The spirit of Guan Gong lives on in China and abroad

A teacher who has been teaching Chinese abroad for more than 10 years said that Guan Gong is deeply respected by foreigners because of his spirit of loyalty and righteousness.

Guan Gong, also known as Guan Di or Emperor Guan, a general in the late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), has been widely revered for his loyalty and righteousness by the Chinese people.

Liu Lin, a native of North China's Shanxi province, shared her view at a recent global online outreach campaign "Loyalty and Honor Without Borders" in Yuncheng, the hometown of Guan Gong.

She said that at its core, the spirit of Guan Gong comes down to the "Three Yi" in Chinese, literally: loyalty, benevolence, and good faith. His heart was set on the greater righteousness of home and country.

In her class in France, she hopes to draw parallels between Guan Gong's spirit of loyalty and righteousness and European chivalry, guiding international students to understand the Chinese spirit.

Liu said once she was introducing Datong city when a French student saw the photo of Guandi Temple and raised his hand to say that he had ever seen the figure in the temple, but he did not know who it was.

"At that moment, I did not talk with him about the history, but I asked 'If a person can keep the promise no matter how many temptations and difficulties he faces, what kind of person do you think he is?'"

Students answered, "reliable and respectable."

Liu told them that this is Guan Gong, whom Chinese people respect not only for his bravery, but also for his loyalty and righteousness.

After living in France for a long time, Liu has found that it is not just teachers who are truly promoting Guan Gong culture, but also countless Chinese people who are making a living overseas.

In the Chinese business community in France, everyone values honesty and integrity in doing business, treating both young and old fairly, and always keeping their promises. This is a deeply ingrained sense of "faith".

It can be said that every overseas Chinese who abides by their promises and upholds righteousness is a walking business card for Guan Gong culture.

The four-day campaign held in late September brought together content creators from six countries, including France, Russia and Thailand, as well as journalists from Chinese and foreign media outlets such as China Daily Website, Voice of Vietnam and the Associated Press of Pakistan.

Hosted jointly by the Cyberspace Administration of Shanxi province, China Daily Website and the Yuncheng municipal government, the campaign featured immersive cultural experiences across Taiyuan, Pingyao and Yuncheng. Participants visited time-honored Guan Gong temples, ancient merchant culture heritage sites and intangible cultural heritage workshops, while enjoying extended reality productions and traditional opera performances themed on Guan Gong culture.