12. Understanding of Chinese Culture

In a November 2009 issue of China Daily, there was a comment on the fact that foreigners did not understand Chinese culture.

The author of the comment wrote that he had told the ancient Chinese legend“The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountain”(愚公移山)to his German friends.One reacted by saying that the old man should have moved his house instead of the mountain.

Then, the story of the“foolish old man”was told to Frenchmen, Canadians, etc.They all understood the real meaning:It teaches a lesson of perseverance and shows that success comes only when one is patient and hard-working.

Thinking that the German friends of the author might be very young, we also covered the same ground with children from Algeria, and the United States, and no one thought the old man was crazy, but he was“foolish”as we often say that poets are idealistic.

What struck me more in the published comment was the explanation given by the author to his foreign friends:“The old man was legally registered as a farmer and did not have the right to move away from his hometown.But in this case, he could have moved only a few hundred meters away.”But the Hukou(戶口)regulation which prevented farmers from moving into urban areas was declared by the State Council in 1958.

Foreigners who learn the Chinese language must know these aspects of history.However, one should also bear in mind that some Chinese who grew up and attended school in China may be unaware of the basic elements of their own culture.