Traditional Chinese festivals like the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival give many expectations and mean a lot to Chinese people: family reunion, relaxation from strenuous work and even an opportunity to travel around.

But the flavors of "warmth", "happiness" and "joy" that should have been brought about to people by these traditional festivals are becoming "thinner and thinner" not only because of the intrusion of western festivals like the Valentine's Day and Christmas, but also because of various man-made festivals that have run rampant across the country in recent years.

Since years ago, many young Chinese have been more crazy for western festivals than traditional Chinese festivals, a fact that makes business people happy but frustrates many people, especially experts of folk-custom and sociologists who are worried that Chinese tradition and culture are to be forgotten by younger generations.

They are more worried today as fake festivals such as the Tortoise Festival, Chinese Chestnut Festival, Trousers Festival, Pig King Festival, Shopping Festival, the Twins Festivals and many others, often manipulated by commercial purposes, come onto the stage one after another through out the year. Sometimes, several festivals with the same theme are simultaneously held in a same place.

　　TOO MANY FESTIVALS DEVALUATE FESTIVE JOY

In some places, the so-called Moon Cake Festival is held to replace the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion of familyreunion, the Glutinous Rice Dumpling Festival to replace the Dragon Boat Festival and many other man-made festivals like the Mobile Phone Festival, Motorcycle Festival and Ornament Festival show up during traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, or China's Lunar New Year, and the National Day Holiday period, the first week of October.

"The significance of festivals and the content of traditional culture are being devoured by the flood of man-made festivals which are empty, dull and identical," said Jiang Shouhuo, an expert of folk-customs.

Traditional festivals originate from centuries-old history and beautiful legends, Jiang said, adding that history and culture arethe main factors that attract the general public and prolong the life of traditional festivals.

Like the dragon boat racing, which originated in China, dating back to about 2, 300 years ago, Jiang said. The tradition is basedon a legend that disillusioned poet Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River to demonstrate his will to serve the country. People raced to the site in boats to search for him. They made loud sounds to scare away fish and dropped glutinous rice dumping into the water to lure them away from Qu's body. Now the Chinese mark the anniversary of Qu's death by racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of May on China's lunar calendar.

Man-made festivals are created based on various excuses, Jiang said. Chestnut Festival is held because a place produces chestnuts and Trousers Festival is held because a place is flourishing with trousers producing industry. And some business operators take great pains to create festivals to make bigger profits: Such as when a new model of mobile phone is launched, then a mobile phone festival is held.

"The excuses used by people to create festivals actually ring the passing bell to these created festivals," said Fan Kai, a scholar of folk-custom.

Voluntary participation injects vitality into festivals that are celebrated by people from generation to generation, and created festivals which attract few people are doomed to die, Fan said.

"We can have many festivals but they can not go popular, and the festive atmosphere and joy should not be distorted by commercial manipulations," Jiang said, "With festivals flooding, festive joy will be devalued."

　　WHO BENEFITS FROM THE MAN-MADE FESTIVALS?

Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province, is one of the economically underdeveloped regions in western China. To push forward local economic development, local government launched the Daba Mountain Tourism Festival in 2003, which was designed to serve as a platform to lure investment.

The city government promised high payment to invite famous singers to perform for the purpose of adding to the fun of the festival. But the "top singer" invited did not show up for certain reasons.

The "top singer" at last appeared in the city at an occasion to mark the 70th anniversary of the battle to safeguard Wanyuan City last August. Local government lavished 400,000 yuan (about US$49,000) as the payment for the singer.

A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) criticized such activities using public funds to idolize singers and movie stars at the CPPCC annual session last year. A storm of criticism against such activities swept across the country. But the situation did not turn around.

Despite economic backwardness, the north China city has since last year spent one million yuan (about 123,000 US$) annually to invite singers to perform at the city's tourism festival to lure investment. But the city has actually not absorbed much investment.

Flooding man-made festivals reflect an incorrect concept of some local government officials toward achievements, pointed out a sociologist who declined to be named.

The sociologist said that these officials act on impulse and speculative purposes in developing local economy, and they pay more attention to the form than substantial results. Man-made festivals are also hotbeds of corruption, said the sociologist.

"Using festivals as a platform to lure investment and to develop the economy should have been an effective way but the problem is that how people make them attractive not only to business people but also common people," said Chen Yi, deputy head of the cultural exchange center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China.

"Festivals should not be held to make a show of strength or to build up great momentum," Chen said.

As policy-makers, local governments should not blindly "worship festivals" but should set to improve the local investment environment to lure investors, experts said.

"Not endowing too much meaning to festivals, as festivals are just occasions during which people seek fun and relax themselves," said one expert, "If you want to do business or lure investment, trade fairs are much better than festivals."
 
(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2005)