The Impact of Globalization on Traditional Chinese Values---Juxtaposition of Piano and Bamboo Flute.doc

the impact of globalization on traditional chinese values-juxtaposition of piano and bamboo flutehonorable judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning, when my friend and i were talking about the impact of globalization on traditional chinese values, the first thing that came to our mind was mcdomination, mostly because we were all frequents of mcdonalds. that might just be a joke, but undoubtedly there are some people worrying about the impact of globalization on traditional chinese values. so here comes the question: is globalization really such an evil force that is wiping off our traditional values and leading to cultural homogeneity? or is it, as i believe, the juxtaposition of piano and bamboo flute, mcdonalds and noodles, disney cartoons and the tale of mulan, hollywood films and the magic of chinese kongfu that truly suggests the idea of a global postmodern?with the acceleration of globalization, with the ever-increasing abundance of global connections, with our intensification of consciousness of the world, we now live in an age marked by integration and innovation. great changes have taken place. in ancient china, when people were to write, they reached for brush pen; but at the time when i was writing this speech, i could choose to reach for either a brush pen or the keyboard. in the old days when people were to contact their dear ones, they had to rely on letters; but now when i want to get in touch with my friends, i can choose to send them either a letter or an email. so you see, technology and communications systems have transformed our life for the better, by providing us with more convenience and personal choices.then why are people worried about the impact of globalization? does one established culture tend to repel the influx of a different culture? will the difference between people in diverse cultures necessarily result in conflict and chaos over the decades to come? or could it be possible for different cultures to interweave and complement each other?as a matter of fact, the reason why people are worried is because we are faced with a great challenge, that is, a danger of being infringed upon, of the growth of “sameness”, and of a loss of cultural autonomy. however, as an “adaptive complex system”, a cultural system is an evolving structure that promotes the survival of the society it represents by adapting to new circumstances. by way of cultural exchange, cultural difference may well serve to expand the horizon of awareness and consciousness of individuals within entire societies, and result in the development of new cultural values and patterns of behavior throughout the world. each culture needs nourishment from another culture. a reluctance to acceptdifferences hampers the advancement of culture and leads to decay. history tells us that china was most prosperous in han and tang dynasty, when our culture was most compatible and tolerant. a revisit of the spread of buddhism, with zen as an exemplar, can help us understand the compatibility and convergence of china and foreign cultures. when buddhism was first introduced to china from indiain the late han dynasty, it was regarded as supernatural. later, northern and southern dynasties saw the massive translation of the buddhist canon, which marked the fusion of chinese and indian cultures. buddhism underwent further digestion and absorption as it interweaved with chinese taoism and confucianism in thesui and tang dynasties and eventuallyevolved intozen, which became the dominant religion. moreover, during theexpansion of buddhism, both the differences and similaritiesamong cultures were acknowledged. it spread from india to china, japan, korea and vietnam without bloodshed. now globalization has given china another opportunity to converge and merge with other cultures. transformation is taking place gradually. last year at the national english debating contest, university students were discussing whether they should be allowed to cohabit, a topic students would not dare to talk about in public just 10 years ago. isnt it amazing to see that the chinese students are becoming more open-minded and confident? and this year again at the national english debating contest, one of the topics for the finals was “charity should begin at home”. was there a “clash of civilization” since charity is a religious term in christian theology? definitely no. chinese students can perfectly understand the essence of charity, for what we find in the spirit of charity is love of benevolence in buddhism, love for the others in confucianism and learning from uncle lei feng in our daily life. above all, there must be some common grounds in the moral core of different cultures, even if they belong to different value systems. and i see it as the loving kindness towards others. it is out of this kindness that we offer to help others. it is also out of this kindness that charity shops are beginning to appear in china.ladies and gentlemen, i remember reading the poem by frederic langbridge on pessimists and optimists: two men look out through the same bar; one sees the mud, and one, the stars. i believe those who are