heritage status led
the Chinese to ponder how to protect their traditional culture and
festivals. Many experts and scholars restated their view that some
traditional Chinese festivals should receive legal protection.
The government has already taken action. On December 31, 2005,
the Ministry of Culture presented to the public its first list of
nominees for intangible cultural heritage status, including the
Spring Festival, the Qingming Festival (day for paying homage to
the dead), the Duanwu Festival, the Qiqiao Festival (dubbed as
China's Valentine's Day), the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chongyang
Festival (also known as Senior Citizens' Festival).
Some media reports have suggested that the government is
determined to protect China's cultural heritage in a complete
way.
But others have a different view of government intervention in
the matter. An article in Modern Express, a Chinese newspaper, said
the Spring Festival should not be protected heavily. It explained
that first, the Spring Festival should be a totally folk event, and
thus the government should not organize any major activities but
rather allow people to observe it in their own way. Second, the
Chinese should learn from the celebration of foreign holidays, and,
according to the author, people should not spend the whole festival
at home, playing cards and mahjong.
The article also contended that many traditional festivals have
lost their original meaning for many Chinese. What people should
protect, it said, is the original charm of the festivals instead of
customs that have lost their characteristics. In a sense,
traditional festivals should again become pure folk festivals.
(Beijing Review January 28, 2006)
