鄧永鏘（DavidTang）
中國會、上海灘創辦人
Iamoftenamazed,whenIreflectonthehistoryofHongKong,justhowmuchthesamel50yearshaveaffectedChinaherself.Idonotbelievethatmorebadluckcouldhavebeentelescopedintothatrelativelyshorttimethanherentireprevioushistoryofover2,500yearssinceConfucius.It'salmostasifHongKonghasbroughtrottenfeng-shuitoChina.
Justthink:thefirstOpiumWarinl842,whichdirectlycreatedHongKong(afterwhich,extraordinarily,theCourtofBeijingneverconductedanenquiry,stilllessmadeanychanges);thenthesecondOpiumWar,inwhichtheSummerPalacewaspulverized;thentheTaipingRebellion,ledbythatcrazyHongXiu-quan,whothoughthewasJesusChrist'syoungerbrother,andcausednearly20milliondead;thenthewarwithFranceoverVietnam,whichwaslost;thenthedefeatbytheJapaneseinl894,withTaiwanand200millionouncesofsilverasindemnity;thentheuglyandincompetentDowagerCixiwhofailedtocontrolboththeforeignersandtheBoxers;thenthecollapseoftheConfucianexaminationsysteminl905;thentherevolutionthatbroughtabouttheignominiousendtoChina'sdynasticempire;thenthepatheticbeginningtothenewRepublic,withtheequallypatheticYuanShi-kai;thenthewaramongstthewarlords;thenafurtherbloodywarwiththeJapanese;thencivilwarbetweentheNationalistsandtheCommunists;thenMao'sreignwhichletloosethelamentableGreatLeapForwardandthetreacherousCulturalRevolution.
That'swhyIfinditridiculouswhenoleaginousforeignersandChinesealike,curryingfavourswiththeMainland,begintoflatterofficialswiththeChineseancienthistoryofwisdomandsuperiority,andconvenientlyforgetourownstupidityandmortality,andhowinjustthelastcentury,welostourwayinthoseunforgivingturmoils.
Itis,therefore,immenselyimportantthatouryoungergenerationshouldbeeducatedinChina'srecenthistory.OnlythenwouldweunderstandwhatatotalmessChinahadgotherselfintol50yearsago,andlearnfromthepastmistakes.RemembertheSelf-strengtheningMovementandthe100DaysReformChinaunderwentattheturnofthe20thcentury,whenonbothoccasions,theChineseattitudethoughtthatembracingWesternmaterialismandvalueswouldbringaboutpositivemodernism.Bothoftheseattemptsjustbroughtconfusionsandfiascos.Yettoday,especiallyinHongKong,wehavenohesitationinembracingeveryaspectoftheWesternculture.Sowedon'tlearn,andwewouldn'tlearnifoureducationalsystemandGovernmentdonotencourageustobepositivelyChinese.Theskyscraper,theshoppingmalls,fastfood,Disneyland,theSheratons,Gucci,ChristianDior-nothingpersewrongwithanyofthese,butweshouldnotletthemovertakeourChinesespiritandidentity,whicharefastfading.
AnalarmingthoughtisthatmodernChinahasactuallybeenshapedentirelyonWesternprecepts:SunYat-Sen,withalittleJ.S.MillandHenryGeorge,whobroughtaboutrepublicanismanddemocracy(yes,ourownfounderofmodernChinabroughtittous);andChiangKai-ShekwhobecameobsessedwithWesterncapitalism;andofcourseMaoTse-TungwithMarxism.Sothereliesthetripleparadox,asweChinesespenthundredsofyearsfightingofftheOccidentalbarbarians.It'shightimethatwebegintothinkChineseagainandseehowwecanbringaboutarenaissanceofthosegloriousyearsofsagacityandbeautyandpureChineseness.
AndHongKongisabsolutelytheplacetostartthisrejuventation,aswehavestillanother42yearsofpreciousfreedom-unlikeanywhereelseinChina.WehaveadutyhereinHongKongtorevitalizeourChineserootsandcultureandheritage.Thosewhoaredisdainfulofthisarephilistinesandunqualifiedtobecalledpatriots(whichwehaveallbeentoldtobe!).
ThegreatestproblemofHongKongsincel997has,however,beenatotallackofaChinesevision.Weconflateourdesiretobean"internationalcity"withbeingWestern.ButTokyoisaninternationalcitythatspeaksnoWesternlanguage,yetitisquintessentiallyJapanese;Paris,another,isquintessentiallyFrench(andwon'tspeakEnglishwhentheycan!).WhatHongKongandChinaoughttobeistobequintessentiallyChinese.JustlookatthecatalogueofcatastrophesinChinawiththeWesternintrusionandhowwemismanageditall.MaybetheBoxerswereright-maybeweshouldfightlikestreet-fighters-justasMrLeeKuanYewhasurgedournextChiefExecutivetobe!Mindyou,it'seasyforMrLeetospeakfromhisexperienceofmanaginganatomicnationofjust2.5million.Chinahasl.3billion.WewouldneedquiteafewBoxers!
Bethatasitmay,let'swakeupandthinkandactChinese!Itwillgiveuslessrottenfeng-shui.