Chinese harmony renaissance: Can world ignore it? Updatedwww.chinaview.cn 2006-11-02 16:01:01 www.worldharmonyorg.netby Francis C.W. Fung, Ph.D.BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet)-- Following is an abridged version of two papers byFrancis C.W. Fung, Ph.D. The papers are titled "Chinese Harmony and American Democracy in 21st Century" and "Chinese Harmony Culture Old and New, Promise for aLess Confrontational World?"(I) CHINA'S HARMONY RENAISSANCE: CAN AMERICA IGNORE IT?On Oct. 8, 2006, at its Central Committee meeting, the Communist Party of Chinalaunched the national campaign to build a harmonious society. The resulting Harmony Communique¨¦ is a system engineering blue print to guide China on its path of rejuvenation. It will be an arduous and long undertaking to build a harmonious socialist society in modern China, no less challenging to the CPC as the revolutionary "Long March" of Chinese history. Oct. 8, 2006 will be remembered as the mostimportant milestone of China's Harmony Renaissance. By rediscovering harmony culture, China is rediscovering its own rich ancient cultural harmony traditions.It is of similar in importance to Europe's Renaissance after the rediscovery ofancient Greek culture. China's harmony development will herald a brand new period of vitality and national spirit as the country enters a new period of sustainable development. By developing its own harmony society, China becomes the standard bearer of a harmony world.Harmony, as taught by Chinese ancients, embraces ideas of democracy as a way ofconflict resolution between the ruler and the ruled. China has practiced harmonyas a way of life since Laotze and Confucius for at least 2500 years. In contrast, American Democracy is only 230 years old, developing after Independence, andborrowing from the traditions of European Enlightenment. As China's Harmony Socialism wins gradual international recognition, it will provide an alternative model to American-style Democracy as the leading 21st century governance system. Tokeep its position as the most influential political and cultural leading country of the world America cannot afford to overlook the 21st century Chinese Harmony Society and Harmony World development herald by China's Harmony Renaissance. The consequence could be the isolation and unwitting fall of the greatest military and economic empire of our time through its inability to keep up with the paceof world harmony consensus. The mightiest American military power cannot dictate world order any longer, as is exemplified by the Iraqi War, and the Iran and North Korea nuclear confrontations. The overwhelming desires of developing countries for common development are closing the curtains on the world of international power politics. The world will be caught up in the surging tide of common development and harmony conversion. The Harmony World of unity in diversity of worldcultures and governance systems will surely come.Harmony will give China a place on the world stage to express its ancient heritage and the moral high ground to challenge the U.S. leadership in international relations. For over fifty years America interfered in China's domestic affairs inthe name of democracy. Now harmony contains democracy ideals also as conflict resolution government and its citizens. The table will be turned between the Westand China during the 21st century. Since the Opium War, over 150 years ago, China finally is able to raise its head and stand up against the West. By doing so,China will have the unity and vitality to continue its sustainable reform and opening up to a new era.(II) CHINA'S HARMONY RENAISSANCE, HOW IT ALL BEGAN?The Central Committee meeting was a major meeting to discuss major policy decisions to launch a national campaign to build a harmonious society. [1] In terms ofits impact on the future Chinese society and the future world, policies announced during this meeting will have a longer lasting effect than China's recent policies of reform and opening up. These policies, initiated under the guidance ofDeng Xiaoping, led to profound benefits for China and the world, but the nationis ready for the next step in its process of transformation. By comparison, theOct. 8 meeting provided the needed national spirit of harmony which continues onthe success of the Scientific Concept of Development. This new spirit is builton the essence of ancient Chinese teachings of harmony which remains unparallele
d for its richness in the world.Due to the rapid expansion of economic and industrial activities, China, over the past twenty some years, has developed from an egalitarian society to a societyof unbalanced wealth distribution, and from a self-sufficient society to one, like other developed nations, that depends heavily on outside energy and other material resources. The Scientific Development Concept was thus conceived by the Chinese leaders to provide a blueprint for a long term sustainable development. In time, this blueprint is expanded to include also all old and new conflicts inChina's grand modernization. Harmony being China's dominant philosophy for 2500years it is no surprise, despite the onslaught of Western culture for the last two hundred years, China rediscovered its ancient heritage. This is not unlike the return of harmony philosophy to the golden Han dynasty after the Spring and Autumn Warring States period.In the fertile soil of Chinese harmony garden after Chinese leaders called for Harmony Society development, ideas of harmony spread like wild fire. Creative ideas of Harmony Society from government officials, intellectuals, think tanks, academicians and the general public is currently sweeping through the country. We may once again witness a major New Harmony movement excelling the ancient teachings of ancient harmony that has guided China for the last 2500 years. A true period of let hundred flowers bloom and hundred schools content may be in the makingsurpassing the Spring and Autumn period debates in scope and magnitude. This time the Chinese culture may take a leap into the future World of Harmony.