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There is an urgent need for us to represent the gist of traditional Chinese culture better in our daily lives, which is also conducive to the modernization process, an editorial in China Youth Daily urges. An excerpt follows:
The Western Valentine's Day -- February 14 -- was met with hilarity and celebration in China this year, whereas no one would even have noticed our own equivalent, which falls on August 22.
There were no roses or chocolates sent, no shopping discounts -- the only people who really seemed to mark the occasion were Korean nationals.
China has many traditional festivals, which represent the best of our culture. Some of them having been preserved well overseas, such as in the Republic of Korea, where the Dragon Boat Festival, which came from China's Duanwu Festival, still appeals to Korean people -- although in China it is largely ignored.
There is an urgent need to think seriously about how to learn from our ROK neighbours to preserve and revive our own traditions.
Many Western scholars take the ROK as the most Confucian of all Confucian countries, completely neglecting China, which is the real home of Confucius and Mencius.
But while we may feel slighted about this, it is actually understandable. We should ask ourselves what exactly we know about Confucius. Perhaps the only memories we have of him are his portrait in history textbooks and various sayings in Chinese books. Whereas in the ROK, a grand memorial ceremony is held twice a year to remember and promote Confucianism.
Although some of Confucius' theories are obsolete, their essence should not be forgotten and discarded through modernization. Confucianism represents the core value of Chinese people's human-to-nature, human-to-society and human-to-human relationships.
Modern civilization accounts for half of the ROK's rejuvenation, while traditional Confucianism accounts for the other half. The ROK's success story tells us that traditional culture and modern culture are never at odds. They should act in unison to make China's modernization reforms healthy and successful.
(China Daily October 19, 2004)
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