Harry Potter fever reflects China's cultural passivity
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As Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I) blasts its way into cinemas, the past four days witnessed continued success for the popular franchise. Enthusiasm for the British fantasy is growing across the globe.
In China, audiences are rushing to the theatre, some more than once. These large crowds are changing the fortunes of the almost vapid box office returns recently.
Britain's culture of taking pride of past glory is alive and well. This is a sharp contrast with the reality of the UK today that is saddled with a fiscally challenged coalition government, a stagnant economy, and a society baffled by antisocial behavior.
But all of that won't fundamentally detract from the UK's global recognition, largely thanks to its cultural robustness. London still attracts aspiring artists and the UK still cultivates some of the world's best writers, including J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series.
Clearly, the cultural advantages, which once contributed to British Empire's prestige, are still a hallmark of the country today. Behind the curtain of the country's cultural success is a systematic and efficient mechanism that can find the most talented people and convert them into a commercial success.
In contrast, from fine arts to popular culture, the Chinese culture industry seems to be mired in an embarrassing situation. Shelves in bookstores are replete with novels but rarely laudable titles. Television disseminates poor-quality programs. And film industry giants are also plagued with apathy.
There are several disadvantages to the Chinese system. There isn't a mechanism that selects talent. Or strictly speaking, there isn't much talent at all.
A talented person has to absorb from a cultural situation or atmosphere, adding his or her own inspiring creativity into an already creative environment, and link it with the universal laws of aestheticism.
Precisely, what enables an artist to become great is the strength of the country they come from and the creative environment it nurtures. Great cultural nations encourage individual promotion and self-realization. China's emergence economically hasn't blossomed yet culturally.
China will continue to face hurdles trying to build its own culture, even after its political, military and economical might is comparable to the West. China must not put boundaries on its creative artists or industries. It will be from that boundless creativity that masterpieces will be born in China.
In a cultural world that is dominated by Western tastes and criterion, it is difficult for an Eastern masterpiece to emerge. It is thus understandable why sometimes English literature may achieve more than it deserves.
