Roots-searching

After a period of denial and destruction of its own culture, China is now re-discovering its roots.

The 4^th of May Movement in 1919 and its predecessors were patriotic, but also cultural and intellectual movements and therefore a rejection of Confucian and traditional ideas, which were considered too static. After the demise of the Empire, China searched the West in hope of finding promising ideas for a new society. What they found, amongst other things, was socialism. China at that time strived for western science and dynamics.

The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) waged a war against the Four Olds: Old Customs, Old Culture, Old Habits and Old Ideas. Culture was sacrificed to achieve the goal of a classless society. During the subsequent years, the Chinese wished to return to their <lost traditions>; though 'tradition' must to be considered as more of a collective term for various re-inventions and new inventions of traditional thoughts and rites. Tradition in this sense and the choice of rites and practices being rediscovered and maintained is closely linked to modernity and its values. Recycling tradition makes people feel that the modernity in which they now live has also emerged from Chinese tradition and is not merely a western product. A Chinese intellectual discourse about this topic has flared up. Can China develop an autonomous modernity next to or even apart from European modernity?

In the mid 1980s, China began to re-interpret its Confucian heritage, and this process has not stopped since. Today the Chinese government bows to Confucian statues on the sage's birthday and names its cultural institutions in foreign countries after him. The world is to be conquered with soft power and the country's image needs to be rebuilt.

Political slogans, such as <Harmonizing Society>, that stem from Confucius are being used. The bowing to tradition satisfies an inert need of the population. Ever since the Communist Party encouraged capitalism (capitalists have been allowed to enter the Communist Party since 2002), a vacuum in society has had to be filled.

The People's Republic is the number one leader concerning the list of the world's immaterial cultural heritage. There is an elaborate system for registering immaterial cultural genres locally and passing them on for further evaluation. Through the rapid economic growth, China focuses on renewal and demolition. Nevertheless, the idea that cultural relicts are worth preserving is slowly catching on. NGOs have played a pioneering role in this process; the tourism industry is very pleased. Millions are invested in the preservation and restoration of world material heritage like the Forbidden City. This ensures that cultural treasures are preserved and at the same time prepared for commercial usage.