A Chinese professor of arts has alerted the nation to the danger
of losing its own culture in the face of economic
globalization.?
Shen Qipeng, a deputy to the National People's Congress, said
that he was painful to see that a university students cartoon
exhibition in Nantong, Jiangsu
Province,
was full of cartoon figures from the United States, the Republic of
Korea and Japan and even the prizes were foreign cartoon toys.
Reminiscent of San Mao, Nuo Zha and Monkey King -- traditional
cartoon figures in China, Prof. Shen said that the economic
globalization has brought about unparalleled conveniences and
development space for cultural exchanges among different nations.
However, he noted, by their economic strength, the western culture
has taken the opportunity to launch an unprecedented big expansion
drive to sell its political system, concept of values, ideology and
ways of living.
The Western culture has not only occupied the cultural market of
developing countries, Prof. Shen said, but also cultivated
worshippers of Western culture. The spread of individualism, money
worship, consumerism and sex liberation in China is closely
associated with the spread of the Western cultural products.
What is even more grave, he noted, is that ancient structures
have been damaged; a large amount of cultural relics have been
smuggled out of the country; such traditional new year paintings,
donkey skin shadow shows, paper cuts and other traditional arts are
fading away; in contrast, foreign style buildings are shooting up
from the debris of stylish ancient structures and films and
animated cartoons full of violence and porn are influencing the
taste of appeal.
In addition, the cartoon film Mulan created on the basis
of Chinese legendary story enabled Walt Disney Inc. to rake in
US$300 million of profits. But raped by the Western approach to
cater to Western aesthetic taste, the original Mulan spirit has
been unbearably violated.
It was reported that China has promised to gradually open its
film market, importing 50 foreign films every year and allowing
foreign investors to hold 49 percent of stake in projects of
transforming cinemas and in the sales of audio-video products. That
will bring tremendous pressure to bear upon China's cultural
industry.
President Wang Fang from the Suzhou Kunju Theater
appealed to use legal means to protect China's traditional culture,
saying that "protecting traditional culture is the right and
obligation of every nation."
(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2004)