The Basic Connotation of Excellent Traditional Culture in China

Among the four ancient civilizations in the world, China's traditional culture is the only one left, leaving us with a rich heritage. However, due to the discussion of China traditional culture, there is no clear definition of the concept of "China traditional culture", which is a serious obstacle for us to study China traditional culture.

Keywords China traditional cultural connotation

Since 1980s, the phenomenon of "traditional culture craze" has appeared in China. People from all walks of life, such as China's philosophy, history and literature, are devoted to the study and reflection of China's traditional culture. A large number of books and papers have been published to discuss China's traditional culture, especially its modernization. But I think, in order to study China traditional culture well, we must first make clear what is China traditional culture, and what is its concept and connotation? Through the exploration of traditional culture by some experts and scholars, I have gained a lot and been inspired. Here, I boldly put forward some of my own views:

First of all, judging from the word "China" in the concept of "China traditional culture", "China" refers to the cradle of the formation of our national culture. In ancient times, China had the meanings of "China", "Midsummer", "Middle Earth" and "Zhongzhou". At first it refers to the center of the world, and then it gradually extends to the areas under its rule. In other words, traditional culture is the sum of cultures created by all ethnic groups in China, which includes two points: First, China traditional culture not only refers to the culture of Han nationality in China, but also includes the culture of ethnic minorities. China's minority culture and Han culture are integrated and developed together. Although at that time, China's minority culture and Han culture seemed to regard each other as different cultures, they continued to blend and assimilate in the collision, and * * * became the traditional culture of China today. For example, during the Warring States Period, Zhao Haoqi Wuling followed the example of "Khufu riding and shooting". It is worth noting that Han culture has always been the mainstream culture in China. Although the culture of ethnic minorities is greatly influenced by Chinese culture, in this process, they still retain and inherit their own culture instead of blindly absorbing and assimilating it. Therefore, the traditional culture in China is diverse, and the minority culture in China is an important part of it, which cannot be ignored. Second, the traditional culture of China not only refers to the culture created by all ethnic groups, but also includes different cultures such as Buddhist culture, which will be involved later.

Secondly, judging from the word "tradition" in China Traditional Culture, the so-called "tradition", if interpreted from the perspective of cultural sociology, refers to social and historical factors with their own characteristics, such as customs, ethics, institutional norms and so on. Therefore, the traditional culture of China has been handed down from generation to generation in China, and it is still influential today. Because of its value and vitality, it must be preserved. Not all cultures that have appeared in history are called traditional cultures. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the development of culture and thought was full of vitality, and the theory of a hundred schools of thought contended appeared. What can be passed down and have a far-reaching impact on future generations? Visible, those recorded in ancient books, which have no meaning to people's real life, can't be called China's traditional culture.

From a historical perspective, "tradition" means stability on the basis of history and constant change with the development of history. Traditional culture is a product of history, but it is not an exhibit in a museum. It is preserved and passed on to future generations unchanged, but something with strong vitality. Tradition needs to continue in stability, but without development and change, there is no tradition. No matter in which period, China traditional culture can absorb the essence of the culture at that time, and constantly develop and improve itself. As Mr. Yuan Xingpei said, "The traditional culture of China is not a stagnant pool. It is like an endless river, constantly absorbing tributaries, straight or curved, urgent or slow, rising or falling, and never changing. Only by constantly replacing the old forms with new ones can we stay young forever. " The spread of Buddhism in China is a typical example. In the Han Dynasty, Buddhism, as a heterogeneous culture, was introduced into China. After a long period of exclusion, adaptation and assimilation, it finally took root in China and was widely accepted by the people of China, becoming an important part of the traditional culture of China.

From the linguistic point of view, "tradition" and "modernity" correspond. However, some people have not yet linked tradition with modernization, and always think that modernization and tradition are irrelevant, so it is good not to interfere with each other. I think this view is extremely incorrect. China traditional culture is the root, symbol and pride of a nation. How can a nation prosper if its roots are cut off? China's traditional culture is like Newton's "giant's shoulder". If we want to see further and do better, we must stand on the shoulders of giants instead of trampling on them. Although there are some dross in our traditional culture, such as absolutism, bureaucracy, privileged thoughts and paternalism, we don't pay attention to time and efficiency. But at the same time, there are also essences in traditional culture, which are worth studying and sorting out, making it a useful resource for modernization. As mentioned in the Shen Jia Cultural Declaration: "Chinese culture pays attention to personality, ethics, altruism and harmony, and radiates the humanistic spirit of peace information, which will certainly provide important ideological enlightenment for thinking and dispelling the phenomena of personal supremacy, material supremacy, vicious competition and predatory development and various worrying phenomena in today's world, and for pursuing human peace and happiness." Therefore, you must not "throw away the bath water with the baby" as the folks say. Moreover, the development of any culture is not a relationship of destroying one and replacing another. It must be a process of injecting new culture and eliminating outdated culture, and it is the modernization of traditional culture. The key is to consciously and actively distinguish the essence and dross of traditional culture. We should continue to carry forward excellent traditional culture, constantly absorb excellent foreign culture, adjust and abandon backward and decadent culture, and make it a new driving force for modernization, so as to build a new culture suitable for social development.

Finally, China's traditional culture has become an indispensable part of people's lives, which is reflected in people's words, deeds and thoughts. Every one of us lives in the cultural tradition of China every day. We watch places of interest, recite poems, enjoy piano, chess, calligraphy and painting ... whether we like it or not, there is no doubt about it. We always show the advantages and disadvantages of this tradition directly or indirectly with our own words, actions and thinking, including people's basic necessities of life, interpersonal relationships and values. For example, in real life, we often refer to each other's positions as titles, such as Director Liu, Director Li and Director Sun. These appellations are used to clarify identity and reflect the hierarchical thought in traditional culture. Besides, what we usually say about "don't say evil" and "disaster comes from the mouth" has a certain relationship with China's traditional autocratic thought. Let's talk about the recent SARS period in 2003, the snow disaster in 2008 and the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan. The military and civilians of the whole country are United as one, and one side has support from all directions, which embodies the patriotic spirit of our traditional culture and strong national cohesion. All these show that China's traditional culture, as a historical accumulation, still remains in the Chinese nation, and it is restricting and influencing the people of China today no matter when and where.

To sum up, I think China's traditional culture refers to the culture that was created by all ethnic groups in China, the land of the Chinese nation, and passed down from generation to generation by China people, and is still influential today; It is a culture with stable form and continuous development in historical development; It is a part of people's life and a culture reflected in the words, actions and thoughts of the broad masses of the people.