Two sessions focus on traditional culture

Staff study ancient architecture at Hong village, Qinghua town, Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, July 30, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Plight: traditions suffer from globalization and commercialization

Although traditional culture seems to regain popularity among the Chinese people, it still suffers from westernization. "Today, Chinese dress like the westerners, eat like the westerns and even get married in the way of the westerners. Traditional customs and culture have retreated from daily life,” said scholar Wang Liqun.

In addition, misunderstandings and misapplications also exist. Some of the traditional values should be wiped out since they are no longer applicable to modern society. One noncommercial advertisement was accused of causing potential harm because it wrongly used a story from the ancient classic the Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety. Another example is gender discrimination which originated in feudal times when women were confined to the household and had to obey their fathers and husbands.

Chen Zhilin, deputy to the National People's Congress from Sichuan province stated that the biggest challenge facing traditional culture is the lack of clear distinctions and standards.

Besides, laws and regulations of intellectual property and the cultural industry still need modification. It is significant to balance commercial interests and cultural values when adapting traditions to today’s China. Also, the scholars and experts should be encouraged to step out of their studies and speak their views.