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Chinese
Culture Thrives in U.S
The governments of China and the United States have renewed an
Accord for the Implementation of Cultural Exchange for the period
of 2007 to 2009. The cultural accord recommits both governments to
facilitate cultural, educational and artistic exchanges. The task
of translating and publishing each others' literary and art work
has been listed as a new item in the pact.
In recent years, cultural
exchanges between China and the US have greatly improved. The pact
says that various US artists will be invited to give performances
in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Chinese
culture has been more widely recognized and accepted by the
general public in the US since the first Confucius Institute was
set up at the University of Maryland.
The trend is here to stay:
Americans, once again, are looking to Chinese culture to enrich
their lives. Apart from their love of Chinese cuisine, many more
Americans are turning to Chinese acupuncture, herbal medicines,
martial arts, gongfu films, fashion and art and crafts.
Chinese language and acupuncture
are now taught in many leading US universities and medical
schools. Chinese herbal medicines form an essential component of
alternative medicine, which has now more than ever attracted
Americans who are seeking conventional medical treatment.
Feng shui, China's ancient art of
placement, is the latest Chinese cultural icon to make its impact
on a good cross-section of the American public, ranging from
intellectuals, business tycoons, professionals, and Hollywood
celebrities to housewives, retirees and students.
In California, virtually all
leading book stores and public libraries are well-stocked with
plenty of publications on the highly esoteric subject. From 1990
onwards, numerous feng shui schools have sprung up in large
American cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston
and Houston. Enrollments have risen by leaps and bounds.
A conspicuous manifestation of
feng shui is through the miniature fountains strategically placed
in homes, offices, shops, restaurants and other public places.
This is because "shui," or water, attracts the
all-important life-sustaining "qi," or energy. The
soothing rhythm of running water gently beating down on pebbles or
bamboos can uplift one's spirit as it symbolizes a vital source of
life.
Many feng shui adherents find that
this time-honored art relaxes their minds and helps them overcome
the stress and strain of modern living with its emphasis on
achieving balance and harmony, and peace and tranquility at home
and at work.
Underpinning the growing
popularity of Chinese culture is China's emergence as a potential
world political and economic power, and its opening up to the
outside world. This has enabled an increasing number of Americans
who travel there to experience first hand the splendors of a
venerable civilization.
Dating back to the 17th and 18th
centuries, Chinese art, architecture and philosophy were highly
admired in the West; and Chinese luxury goods like silks, teas and
porcelain were in great demand and drastically transformed their
way of life. However, following China's accelerated political and
economic decline during the 19th and part of the 20th centuries,
as a result of foreign encroachment upon its sovereignty, China's
cultural appeal lost its shine.
In addition to national strength,
the palpable strength that contributes to the Chinese culture's
renewed popularity and has been thriving all these years in many
American urban centers are Chinese communities. Their reputation
as a model minority has aroused the interests of Americans in
understanding their distant and vastly different home land.
Last but not least, the United
States is truly a melting pot of different cultures. This makes it
easier for Americans to absorb another country's cultural values
and practices; and to nurture them into the social fabric of an
multiethnic and multicultural community.
2008-04-20 |