ThePrevalenceofWesternHolidays
Itisnoticeablethatwesternholidaysarebecomingincreasinglypopulardaybyday,whileChinesetraditionalholidaysarebeingsomewhatneglected.OldpeopleoftencomplainthatChineseNewYearhaslostitsrealmeaning.Totheirastonishment,youngpeopleinChinawhoareignorantaboutChinesetraditionalholidaysarecrazyaboutChristmasorValentine’sDay.
Thereareseveralpossiblereasonsforthisphenomenon.First,westernnations,suchastheUnitedStatesandBritain,arepowerfulanddominantineveryaspect.Everythinginthesecountriesisassumedtobesuperiorandadoredbysomemodernyoungpeople.Second,theprevalenceofEnglishasaworldlanguageandthedevelopmentofglobalizationenablewesternculturetoprevailinChina.Overwhelmedbysuchatrend,Chineseunconsciouslygetinvolvedinwesternculture.Lastbutnotleast,someChinesepeoplehaveblindfaithinforeignthingswhilemissourownpossessionswithcontempt.
Iamcriticalofthistrend.Chinaboastsabrillianthistoryandsplendidtraditions.Inmoderntimes,Chinesetraditionshouldbepreservedandpromoted.Butitseemsthatyoungpeoplenolongertreasurethetraditions.Onthecontrary,theyturntopursueenthusiasticallyasupposedlymoremodernculture.Ifthistrendisallowedtocontinue,thepricelessheritageofourancestorswillbereplacedbywesterntraditions.Nobodyexpectssuchaconsequence.Solet’sjoinhandinhandtoprotectChinesetradition,especiallytraditionalholidays.