【Memories and Words】
Author: Song Jianxiao (Secretary of the Party Committee and Professor of Fujian Jiangxia University)
As the essence of China's excellent traditional culture, the Houguan culture has nourished generations of Houguan people, and has left a glorious chapter of "the late Qing Dynasty and the number of Houguan" in China's modern history.
Fujian Huazhang of traditional culture
Hou Guan, a county in the Han Dynasty. In the thousand-year-long changes, the area under the jurisdiction of the Hou Guanguan has been large and small, and has been used as a synonym for Fuzhou City. In modern times, a number of outstanding figures have risen in the Houguan area in a short period of time, such as: Lin Zexu, Shen Baozhen, Yan Fu, Liu Buyun, Chen Jitong, Lin Yongsheng, Lin Xu, Chen Yan, Shen Yuqing, Lin Fei, Zhang Younian, etc., among which there are politicians, thinkers, military strategists, diplomats, educators, writers, translators, etc., which have had a profound impact on China's modern history. "People are named after places, and places are passed on by people. "Hou Guan" is no longer just a place name, but has become a spiritual symbol.
The statue of Yan Fu, a representative of Houguan culture, Photo by Guangming Daily reporter Li Yun/Guangming Pictures
Houguan culture, broadly speaking, refers to the people of all ethnic groups living in the Houguan area since ancient times, and in the process of historical development, they have cultivated and formed a cultural spirit based on Minyue culture, with Central Plains culture as the core, integrating marine culture, with mountain and sea characteristics and unique regional characteristics. In a narrow sense, Houguan culture mainly refers to the Fujian scholars represented by Lin Zexu and Yan Fu, based on traditional Chinese culture, consciously learning Xi advanced Western culture, and exploring the spiritual power formed in the process of seeking the truth of national salvation, realizing national self-improvement, and pursuing national rejuvenation, which is a unique banner in Fujian's regional culture. It can be said that the Houguan culture is rooted in the fertile soil of Fujian, which not only retains the spiritual characteristics of traditional culture, but also contains the cultural connotation of patriotism, scientific spirit, rigorous study, innovation and creation, and hard work, which is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture. The Houguan culture is rich in humanistic spirit, educational thoughts, moral concepts and innovative consciousness, and is strikingly similar to the "Hunan Army Phenomenon" in Hunan's modern history in terms of patriotism, unremitting pursuit, innovation and strength, and talent selection. In the new era, Houguan culture can provide spiritual support for the construction of a socialist cultural power, and can also become a way to further improve the country's cultural soft power.
The contemporary value of the core spirit
The cultural spirit of Houguan and the core values of socialism "patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness" confirm and promote each other.
Patriotism is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. Lin Zexu, who has devoted his life to interpreting the principle that "the life and death of the country is profitable, and it is not possible to avoid it because of misfortune and fortune"; and Yan Fu, who took education to save the country as his own responsibility, changed the law to survive, and rejuvenated the Chinese nation, all demonstrated a strong sense of family and country and a national spirit with patriotism as the core. Dedication requires us to fulfill our duties and be conscientious in our respective positions. Guo Baicang is determined to fight for the people and his life, building water conservancy, building city walls, and running schools in his hometown, and interpreting professionalism with his life. Honesty is the cornerstone of civic morality, and it is also the basic requirement of Houguan culture for people. As it is said in the Analects of Politics: "People have no faith, and they don't know what they can do." "Friendliness is to be kind to others, to put oneself and others first. In ancient times, the location of the official county government has long followed the tradition of mixed surnames, and people with different surnames have always lived in harmony, reflecting the spirit of harmony and difference. It can be said that the spirit contained in the Houguan culture is highly consistent with the core values of socialism, and is worthy of being carried forward by Chinese in the new era.
Houguan Village in Minhou County, Fuzhou was a county magistrate in the Tang Dynasty. The thousand-year-old Zhenguo Pagoda in the village has witnessed the vicissitudes of life here. Photo by Guangming Daily reporter Li Yun/Guangming Pictures
Cultural heritage conserves cultural roots and carries cultural genes. To inherit the Houguan culture is to pay attention to and excavate the core values in the cultural heritage from the strategic height of retaining the cultural roots, so that the Houguan culture can be "passed on". In terms of inheritance objects, it is first necessary to find out the "family background" of Houguan's cultural heritage, and then systematically protect various cultural heritages such as historical and cultural villages, Fangxiang blocks, cultural preservation units, historical buildings, ancient books, and intangible cultural heritage as an organic whole, strengthen historical and cultural research and inheritance, and show the essence of Houguan culture in an all-round way. In terms of inheritance, we can rely on the construction of "Digital Fujian" and "Digital Fuzhou", pay attention to the empowerment of science and technology, and make the research results deeply rooted in the hearts of the people through visual presentation, immersive experience, interactive communication, etc., and become an important source for cultivating the core values of socialism. In terms of the inheritance mechanism, it is necessary to unite the joint efforts of all parties to form a model for the protection and utilization of cultural heritage led by the government, standardized operation of the market and diversified participation of social forces, so as to fully reflect the spiritual value contained in the Houguan culture.
