No place for negative traditional culture

There is no reason not to popularize traditional Chinese culture and make the young generation aware of the precious cultural gems passed on to us by our ancestors. But since every civilization and culture has positive and negative elements, distinction should be made between these opposing elements while promoting traditional Chinese culture.

Not all regions of China, however, have been able to make this distinction. In a move to promote clean governance, authorities in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, recently held an exhibition of some ancient tools of torture, including the barbaric "tiger stool" and "breast clip", with vivid descriptions, exposing their poor understanding of the importance of traditional culture.

In Dongguan, Guangdong province, local officials have organized classes on "female ethics", where women are advised not to react or strike back when scolded or physically assaulted. They are also advised to resign to their fate, and never seek divorce, even if their marital life becomes unbearable - which is akin to putting the old Chinese patriarchal society's prejudicial moral shackles on women. In Lu'an, Anhui province, the local publicity department has launched a campaign to promote "24 Filial Piety Stories", one of which, set in ancient times, is about a poor man who intends to bury his little son in order to save food for his starving mother.

Old Chinese stories on "filial piety" and wives' unconditional love for and tolerance toward husbands are the products of the specific historical conditions of the times and, in most cases, have no place in modern society.

At a September symposium to commemorate the 2,565th birth anniversary of Confucius, the top leader Xi Jinping said traditional culture represents the ideological roots that a country must inherit and popularize, for without it we would be deprived of a spiritual lifeline. But he also said efforts should be made to creatively develop and transform traditional Chinese culture to facilitate its integration into modern society. In fact, Xi and other leaders have expressed similar views on many occasions.