Mr. Bo Yang wrote an article titled "Admiring Foreign Things, But Not Fawning on Them," which not only benefited me greatly but also gave me much to say. However, I am self-aware enough to know that Mr. Bo Yang's talent and magnanimity are beyond my reach. Therefore, in writing this article, "Mr. Bo Yang's Article 'Admiring Foreign Things, But Not Fawning on Them,'" I do not seek to surpass him, but only to imitate him briefly and to make my point coherent.
I know that admiring foreign things and fawning on them is a very broad topic, far from being explained in a few words. The term "admiring foreign things and fawning on them" comes from Mr. Mao Dun's "Learning from Lu Xun," where he wrote: "At that time, the Qing Dynasty and the Westernization Movement officials in power admired foreign things and fawned on them, selling out national sovereignty." Its original meaning refers to worshipping everything Western and flattering foreigners. It could even mean losing national self-respect and blindly flattering foreigners. Thus, those so-called scholars gathered the remnants of the late Qing Dynasty, claiming to be the orthodox nationalists, and fiercely criticized those who were afflicted with the disease of "admiring foreign things and fawning on them."
A heated debate, seemingly about innovation versus conservatism, began, bordering on personal attacks. This reminded me of the saying "There were no righteous wars in the Spring and Autumn Period." While they appeared to represent the Way of the King, this wasn't the case; they actually represented their respective social camps. In terms of social dynamics, for the closed-door Qing Dynasty, radical and thorough reform was its only way out. Western culture, politics, and economics had already crossed its borders and were moving towards globalization. The Qing Dynasty, as a member of the world—the ruling class of China—had long lagged behind advanced nations. Yet, these rulers still considered themselves a great power, arrogant and overconfident. Western civilization, with its superior ships and cannons, broke through all of the Qing's defenses. Western nations swept across China like a flood, bringing their predatory nature to plunder and plunder. Of course, they also brought technology and civilization, but this was mixed with barbarity, attempting to use their savagery to humiliate our ancient civilization.
Chinese civilization is profound and extensive, yet it also has limitations. It needs to integrate into the global trend, leveraging its strengths and mitigating its weaknesses. Just as no one is perfect, China has its limitations, and the West has its shortcomings. Only through great integration can both sides achieve mutual benefit. The Qing Dynasty opened China's doors passively, and the Chinese people were either on the "left" side of resistance or on the "right" side of blindly worshipping foreign things. For a long time, these extreme behaviors may have made them forget the "middle ground" between the left and right. Those on the left criticized those on the right for forgetting their roots, while those on the right criticized those on the left for being antiquated. Perhaps this controversy sparked some reflection, leading to the slogan "Learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians," the concept of "Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning for practical application," and even Lu Xun's "borrowing" theory. Perhaps because of these theoretical foundations, "worshiping foreign things, but not blindly worshipping them" became a mature proposition of a composite doctrine of the mean.
The essence of "admiring foreign things, but not fawning on them" lies in recognizing our shortcomings, correcting our mistakes, and learning from our shame. Even today, cries of admiring foreign things still resonate. But how can we judge a person's true thoughts based on their actions, for what we see and hear is often a facade? This reminds me of Lu Xun's words, "A true hero dares to face the bleak reality of life and the dripping blood." This requires a correct understanding and self-awareness. As individuals, we must know what we have and what we lack so that we can better manage and improve ourselves. This applies to individuals and nations alike. We should have a spirit of sharing, borrowing from others' strengths for our own use, and offering our own when others need them. This way, we don't need to invest our energy in areas where others have already achieved success, but rather achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes through complementarity and sharing.
This is a law of survival; we shouldn't blindly worship everything because of their merits, losing our self-respect and our individuality. If there is no equality between people, even if you become wealthy and powerful, your inferiority complex will remain just as strong as the discrimination of others. This is like a merchant in feudal China; despite being rich, he lacked social standing. Only self-respect within equality can allow us to sweep away the lingering foreign worship and slavish sycophancy within our hearts in this era. Mr. Bo Yang mentioned in his writing, "Foreign worship and slavish sycophancy are worlds apart, completely unrelated, yet they are forcibly lumped together and constantly dragged out for fierce criticism, bringing endless disaster. However, those who suffer are not those labeled as foreign worshippers and slavish sycophants, but rather the people who dare not worship foreign things for fear of slavish sycophancy." This is actually a critique of the left by the right, but because the left ignores it or goes its own way, the right then begins to besiege the minority in the middle, forcing them to pull back from the brink and retreat. This is an unreasonable act of making a fuss, a result of picking on the weak, and even more so, idle people pointing fingers at those who are actually doing the work.
Let me ask these right-wing friends: if China were to allow women to continue wearing bound feet, allow some men to remain eunuchs, wear the loose-fitting robes of Peking Opera, smoke pipes and hookahs, and return to the closed-off Qing Dynasty, would that not be considered "worshiping foreign things"? Let me further ask these right-wing friends: since you're essentially siding with those who claim to "worship foreign things," then you should set an example by smashing your own apartment, destroying all those computers, televisions, refrigerators, telephones, lights, and other things that embody Western civilization, abandoning your fountain pen and returning to the era of the calligraphy brush. Then think about what you'll have left! And let me also ask these right-wing friends: should we restore the hereditary imperial system, abolish democratic voting, and reinstate the policy of prioritizing agriculture over commerce, returning merchants to a monolithic society where "excellence in learning leads to officialdom"? Would that not be considered "worshiping foreign things"? Our society today won't change because of a few online clamors, because people are accustomed to a blend of Chinese and Western lifestyles. We may understand the concept of "borrowing" but not necessarily the essence of "Chinese learning as the foundation, Western learning for practical application," let alone the thankless task of "admiring foreign things without fawning on them." Only by rationally recognizing ourselves, knowing our shortcomings, and without blindly worshipping or losing our own identity, can we feel ashamed and then strive to improve, learning from the strengths of the West and using them for our own benefit. Only in this way can we truly understand the beauty of the mean and restore the true nature of "admiring foreign things without fawning on them!"
Postscript: This article is dedicated to the recent disrespect shown to our female compatriots by a foreign man. I hope that the public's perspective will not fall into the old trap of "admiring foreign things without fawning on them," but rather reflect on the long-standing importance of "admiring foreign things without fawning on them!" Because the essence of "admiring foreign things without fawning on them" lies in recognizing our shortcomings, correcting our mistakes, and feeling ashamed and then striving to improve!
Comments
Post a Comment