A role model for cultural education
Hou Debang, the pioneer of China's heavy chemical industry, Zhang Yuzhe, the founder of modern Chinese astronomy, Chen Jingrun, a famous contemporary Chinese mathematician, Zhuang Qiaosheng, one of the main founders of China's wheat genetics and breeding, and Huang Chunping, who made outstanding contributions to China's aerospace industry, are all scientists who have given birth to the shining historical starry sky in the land of Houguan. The scientific, rigorous, innovative, hard-working, and responsible spirit demonstrated by them has inspired the majority of young people to establish a sense of responsibility for bravely taking on heavy responsibilities and dedicating themselves. The deeds of those Houguan people who worked hard overseas did not forget Sangzi after they became famous, and gave back to their hometown with various practical actions, which is also a good teaching material for cultivating young people's sense of social responsibility.
Spirit is the soul of culture. To carry forward the culture of Houguan is to activate the vitality of the excellent traditional Chinese culture with the spirit of the times, so that the spirit of Houguan culture can adapt to today's society and coordinate with the process of modernization, give full play to the function of cultural education, and make Houguan culture "come alive". The first is to grasp the ideological attributes of the Houguan culture. Implement the project of inheriting the culture of Houguan, strengthen the construction of patriotic education bases, create a platform for research and practice, promote the culture of Houguan into the campus, run through all aspects of the whole process of educating people, and become an important spiritual force for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Strengthen the academic exchanges of Houguan culture, deeply study the thoughts of Houguan sages, and draw the value of the times from them, so that Houguan culture will become an important carrier to promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talents. The second is to grasp the industrial attributes of Houguan culture. Actively develop emerging cultural industries such as cultural creativity, make use of Houguan's unique natural resources and humanistic advantages, build cultural and creative parks with Houguan cultural characteristics, innovate and develop Houguan cultural products, make history and culture come alive, and realize the value transformation and utilization of Houguan culture. Innovate the form of cultural and tourism integration, adhere to the cultural and plastic tourism, and promote culture with tourism, create a cultural tourism experience carrier or interactive exchange platform, constantly enrich people's spiritual world, and enhance the overall strength and competitiveness of Houguan culture.
An important link of cultural identity
Houguan culture is an important link to enhance the cultural identity of overseas Chinese. Huang Naishang, an overseas Chinese leader, once led the people of his hometown to go abroad to start a business and work hard. For more than 100 years, generations of Houguan people have made unremitting efforts to build a small city in Malaysia - Sibu area. Hou Guanren broke a new ground in Sibu and became a model for overseas Chinese to unite and strive for development. The Ship Master School, with Hou Guanxian as the main body of teachers and students, pioneered the education system of Chinese students going to Europe in modern times, and selected 4 batches of 84 international students to study Xi in Britain and France, and its spiritual essence points to how to unite and unite Chinese in the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations, which is a topic of the times related to the survival of the nation. Inheriting and carrying forward the culture of Houguan is conducive to evoking the memory of more than 60 million overseas Chinese, especially the 15.8 million overseas Fujian Chinese, and enhancing emotional exchange and integration.
Cross-cultural communication is an important way to build a community with a shared future for mankind. It is necessary to inherit and carry forward the Houguan culture with a world-oriented attitude, share the beauty of the Houguan culture with the world, and let the Houguan culture "go out". The first is to enhance the external dissemination of the culture of Houguan. Reshape the cultural image of the ancient Houguan Dongye Port as one of the earliest departure ports of the Maritime Silk Road from China to Southeast Asia, actively integrate into the core area of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the construction of the Fujian Free Trade Zone, create an export-oriented cultural exchange and cultural industry system with unique Houguan cultural characteristics, and promote the development of Houguan culture in a wide field and in the direction of deepening diplomatic integration. The second is to enhance the external influence of the Houguan culture. Focusing on the construction of the "Belt and Road", following the historical traditions of Houguan's "important town in the southeast" and "coastal Zoulu" and the shipping characteristics of "Xi Water Boat" and "Jianghai Tongjin", Houguan cultural exchanges will drive transportation and trade, accelerate integration into the international community, expand the global partnership network with China as the mainstay, and promote economic and cultural exchanges around the world.
Guangming Daily (December 24, 2023, 12th edition)
Source: Guangming Net-Guangming Daily