16-03-2022

        What are the impacts of globalization? Among others, globalization becomes evidently the process by which regional cultural influences affect one another. Different cultures result in being either more alike or increasingly tensional.

Asians believe that good relationship with a society comes from the respect of and obedience to leaders. Westerners contend that peaceful co-existence is conditional upon the compromise of the free wills and self-determinations of all individuals. The former stress that the young are to be enjoined and mistakes are to be avoided. The latter coach that life is a battle between a good and a bad wolf and we must learn to fight, with ourselves or others.

Countries nowadays still speak a totally different language: collectivism versus individualism, utilitarianism versus libertarianism, socialism versus capitalism, spirituality versus materialism, paternalistic versus emancipatory government; and muscular versus feminine society.

A wise person should not simply accept or reject. We must allow the occurrence of something that we may dislike or doubt; and patiently wait until the outcome proves the truth. What ways can produce a stronger country and happier people? Some countries tend to interfere other nations, for an ulterior purpose.

During the past 200 years, China, the ‘Sleeping Dragon’, went through too many sufferings: colonialism in Ching Dynasty, division by warlords(軍閥割據), Second World War, civil war and Cultural Revolution. In 1978, leader Deng Xiaoping(鄧小平)led China to initiate fundamental political, economic, social and legal reforms and saved the country from the vastly inefficient situation caught between a rock of state-owned companies and a hard place of the lack of private entrepreneurship. Deng said market economy was not synonymous with capitalism; or central planning necessarily implied governmental rigid controls. He insisted that as long as China was politically stable, China should bravely carry out an unparalleled mission: ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics'(中國特色社會主義).To roughly summarize, it meant 3 things. China must ‘develop a system of market economy with the overall socialist economy’. Also, China should develop ‘socialist democracy’ under the dominant Communist Party serving people as ‘the masters of the country’.

Thirdly, and this is what my article will later discuss: China will groom a better kind of Chinese who will be given good education, high ideas, moral integrity and a strong sense of discipline geared to the needs of China’s modern future. China will not adopt a ‘transplant operation’ from the West. President Xi Jinping(習近平)stressed that for the cultural and education reforms, China would always bear in mind her own national conditions, different problems and roots; and civilization with different values.

The cultural and education changes being carried out are such as:

1. Internet games addiction impairs the youth in China in leading a healthy life. For those below the age of 18, they can only play online games for 1 hour on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Such games are prohibited on other days.
2. Schools should not impose more than 1-2 examinations per year. Results should be classified only into 5 general grades and notified personally to the students without any publicizing. Measures were taken to encourage students to take part in sports and cultural activities especially learning Chinese traditional arts and crafts such as chess and ink painting. Students must attend ‘labour classes’ in order to learn cleaning, cooking, repair and gardening etc. Cram schools and ‘test-prep factories’ were banned. The importance of learning English must not be over-emphasized above other subjects. Government stopped issuing licence to ‘international schools’ and those existing ones should only cater for children whose parents are holding a foreign passport.
3. TVs and media should not allow their artists wearing colorful hair and nose rings, getting tattoo on their skin or behaving in a coquettish or sissy manner. Fan clubs particularly those inciting fans to buy Idol merchandise are cracked down. Government drew up a list of prohibited songs which are indecent or immoral; and they should not be made available in karaokes.
4. Shops ought not sell electronic cigarettes to those under 18. Government thrusted tough rules on the ways that these cigarettes might be sold, for example, no vending machine in the school vicinity. 
5. Games, online or offline, which are immoral, evil or nefarious are to be controlled.
6. Bookstores are to be promoted. Post offices all over the country set up coffee corners to inspire the young to write and send letters to those that they love. A cultural living environment can bring meaningful joy to the people.
7. Supreme People’s Court even ruled in a case that it was an infringement of their parents’ right in case of adult children relying on their parents for a living such as refusal to move out from parental home.

Some sarcastic persons in foreign countries may be uncomfortable. They prefer China not to do things in a different way. Chinese are however determined to do things in her unique and innovative style—this is how the oriental nation has been striving to be an economic giant during the past 40 years. Reform is not always a success. The real mistake is however to stop trying new things in the Chinese ways. China knows the future success of the country is to be measured not only by the GDP, but by the cultural achievements of her nation, people and heritage. The distinct spiritual elements of China’s identity and charm will lie in her miraculous accomplishments in the uncommon. The world must wait and see.

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