鄧永鏘（DavidTang）中國會、上海灘創辦人
Almosttotheday100yearsago,onJanuary21,l906,GeneralTuanFong,theProvincialGovernorofHunan,wenttoAmericawithasmallChinesedelegation.Thepurposeofhisvisitwastostudyandadaptwhateverwasbestinwesterncivilization.
ThisobscurefactwillastonishalotofChinese.Forthousandsofyears,Chinahadtreatedthewesternersasbarbariansandwentoutofherwaytoshunandridiculethem.ThemiddleKingdom(中國)wasnottheMiddleKingdomfornothing.Itwastheimperialthroneatthecentreoftheearth.Butthefactremainsthatinthe20thcentury,Chinawentoutofherwaytoreverseherorientalinsularity.ChinawasactuallyfollowingJapan'sMeijiRestorationin186l.TheJapanesewereconvincedthattheyhadtolearnaboutthewesternwayoflife.TheJapaneseNavybegantoimitatetheBritish;theJapaneseArmytheGerman's.Foreignmanualsweretranslatedandstudiedstudiously.
SoweChineseshouldnotfeelsensitiveaboutthewesternwaysofthinkinganddoingthings.JustrememberweactuallywentoutofourwaytodiscoverandcopywhattheOccidentalsdid.Yettoday,weoftenregarditasdebasingifeverwewereaccusedofhavingtodothingsthewesternway.WhenevertheUnitedStatesortheEuropeanUnionweretocriticizeChinaforanything,Chinawouldimmediatelytellthemtomindtheirownbusiness.Inparticular,Chinawoulddefendherownwayofdoingthingsunderthenameofethnicandculturaldifferences.
Butdoesthisactuallyholdwater?WhenItravelaroundChina,atleastinallthebigcities,Iseeendlesswesternsymbols-risingskyscrapersandcountlessshoppingcentres,nottomentionatotaldominanceofwesternclotheswornbyChinese.250millionpeoplearesaidtobelearningEnglishinChina,andtheentireentertainmentindustrylatchesontoHollywood.VirtuallyallthecomputersarewesternandalmosteverythingthatmakesupmodernlifeinChinaseemstohavewesternroots.TheevidenceofwesternizationwithinChinaispervasive.
InHongKong,themostsignificantevent,certainlythemostexpensive,sincel997,seemstobethebuildingofDisneyland.Ifevertherewasawesternicon,HongKongcouldnothavechosenamoresymbolic,noruglierone.Atthesametime,westernbrandsaboundinclothesandothergoods,discothequesflourish,asdofastfoodchains;andallthehotelsandhalftherestaurantssingularlypromotewesternstandards.
Imyselfbelievethatthissubliminalkow-towingtothewesternapproachisuttersadness.Itissadderstillwhenalotofso-called"Chinesepatriots"inHongKongpretendtobeChinesethoroughbreds.Theyarenotonlymongrelsbuthypocrites.Forthenakedfactisthatafterourancientbrilliance,Chinashrunkintoaculturalandscientificcocoonforthebestpartof400years.ChinamissedthewesternindustrializationwhichgaverisetorealpowerintheWestduringthe20thcentury.Nowonderwesuddenlyrealizedweneededtocatchup.TheAmericanvisitbyGeneralTuaninl906wastestamenttoChina'sdesiretoemulatethewesternstyle-toimproveandprogressinafast-changingworld.
Bythesametoken,letusnotthumbdownwesternconcepts,especiallyfundamentaloneslikedemocracy.NeverforgetitwasSunYat-Sun,theacknowledgedfounderofmodernChina,whopassionatelyadvocatedit.(MaoismwasofcoursealsoaproductofMarxism,anotherquintessentialwesternconcept.)IamsickandtiredofhearingmyChinesefriendssayingthatdemocracyisawesternwayoflifeanddoesnotsuittheChinese,inHongKongorChina.Thesesamepeopleareinvariablytheoneswhoaredressedinwesternclothes,whodecoratetheirhomeswithwesterndesignsandartifacts,whosendalltheirchildrentowesternschools,whoeatagreatdealofwesternfood,wholovespendingholidaysintheWest,whowatchwesternfilms,wholistentowesternmusic,whodrinkwesternwinesandcoffees...Icangoonandon.Sowhydon'ttheyembracedemocracy?
ItallgoestoprovehowabsurdandhypocriticalitiswhenanyChineseinHongKongshouldargueagainstdemocracyasawesternconceptthatisnotfitforourChinesesociety.HogwashiswhatIsay.ThedayaconscientiousobjectorcomesforwardinChineseclothesandwholivesatraditionalChinesewayofcultivatedlearningandwhorespectsourChineseheritageandpasttotheexclusionoftheWest-onlythenwouldIbegintochangemycontemptforthosephonieswhoonlychoosetotakewhatsuitsthemselvesfromtheWestandcriticizewhatdoesn't,especiallythatcentralpillarofwesterncivilization:democracy.