DavidTang（鄧永鏘）
Cultureisnotelitist.Itisforeveryone.Indeed,eachofusinthecommunitymakesupourculture.ThemahjongparlourisaHongKongculture.ThefishballsincurrysauceisaHongKongculture.Havingfinesoupswithmistressesis,probably,anotherHongKongculture!Inthissense,weinHongKongcannotbeaculturaldesert.Wehavehadl50yearsofcontinualculture.
Sowhatdosomepeoplemeanwhentheymockusasaculturaldesert?Theyprobablymeanthatwedonothaveacultureoffinearts.Wedon'thavefamousmuseums,norfamousconcerthalls,norfamoustheatres.Wearenotacommunityoflonghistorytohavecultivatedculturalroots-deeprootswhichrequiretime,longtime,toset-androotswhicharecrucialtohighculture."High"notinthesenseofelitist,but"High"inthesenseofsomethingspiritual-somethingmorethanmaterialandtemporalthathasevolvedthroughhistoriesandcivilizationsoveralongtime.Besides,weareacommunityofrefugees.1millionrefugeescamefloodingintoHongKonginthelatefortiesandearlyfifties.Giventhatthepriorityofrefugeesissocialandeconomic,wehavenothadtimetoputasideforhighculture.Thisisnotourfault.
Sowhathashappened?Nowthatwehaveestablishedastablesocialandeconomiccommunity,wenowbegintoaspiretofindinghighculture.Nothingwrongwiththatatall.Nothingsurprisingeither.Afterall,that'swhatalotofnouveauxrichesdoprecisely-theywanttobuythefinerthingsinlife-finepaintings,fineantiques,finearchitecture.ParticularlywiththisGovernment,whichisobsessedwithbeingrecognizedbytheworld,HongKonghasrealizeditmustnowaimtogetonthehighcultureleaguetable.Wearetoldweshouldbeproudtobeoneoftheworld'sfreeesteconomies(althoughIdisagree!),andwearetoldweshouldbeproudtobeoneoftheworld'sgreatestshoppingdestinations(althoughIalsodisagree!)-sowefeelinadequatefornothavingoneoftheworld'sfinestmuseums.Wealsofeelembarrassedfornothavingoneoftheworld'sgreatoperahousesorconcerthalls.Thesearegoodaspirations.
SoIapplaudtheGovernmentfordoingthis-rollingupitssleevesandstartingtoschemeaboutprojectsliketheWestKowloon(whatIdonotapplaud,however,isthewayinwhichtheGovernmentisgoingaboutit.Butthat'sanothersubjectalltogether!)
Wemustpersuadethepeopleatlargethathighcultureisgoodthing.TheGovernmentmustsetanexampleofhowtobecultural.Forastart,itmustdeclareanunequivocalsenseofpreservation-thepreservationofheritage.ForwhatwouldbethepointoftheGovernmentstartingsomethingthatisculturalthatissupposedtolastforgenerationsandatthesametimecarryoutthedestructionofmuchofourownculturalheritage?
AnotherexamplebywhichtheGovernmentmightliketosetispropeltherootsofChineseculturalheritagetotheforefront.WeareaChinesecommunityhere.WearepartofChina.WeareoneofChina'sbrightestandablestcommunities.Weshould,indeedwehaveadutyto,promote,aboveallotherculturalactivities,Chineseactivities.Forinstance,wehavesomanyholidayscelebratingtraditionalfestivals.YetwedonothaveoneHallofRitesinwhichtoperpetuateourfinestChinesetraditionsofcelebratingthesefestivals-alongtraditionalriteswhichwerefirstprescribedbyConfuciusinaformalwayandwereobservedforthebestpartofalmosttwo-and-a-halfthousandyears!AndhowaboutevenbasicthingslikehavingmoreChinesesignsaround?AMartianflyingoverHongKongmightwellmistakenHongKongislandasaWesternvillage!LookatQuebec,everypublicsignthereisrequiredtobeinFrench.InMontreal,thereisastrongFrenchculture.Weshoulddothesame.
We,andourvisitors,shouldfeelthisasaChinesecommunity.Mypointhereisnot,however,tosaythatweshouldconcentrateonlyonChineseculture.MypointisthatunlessweChineseunderstandourownculture,wewouldnotunderstandothercultures.Itisonlywhenweknowofourownidentitythatwewouldbegintoappreciateothers.
Andmostimportantly,ifweneedtoascendtohighcultureandembracethewholecommunitytowardsthisgoal,we'dbetterpayalittlemoreattentiontoeducation-educationwhichmustencouragefree-thinkingandscholarshipanddaringviews-insteadoftheregurgitationoftextsaimedwhollyforthepassingofexams.Inthisregard,IblametheConfuciansystemofexamsasoneinwhichourChinesegeniusbecamecocoonedinastrictsocietyregulatedbyabureaucraticcivilserviceandfromwhichChinesegraduallyfellbehindtheworldinsciencesandarts.
TheGovernmentmustalsodemonstrateimagination.Nooutstandinghumanprogresshaseverbeenmadethroughcommitteesandconsultations.Theyarealwaysledbyanindividualoraninstitutionpassionateenoughtotakerisks-toexperimentandtherefore,toexperience.Experimentandexperience-theyarevirtuallythesameword.SothisGovernmentmustgetoutofitspathetictimidityandbegintotrustandbelieveinindividualsandinstitutionswhodaretoleadwithimaginativeprojects.ItalwaysamazesmehowtheGovernmentchoosestohavenoconsultationsonthingsonwhichtheyshouldhaveconsultations(likepolitics);whereastheyinsistonconsultationsonmatterswhichshouldnotbeledbyconsultations(likethearts).
Anyway,wemustmaketheGovernmenttakearobustleadbyexampleandbyimaginationinshowingallofusthathighcultureisagoodthingforoursouls.Eachofuswhobelieveinthisshouldalsopersuadeothers,thathighcultureinHongKongissomethingexcellentforus,andnotthatitistherealreadytoshowofftotheworld.Cultureisourspiritualnourishment.
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作者為中國會創辦人，文章隔星期一刊出