【 Guangming Forum · Review 】 The World is Public and the World is Great Harmony - One of the Important Elements of Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture ① Tradition | Culture | World is Great Harmony
【 Guangming Forum · Reflections 】
Author: Yang Chaoming
Editor's note
Recently, at a symposium on cultural inheritance and development, General Secretary Xi Jinping listed many important elements of Chinese excellent traditional culture -- the social ideal of the world for the public and the world for great harmony, the governance thought of the people as the country and the government with virtue, the unified tradition of sharing and pluralistic unity in Kyushu, the family and country feelings of governing peace and responsibility for rise and fall, and the spiritual pursuit of virtue and morality, the ecological concept of the unity of man and nature, the unity of all things, the philosophy of seeking truth from facts, the unity of knowledge and practice, the way of thinking of both, keeping the middle and harmony, and the way of communication between faith and good neighbors ...... General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that these elements together shape the outstanding continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peace of Chinese civilization.
Starting today, in order to delve into the important elements of excellent traditional Chinese culture, our newspaper will publish expert and scholar interpretation articles in the "Guangming Forum · Reflections" column.
On June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended a symposium on cultural inheritance and development in Beijing. When talking about a deep grasp of the characteristics of Chinese civilization, he listed many important elements in Chinese excellent traditional culture. First of all, he talked about the social ideal of the world being public and the world being Datong.
"The world is public" and "the world is in harmony" originated from Confucius and can be found in the "Li Yun" chapters of the "Confucius Family Language" and "Li Ji". Confucius looked back at history, carefully studied the path of the kings, deeply reflected on reality, and formed his social ideal. In the record of "The Analects of Confucius", Confucius lobbied his disciples: "In the journey of the great way, the world is the public, selecting talents and abilities, and promoting faith and harmony. Old people do not only care for their relatives, nor do they only care for their children. Old age has its end, strength has its use, and they are both refined, widowed, and sick. If goods and evil are abandoned on the ground, they do not need to be hidden in themselves; if strength and evil are not from the body, they do not need to be human. They do not prosper through treacherous schemes, theft and chaos, so they do not close their households outside. This is called Datong."
In the era of Confucius, there was no way in the world, and etiquette and music were ruined. He believed that the era of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu was a time of "Dao", and at that time, people regarded the world as public. The so-called "betraying private interests for the public", "public" can be understood as "sharing", referring to people's public consciousness and public morality. The world is for the public, it is the public morality that people cultivate for themselves. People living together should share weal and woe, work together, emphasize a clear sense of "sociality", and strive to be "adults" and "gentlemen". So Confucius advocated helping the needy and caring for each other, rather than going their own way, being selfish, and even harming others, the weak and the strong.
Chinese culture is based on filial piety and emphasizes the spirit of benevolence and reverence. Chinese philosophy can be regarded as a philosophy about the "family", with the family as the center, from the family to the country, from self-cultivation and family harmony to governance and world peace. Confucius advocated cultivating love and respect through filial piety and brotherhood, viewing filial piety and brotherhood as the "foundation of human beings" and love and respect as the "foundation of politics". People have moved from family to society, and Chinese thought has connected family ethics with social and political ethics, socializing the application and understanding of parents' natural emotions towards their children, and giving rise to the concept of the unity of family and country. This is the cognitive basis for China's pursuit of the ideals of "harmony in the world" and "serving the public under heaven".
The world is common and the world is harmonious. Confucius also succinctly stated that "the elderly should rest assured, friends should believe in it, and those who are young should cherish it.". In the "Book of Documents" compiled by Confucius, there is a saying that "the public destroys the private, and the people are willing to embrace it". Most scholars and scholars also attach great importance to justice. Early classics had expressions such as "the public is wise", "the selfless is upright", "because of their selflessness, they can become private", "the public is bright, but the biased is dark", and so on. The social ideal of Confucius had a great influence, and there are countless similar expressions in history. Mencius' theory of "valuing the people and neglecting the ruler", as well as his later advocacy of "governing the world", also originated from Confucius. In the Tang Dynasty, some people said, "If one's heart is devoted to the public, they will achieve great harmony." "Great harmony" advocates harmony and seeks common ground while reserving differences, so as to understand, take, and cultivate harmony.
The principle of "the world is for the public" and "universal harmony" is the root of the moral spirit of Chinese culture and the highest principle of social morality. From Confucius to Sun Yat sen, the Chinese nation's pursuit of this ideal has been consistent, which has influenced the course of thousands of years of Chinese history and spread the color of the lives of countless Chinese people. The thinkers of the late Ming Dynasty said that "the world is not the private of one family", and condensed the moral ideal of "the world is for the public" into a personal moral requirement of "the rise and fall of the world, each person has a responsibility", inspiring countless people with lofty ideals. In modern times, facing the national crisis of internal and external troubles, Kang Youwei proposed in his book "The Book of Great Harmony" the establishment of an ideal world of "Great Harmony, where the world is public, there is no class, and all are equal". Sun Yat sen proposed the "true Three Principles of the People", which is the "Great Harmony World that Confucius hoped for".
The social ideal of "the world is for the public" and "the world is united" is in line with Marxism. One hundred years ago, Qu Qiubai in the Red Tide Song praised the October Revolution: "From now on, the gospel will spread all over the world, and civilization will only wait for the Communist Great Harmony." The great struggle of the CPC has truly turned the ideal of making the world public into a reality.For example, the continuous exchange and integration among various ethnic groups in our country, close unity, mutual support, and the sense of community of the Chinese nation are deeply rooted in the hearts of people of all ethnic groups.
In terms of foreign exchanges, China has long formed the concept of "harmony among nations", emphasizing interdependence, solidarity, and win-win cooperation between people and nations. These are all the condensation of the moral ideal of "the world is for the public".In the new era of digital civilization, in the process of establishing new international relations, maintaining lasting peace and common prosperity of human society, China's advocacy of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has increasingly demonstrated its strong influence, vitality, and appeal, becoming a clear banner that leads the trend of the times and the direction of human progress.
Guangming Daily
[
