Accepting Foreign Elements as the Basis for Cultural Evolution
Cherry blossom season is upon us in Japan. As is the case every year around the same time, people go out with friends onto the tree-lined streets and parks, appreciating, over food, drinks, and photos, the flower-filled trees, for a couple of weeks, adding a mesmerizing pink hue to the often grey cityscapes. The concept of hanami, or flower-viewing, has in recent years become not only a Japanese phenomenon. Many countries across the world have also seen large crowds gathering over their own avenues of pink flowers, as people come to enjoy a yearly event still associated with Japanese culture.
It is unfortunate, however, that certain parties are so fond of dragging politics and nationalism into such a simple moment of enjoying nature for the sake of its untainted beauty. On the famed cherry blossoms-lined roads of the Wuhan University campus in China, a young man was arrested by the campus police for wearing a Japanese kimono during his hanami. As anti-Japanese feelings continue to simmer in China, apparently even the wearing of Japanese traditional clothing has become a sign of lacking patriotism and worthy of public criticism sensationalized by the media.
Without a doubt, it is scary to think about the implications of someone facing public criticism just for liking the cultural symbols of another country. If cherry blossoms, a natural phenomenon, can be targeted as an item of anti-nationalism, then it goes without saying that direct cultural portrayals like food, TV shows, movies, and people-to-people exchanges can be an even graver display of hating one's own country. And if citizens can be locked up in the millions for allegedly not holding a specific ideology, then there is almost no reason not to go after foreigners and their domestic sympathizers for importing an entirely foreign ideology.
And that is not even mentioning the absurdity of the idea that certain cultural phenomena, never mind those originated in nature, can only be ascribed to one country or culture exclusively. Cultures emerge by importing ideas from different social groups, and constantly changes as different ideas evolve with the emergence of new social groups and ways of thinking. What was considered taboo, foreign, or unknown in the past can become mainstream and widely accepted in a span of a few years. It is both dictatorial and futile for central authorities to stop cultures from evolving.
Indeed, that quick evolution of culture is apparent even in those countries that are traditionally considered more socially conservative and slow to accept new ideas. The patriarchal society that is Japan, for instance, is seeing an increasingly vibrant discussion of LGBTQ issues, expressed through independent films and literary works patronized by the socially aware. While the group is small, their dynamism speaks to the authorities' openness to allow what used to be considered a foreign idea to take root and grow, notwithstanding certain criticisms from socially conservative majority toward such a marginal fringe.
In comparison, the temporary arrest of a Chinese citizen in China over wearing a foreign costume shows the now-stereotypical narrow-mindedness that prevails the Chinese government in recent years. By denying the very basic right for common people to adopt even the notion of incorporating elements of foreign culture in the Chinese one, the authorities essentially deny the ability for Chinese culture to evolve and improve, through adopting the best sociocultural practices from foreign countries. And by heavyhandedly stamping out voices of the cultural minority, the state creates a stagnant cultural monotony that becomes increasingly unattractive to both its own citizens and foreigners.
Such cultural isolationism bodes ill for China as a cultural power. To take the Japanese example again, history shows that it made its cultural marks abroad when previously fringe groups, many of which emerge from fusing domestic and foreign elements, became widely recognized. The Harajuku fashion styles and manga and anime connoisseurs found their global following and made Japanese popular culture visible among the youths everywhere. By preventing a similar emergence of fringe cultures in the first place, China takes away many opportunities to export its culture abroad.
Sure, the kid wearing kimono at Wuhan University will probably be let go with any charges brought against him. But whether he is charged or not is not the point. The very fact that the authorities and the mainstream media brand his behavior as devious and socially unacceptable in the first place deters others from openly expressing admiration for foreign cultures. As grassroots movements to introduce new cultures in China fails, even as Japan slowly embraces concepts like LGBTQ, the two socially conservative countries will diverge further in the near future.
It is unfortunate, however, that certain parties are so fond of dragging politics and nationalism into such a simple moment of enjoying nature for the sake of its untainted beauty. On the famed cherry blossoms-lined roads of the Wuhan University campus in China, a young man was arrested by the campus police for wearing a Japanese kimono during his hanami. As anti-Japanese feelings continue to simmer in China, apparently even the wearing of Japanese traditional clothing has become a sign of lacking patriotism and worthy of public criticism sensationalized by the media.
Without a doubt, it is scary to think about the implications of someone facing public criticism just for liking the cultural symbols of another country. If cherry blossoms, a natural phenomenon, can be targeted as an item of anti-nationalism, then it goes without saying that direct cultural portrayals like food, TV shows, movies, and people-to-people exchanges can be an even graver display of hating one's own country. And if citizens can be locked up in the millions for allegedly not holding a specific ideology, then there is almost no reason not to go after foreigners and their domestic sympathizers for importing an entirely foreign ideology.
And that is not even mentioning the absurdity of the idea that certain cultural phenomena, never mind those originated in nature, can only be ascribed to one country or culture exclusively. Cultures emerge by importing ideas from different social groups, and constantly changes as different ideas evolve with the emergence of new social groups and ways of thinking. What was considered taboo, foreign, or unknown in the past can become mainstream and widely accepted in a span of a few years. It is both dictatorial and futile for central authorities to stop cultures from evolving.
Indeed, that quick evolution of culture is apparent even in those countries that are traditionally considered more socially conservative and slow to accept new ideas. The patriarchal society that is Japan, for instance, is seeing an increasingly vibrant discussion of LGBTQ issues, expressed through independent films and literary works patronized by the socially aware. While the group is small, their dynamism speaks to the authorities' openness to allow what used to be considered a foreign idea to take root and grow, notwithstanding certain criticisms from socially conservative majority toward such a marginal fringe.
In comparison, the temporary arrest of a Chinese citizen in China over wearing a foreign costume shows the now-stereotypical narrow-mindedness that prevails the Chinese government in recent years. By denying the very basic right for common people to adopt even the notion of incorporating elements of foreign culture in the Chinese one, the authorities essentially deny the ability for Chinese culture to evolve and improve, through adopting the best sociocultural practices from foreign countries. And by heavyhandedly stamping out voices of the cultural minority, the state creates a stagnant cultural monotony that becomes increasingly unattractive to both its own citizens and foreigners.
Such cultural isolationism bodes ill for China as a cultural power. To take the Japanese example again, history shows that it made its cultural marks abroad when previously fringe groups, many of which emerge from fusing domestic and foreign elements, became widely recognized. The Harajuku fashion styles and manga and anime connoisseurs found their global following and made Japanese popular culture visible among the youths everywhere. By preventing a similar emergence of fringe cultures in the first place, China takes away many opportunities to export its culture abroad.
Sure, the kid wearing kimono at Wuhan University will probably be let go with any charges brought against him. But whether he is charged or not is not the point. The very fact that the authorities and the mainstream media brand his behavior as devious and socially unacceptable in the first place deters others from openly expressing admiration for foreign cultures. As grassroots movements to introduce new cultures in China fails, even as Japan slowly embraces concepts like LGBTQ, the two socially conservative countries will diverge further in the near future.
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