(III) THE COMING OF THE HARMONY WORLDIn today's world of extreme disparity among nations, need for international economic and political change is driven by: the widening gap in stages of development, the increase of injustice in world order, and the growth of clashes between civilizations. As seen in the recent unilateral Iraq War, the crisis in Sudan, and the nuclear confrontation with North Korea and Iran, the world is hastening towards confrontation.Written in Chinese characters, the term, "crisis" is composed of the opposing elements, "danger" and "opportunity." In Chinese harmony belief, the opposition ofYing and the Yang, or the strong and the gentle, are in constant contest. WhenYing and Yang are in balance, harmony is reached, as is illustrated by the Daoist double fish circle of life.When viewed as a globe the Ying envelops the Yang as the outside shell. Laotze's philosophy of renunciation of force is also reflected in forming Chinese words. The word "martial" in Chinese means "stop the useof weapons." The word "war" in Chinese means "imbalance of weaponry."When country specific harmony societies grow in their own fertile soil with distinctive cultural characteristics, World Harmony will surely spread. Each societywill have its own appropriate harmony theory and practices reflecting the widedifferences in states of development, needs and culture. For harmony to take root, basic needs must be met, and the society must be equitable, social order mustwork smoothly, cultural values must have sustaining power, and the mobility ofdifferent stratum in society should be assured. Indices such as Happiness, Harmony, Environment, Rural and Urban must be customized according to each country'swill and development.Great debates are happening today in China over whether Socialism with Chinese characteristics becomes Socialism with Chinese harmony. In the last couple of years China has extended the philosophy of Harmony to the practice of internationalrelations, from Harmony Society to Harmony Region and Harmony World. In doing so, China, as one of the world's ancient civilized nations, is expressing to theworld its choice and determination to travel the road of peace and development.Harmony as the core of Chinese traditional cultural belief, reflects the concepts of appropriate and properly balanced relationships between man and man, man and nature, man and society and harmony among nations. In fact Harmony Society andHarmony World are manifestations of ancient Chinese cultural values.Western cultures, in contrast to the East, tend to emphasize conflict rather than harmony, personal, national, and world affairs in terms of good and evil, right and wrong. God must triumph over the Devil, good over the bad, and the individual struggles to conquer sin and redeem his soul. Armies fight with the convicti
on that God is on their side, and leaders, like George Bush, call upon believersto support them in righteous wars. The powerful U.S. media, adhering to the same tenants, does not report contrasting views. Thus, Western nations, most notably the United States today, justify aggression through their own self-righteousness, convincing themselves that they are duty bound to change or eliminate hostile countries that do not adhere to Western principles. Rather than accepting differences they attempt to destroy differences to achieve uniformity in international political ideology. In such an atmosphere, international relations become power politics, with the assumption that new democracies that arise will be fashioned in the mold of American and Western European systems.In China today foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy and, at the same time, serves domestic policy. Hu Jintao, President of China, pointed out, China must "Closely connect our development with the progress of mankind. Develop our self through maintaining world peace and at the same time through our own development to promote world peace." The Chinese government has officially stated the central ideas of Harmony China and Harmony World as: China wants to build a harmony society of "democracy and rule of law, justice and righteousness, trustworthiness and friendliness, full of vitality, stable and orderly, a society of manand nature in harmony." A Harmony World envisioned by China is "adherence to multilateralism, realization of mutual security, adherence to mutually beneficialcooperation, realization of mutual prosperity, adherence to the spirit of tolerance and building a Harmony World together."President Hu Jintao, on April 22, 2005, when attending the Asian African Summitmeeting, suggested that "promoting friendship among different cultures, equal dialogue, develop common prosperity and together build a harmony world." This wasthe first time the concept of Harmony World appeared on the world stage. Two months later on July 1, 2005, President Hu Jintao visited Moscow. Harmony World waswritten into the China-Russia world order joint communique¨¦. For the first time World Harmony was recognized as common policy belief between two major countries.This marks the new World Harmony concept's gradual entrance into the vision of aworld society. Chinese leaders
’ thoughts on World Harmony were quickly deepening,for two months later, on September 15, 2005, President Hu Jintao gave a speechat the United Nation General Assembly in which he detailed the deep contents ofWorld Harmony. Participants of the meeting gave the speech a resounding response, and world media also gave the speech heightened notice and positive evaluation. It is generally considered that China as a major responsible country is transmitting to the world its longing for peaceful world development. The speech alsoserved to relate China
s message to build a peaceful, prosperous and Harmony World together with the rest of the world. Harmonious and cooperative China standsready to work for sustainable and long lasting peace and mutual prosperity withthe rest of the world.As China progresses towards a green harmony society (Tien Ren Ha Yi) accordingto her pre-Qin sages’ teachings and current government policies of building worldharmony, China will lead the world in international harmony diplomacy. The emphasis on harmony diplomacy to build the great world unity (Si Jie Dai Tong) and mutual development for the world will in time replace the hitherto power diplomacy as defined by Hans Morgenthau and Clinton’s smart diplomacy as embraced by our current Secretary of State, as the international norm in the 21st Century coinciding with China’s ascent to super power status.(IV) CHINESE HARMONY AS SYSTEM ENGINEERING BLUE PRINTChina
s cultural contribution to the world is the harmony philosophy just as Europe and America are the breeding grounds for democracy. China for most of its 5000 years of recorded culture was an agricultural society, in contrast to Europeans, most of whom were descendants from pastoral nomads. As a continuing ancientculture China was firmly rooted to cultivating the land handed down through thegenerations. This dependency on agriculture led to an inclination to harmonize with nature rather than to challenge nature. The order of nature is harmony withYing and Yang in dynamic balance as taught by Laotze. As a result harmony philosophy grew in the fertile land of this Middle Kingdom until it was challenged byWestern democracy as late as the 1900
s. Chinese ancient culture, rich in harmon
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CHINESE HARMONY RENAISSANCE, CAN THE WORLD IGNORE IT? UPDATED
Chinese harmony renaissance: Can world ignore it? Updated
www.chinaview.cn 2006-11-02 16:01:01 www.worldharmonyorg.net
by Francis C.W. Fung, Ph.D.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet)-- Following is an abridged version of two papers by Francis C.W. Fung, Ph.D. The papers… (More)
www.chinaview.cn 2006-11-02 16:01:01 www.worldharmonyorg.net
by Francis C.W. Fung, Ph.D.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet)-- Following is an abridged version of two papers by Francis C.W. Fung, Ph.D. The papers… (More)
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