30-3-23

Have you given a thought to the 2 kinds of countries in the world? Scholars said some countries are considered ‘feminine cultures’. They are like Sweden, Norway and Costa Rica. Both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender and concerned with the quality of life. On the other hand, countries like United States, Korea and Japan represent ‘masculine cultures’. They tend to prioritize money, materialistic success and power.

Power, dominant power, without a nation’s mellow charm, is nothing. This is perhaps why 2 national goals are common for a country namely: ‘hard power’ and ‘soft power’. Hard power is the extent of political, economic and military influence which can earn the respect, if not submission or capitulation, from other countries. Soft power is a persuasive and gentle approach to international relations, typically involving the use of educational, cultural and artistic influence. Writer Kurt Vonnegut put it humorously, “Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind.” For example, the American comic superheroes sway the beliefs of billions of young people in the world with lasting cultural implications.

In history, Chinese dynasties conquered numerous foreign states. Some were at a great distance away in the Middle East. There were important times that Chinese culture once spread to almost every part in Asia. In the 1800s, the Qing dynasty started to struggle and mourn. Poverty and invasion by foreign powers led to the collapse of Qing China in 1911 after a successful revolution led by Dr Sun Yat-sen(孫中山). Ever since then and only until recent decades, China had been poor and lost nearly all her flows of cultural influence to other parts of the world. In December 1978, the great leader Deng Xiaoping(鄧小平) announced a new national policy, the ‘Open Door Policy’, to open China’s communist economy to private enterprises, instead of only state corporations, and foreign businesses. Now, China’s economic and political influences have grown to those of one of the most powerful nations. Yet in her international cultural footprints, China may still be considered a developing country.

Chinese culture is no doubt rich and consists of profound history, philosophy, literature, traditions, artifacts, martial arts, dances, painting, handicrafts, costumes, cuisine and ways of living for thousands of years. Her culture can be ancient or modern, fine or popular and representational or abstract. The emphasis of Chinese culture is on the beauty of nature and the harmony of humans with nature. Chinese believe in symmetry, order and destiny. Our core values are duty before freedom, obedience before rights, community before individual and peace before conflict. Regrettably, how many foreigners can really understand our Chinese culture, let alone accept or adore it? The future cultural development and expansion of China must therefore encompass the objective as to why other people would appreciate our culture.

In the recent 14th National People’s Congress (第十四屆全國人民代表大會)，Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) expressed the 4 future policies of cultural aspiration for the country.

1. China shall expand domestic demands for arts and cultures and increase the number of cultural consumers (‘cultural consumption’ refers to the avid interest in and spending on art, books, music and live cultural events etc. within a society);
2. China shall accelerate building up a conducive environment for the development of cultural and creative industries. It will boost the energy of cultural markets and economy in the country;
3. China shall employ strategies to facilitate the development of creative ideas into cultural products, services or new business especially in the area of innovative digital technologies; and
4. China shall fully explore the potential of her cultural beauty and promote rural economies which, apart from agricultural, will include the non-agricultural industries such as cultural tourism and cultural activities.

Culture is the solid foundation embodying all ‘soft powers’ of a nation. China will not be the most respectable country if it does not communicate softly and beautifully with other countries by using her ampleness in cultural, historical and contemporary treasures. The 4 national cultural directions are timely—and most importantly, they mark the second phase of China’s development i.e., from economic success to cultural attainment and prosperity.

Propaganda is not soft power. Education is. Enriching the brains of others gently with our ravishing cultures is the way to replace a prejudiced mind with an equitable one.