China Popular Itineraries |
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Seeking for Harmony and Maintaining Equilibrium, Peace and Con-tent |
In terms of world outlook, China's traditional society based on the civi-lization of agriculture advocated the theory that "man is an integral part of na-ture" and the notion of "the golden mean. " As the early agricultural produc-tion depended on the blessing of nature, it was a basic requirement for the so-cial economy to comply with the natural law; hence emerged the theory that "man is an integral part of nature", which emphasized the harmony and the inseparable relationship between man and nature, just as China's traditional society tended to comply with the law of nature. Both the two ideological sys-tems of Confucianism and Taoism maintained the same theory. It reads in Zhouyi, a classical Chinese book on changes, that "a great man should act in accordance with the law of nature, so as to be as wise as the sun and the moon, as orderly as the four seasons, and accepting the fate destined by ghosts or gods. " It also reads in Lao Zi that "man should adapt himself to nature. " Zhuang Zi declared in his works Zhuang Zi that "as heaven and earth and I were born successively, all things on the earth are in harmony with me." The theory that man is an integral part of nature was not only a norm to handle the relationship between man and nature, but also a very lofty realm of human life. The concept of "Heaven" is a kind of cosmic spirit in opposition to secular life. The so-called "cosmic spirit" refers to an ultimate truth and ideal state. The theory that "man is an integral part of nature" implied the sublimation of moral quality. When Confucianism referred to it, it meant the moralization of personality, while in Taoism it meant the naturalization of personality. The former talked about moral cultivation, while the latter, about returning to na-ture. The theory was so manipulated as to enable people not only to harmonize the relationship between man and nature, but also to harmonize the interper-sonal relationship, and the physical and mental health.
The world outlook of seeking harmony and equilibrium also found its ex-pression in the notion of "the golden mean", which was also a product of agri-cultural civilization. This notion lays special emphasis on the social internal re-lationship with the purpose of seeking equilibrium within the society and keep-ing the society stable.
Confucius was in favor of "the golden mean. " He held that "the golden mean as morality is the best. " Confucian golden mean stresses the unity of op-posites. For instance, in politics, it signifies the unity of benevolence and rites, while in economy, the unity of poverty and wealth; in ethics, the unity of righteousness and interests; in the molding of personality, the unity of virtues and abilities, magnificence and simplicity, strength and gentleness; in education, the unity of teaching and studying, etc. The so-called "unity" refers to the attempt at equilibrium between the two opposite sides. There-fore, there is a vivid saying of "holding the two ends but using the middle part." The golden mean, by seeking for equilibrium, aims at stability.
To strive for stability was one of Chinese people's major traits. One of the features of agricultural civilization was the maintenance of a settled life, different from the mobile life of nomadic economy and commercial activities. The ordinary peasants' ideal was to possess "thirty mu of land and a wife, children, a warm bed and a cow. " They were satisfied with what they got from land. Owing to the limitation of small-scaled production, they were not interested in the external world, with little curiosity for adventures and little greediness for expansion. The Great Wall, which was intended as a defense construction, not a sharp weapon for expansion, is a good example to show the Chinese people's love for peace. They took farming, reading and bringing up their children as their staple of life, guarded against being wantonly en-gaged in military ventures. The harmonious and stable life generated the Chi-nese people's character of being content with what they were and what they had. They were inclined to be satisfied with a simple and placid life with little aggressiveness. They seldom lost control of themselves, neither over-delight-ed, nor over-sorrowful, but imbued with persistence. They had a kind of serene and sober dignity, and took an optimistic attitude to grievances and dis-asters. In their mild appearance surged high aspirations. |
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