The Universe of Etiquette: The Cultural Foundation and Contextual Inheritance of the Traditional Chinese Etiquette System
The Chinese etiquette system is a distinctive symbol of Chinese culture. Its origin can be traced back to the long-lasting spread of Zhou Gong's "ritual making and music" and the continued inheritance of Confucius' "self-denial and restoration of etiquette".
This system not only includes the five etiquettes of good luck, bad luck, military, guest, and good fortune, but also goes deep into the daily life of sprinkling water, cleaning, and answering.
"Book of Rites: Quli" preaches that morality, benevolence and righteousness cannot be achieved without etiquette; teaching correct customs is incomplete without etiquette. The core of traditional Chinese etiquette is to use external ritual norms to internalize them into individual moral consciousness, and then achieve the grand narrative of "governing the country, ensuring the stability of the country, keeping the people in order, and benefiting future generations."
Starting from the royal court invitation ceremony to the folk drinking ceremony in the countryside, every detail contains the awe of the king of heaven and earth and the pursuit of harmonious human order, thus building the solid core of the "state of etiquette" in Chinese culture.
Seasons of the Year: The cosmology and life wisdom contained in folk culture
With the twenty-four solar terms as a kind of longitude and traditional festivals as a kind of weft, what weaves together a picture of life that is influenced by heaven and man is the traditional Chinese folk custom that presents the vitality of the national spirit.
During the Spring Festival, there are Nuo dances to ward off epidemics, and there are reunions to keep the year old. During the Qingming Festival, there are cold food and fire bans, and there are ancestor worship and grave sweeping. The Dragon Boat Festival includes dragon boat races, hanging moxa and drinking cattails, and the Mid-Autumn Festival includes worshiping the moon and appreciating laurels, as well as reunion gifts. These all demonstrate the Chinese people's compliance with natural rhythms and the importance they attach to family ethics.
Behind these folk activities, there is a strong philosophical thought of yin and yang and the five elements. For example, climbing on the Double Ninth Festival is to avoid disasters, and counting nine on the winter solstice is to welcome the yang energy. They are all through specific ritual actions to reconcile the body and mind, communicate with humans and gods, and unite the community. They are important carriers of the living inheritance of Chinese culture.
Complementarity between Confucianism and Taoism: the core and spiritual foundation of traditional Chinese philosophical thought
Chinese philosophy has a long history, is broad and profound.
Represented by Confucius and Mencius, Confucianism advocates the situation of "benevolent people love others" and "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you." It focuses on the path of self-cultivation such as inner sage and outer king and social order such as Gangchang Mingjiao, which laid the value orientation for Chinese civilization of entering into the world, being enterprising, and taking on the responsibility to make a difference.
Taoist philosophy, represented by Lao and Zhuang, advocates "Tao follows nature", emphasizes "quietness and inaction", pursues spiritual freedom and transcendence of life, and cultivates the nation's metaphysical wisdom and dialectical thinking in seclusion.
The two ideas of Confucianism and Taoism collide and merge with each other, just like the yin and yang in Tai Chi. The two are each other's exterior and interior, and together they shape the Chinese national character of being able to advance and retreat freely, and combining strength and softness. They also lay a solid philosophical foundation for later generations to accept and integrate Buddhist ideas.
Vivid charm: Aesthetic pursuit and artistic conception expression in classic art forms
Chinese art is unique among the world's arts with its unique aesthetic system.
Artistic creators integrate personal emotions with the vitality of the universe through the realization of "the external teacher creates the heart, and the inner source", so that the work is not only a visual or auditory enjoyment, but also a medium for mental cultivation and philosophical speculation, carrying the profound heritage of elegant culture.
Gentle and elegant: the persistence of the humanistic spirit and the orthodoxy of the Chinese context
Extremely deep concern for human dignity, deep concern for human value, and deep concern for human destiny are the core of the Chinese humanistic spirit.
Starting from the people-centered thought of "the people are the foundation of the country, the foundation is the foundation of the country", it continues to the scholars who express "the heart for the heaven and the earth, and the life for the people"; from the special concept with the characteristic mark of "sacrifice one's life for righteousness", it extends to the feelings of the family and the country that uphold the concept of "the rise and fall of the world, everyone is responsible", this spiritual lineage has been endless for thousands of years.
The historical culture that has accumulated over the years can be preserved and passed on with the help of numerous and complex classics and historical collections. For example, the "Historical Records" expresses "exploring the relationship between heaven and human affairs, and understanding the laws of historical change from ancient times to the present", or "using the past events as a reference to help govern the country" contained in the "Zizhi Tongjian". Each of these shows the extremely strong historical consciousness and cultural awareness deep in the hearts of the Chinese people.
Highly identifying one's own cultural traditions and consciously inheriting them are the key to maintaining the orthodoxy of the Chinese context and the key to its strong vitality. In contemporary society, this is still the deep foundation for us to establish cultural confidence and is also an inexhaustible source of our cultural confidence.
Comments NOTHING