Page 2 of 2 Racing ahead, China
resurrects its
past By Kent Ewing
ancient
philosophical tradition. Taoism was close to being
a state religion during the Tang Dynasty and is
also associated with Buddhism in China. Buddhism,
which originated in India, was heavily influenced
by the use of Taoist words and concepts when it
was introduced to the country.
After the
anti-imperialist, anti-feudal May 4th Movement in
1919, however, Taoism was often depicted as a
backward tradition
based on superstition and,
like Confucianism, consigned to the ash heap of
history.
But Tao Te Ching's
emphasis on peace and harmony is a message Chinese
leaders want to promote. They also may have use
for one of Taoism's central tenets - that no
action is the best action. Past leaders have
rejected this philosophy as unhelpful; now it may
have a pacifying role to play.
"Today, in
the 21st century," said Liu Yandong, vice
chairwoman of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC), "the ancient
concepts and views of Tao Te Ching still
have important value."
China's top
political adviser, CPPCC chairman Jia Qinglin,
called the text "not only a precious gem in the
treasure house of Chinese culture but a common
spiritual wealth of mankind" in a congratulatory
message to the forum.
Jia, who overseas
religious affairs, has also said that religious
freedom in China allows room for Islam and
Christianity, although the government worries
about Muslim separatists in the northwest and
recognition of the Vatican is not yet in the
cards.
In addition, the CPPCC chairman
played a prominent role at an international forum
on Buddhism held last year in the eastern city of
Hangzhou, but the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual
leader, the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing regards as a
separatist, was not invited.
To underscore
the government's support for religion, in February
Jia invited representatives of China's four major
religious traditions - Taoism, Buddhism,
Christianity and Islam - to Zhongnanhai, the
Communist Party's headquarters in Beijing.
"It's very important to make full use of
the positive elements in religion," he told the
religious leaders. He also encouraged them to
dissuade their followers from adopting
"disharmonious behaviors" and urged them to
"support the government's measures to prevent and
crack down on separatist activities instigated and
fanned by hostile overseas forces".
Such
statements put the new emphasis on philosophy and
religion in clearer perspective. With Marxism now
a dead ideology in China, leaders are searching
for ways to fill the void and unify the country.
In the past, they have tapped into nationalism,
but that can be a dangerous force, as witnessed by
the sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests that
swept over the country two years ago.
The
attacks on the Japanese Embassy in Beijing and
Japanese Consulate in Shanghai were clearly
manifestations of nationalism gone wrong, and
Chinese leaders want to temper this potentially
explosive force with softer values.
And
the same is true of the country's new capitalist
creed of greed is good. It, too, needs some
spiritual and philosophical checks and balances,
and the ancient Chinese traditions have been
resurrected to play that role, and other
traditions have been called in to assist. The
desired end is that mammon, while still alive and
well, will be put in his proper place.
What's missing from the plan, however, is
any clear push for meaningful political and social
reform. Will reviving the ancients decrease the
wealth gap, make corrupt officials honest and
quell growing social unrest that has increasingly
turned violent?
If Karl Marx could join
the resurrection party, he would say no.
Kent Ewing is a teacher and
writer at Hong Kong International School. He can
be reached at kewing@hkis.edu.hk.
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