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Artificial festivals flooding criticized as flashy
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-17 13:33 Traditional Chinese festivals
like the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival give many expectations and mean
a lot to Chinese people: family reunion, relaxation from strenuous work and even
an opportunity to travel around.
But the flavors of "warmth", "happiness" and "joy" that should have been
brought about to people by these traditional festivals are becoming "thinner and
thinner" not only because of the intrusion of western festivals like the
Valentine's Day and Christmas, but also because of various man-made festivals
that have run rampant across the country in recent years.
Since years ago, many young Chinese have been more crazy for western
festivals than traditional Chinese festivals, a fact that makes bussiness people
happy but frustrates many people, especially experts of folk-custom and
sociologists who are worriedthat Chinese tradition and culture are to be
forgotten by younger generations.
They are more worried today as fake festivals such as the Tortoise Festival,
Chinese Chestnut Festival, Trousers Festival, Pig King Festival, Shopping
Festival, the Twins Festivals and manyothers, often manipulated by commercial
purposes, come onto the stage one after another through out the year. Sometimes,
several festivals with the same theme are simultaneously held in a same place.
TOO MANY FESTIVALS DEVALUATE FESTIVE JOY
In some places, the so-called Moon Cake Festival is held to replace the
traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion of familyreunion, the Glutinous
Rice Dumpling Festival to replace the Dragon Boat Festival and many other
man-made festivals like the Mobile Phone Festival, Motorcycle Festival and
Ornament Festival show up during traditional festivals such as the Spring
Festival, or China's Lunar New Year, and the National Day Holiday period, the
first week of October.
"The significance of festivals and the content of traditional culture are
being devoured by the flood of man-made festivals which are empty, dull and
identical," said Jiang Shouhuo, an expert of folk-customs.
Traditional festivals originate from centuries-old history and beautiful
legends, Jiang said, adding that history and culture arethe main factors that
attract the general public and prolong the life of traditional festivals.
Like the dragon boat racing, which originated in China, dating back to about
2, 300 years ago, Jiang said. The tradition is basedon a legend that
disillusioned poet Qu Yuan jumped into the Miluo River to demonstrate his will
to serve the country. People raced to the site in boats to search for him. They
made loud sounds to scare away fish and dropped glutinous rice dumping into the
water to lure them away from Qu's body. Now the Chinese mark the anniversary of
Qu's death by racing dragon boats and eating rice dumplings during the Dragon
Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of May on China's lunar calendar.
Man-made festivals are created based on various excuses, Jiang said. Chestnut
Festival is held because a place produces chestnutsand Trousers Festival is held
because a place is flourishing with trousers producing industry. And some
business operators take great pains to create festivals to make bigger profits:
Such as when a new model of mobile phone is launched, then a mobile phone
festival is held.
"The excuses used by people to create festivals actually ring the passing
bell to these created festivals," said Fan Kai, a scholar of folk-custom.
Voluntary participation injects vitality into festivals that are celebrated
by people from generation to generation, and created festivals which attract few
people are doomed to die, Fan said.
"We can have many festivals but they can not go popular, and the festive
atmosphere and joy should not be distorted by commercial manipulations," Jiang
said, "With festivals flooding, festive joy will be devalued."
WHO BENEFITS FROM THE MAN-MADE FESTIVALS?
Wanyuan City, Sichuan Province, is one of the economically underdeveloped
regions in western China. To push forward local economic development, local
government launched the Daba Mountain Tourism Festival in 2003, which was
designed to serve as a platform to lure investment.
The city government promised high payment to invite famous singers to perform
for the purpose of adding to the fun of the festival. But the "top singer"
invited did not show up for certainreasons.
The "top singer" at last appeared in the city at an occasion tomark the 70th
anniversary of the battle to safeguard Wanyuan City last August. Local
government lavished 400,000 yuan (about 49,000 US dollars) as the payment for
the singer.
A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC) criticized such activities using public funds to
idolize singers and movie stars at the CPPCC annual session last year. A storm
of criticism against such activities swept across the country. But the situation
did not turn around.
Despite economic backwardness, the north China city has since last year spent
one million yuan (about 123,000 US dollars) annually to invite singers to
perform at the city's tourism festival to lure investment. But the city has
actually not absorbed much investment.
Flooding man-made festivals reflect an incorrect concept of some local
government officials toward achievements, pointed out asociologist who declined
to be named.
The sociologist said that these officials act on impulse and speculative
purposes in developing local economy, and they pay more attention to the form
than substantial results. Man-made festivals are also hotbeds of corruption,
said the sociologist.
"Using festivals as a platform to lure investment and to develop the economy
should have been an effective way but the problem is that how people make them
attractive not only to business people but also common people," said Chen Yi,
deputy headof the cultural exchange center of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region in south China.
"Festivals should not be held to make a show of strength or to build up great
momentum," Chen said.
As policy-makers, local governments should not blindly "worshipfestivals" but
should set to improve the local investment environment to lure investors,
experts said.
"Not endowing too much meaning to festivals, as festivals are just occasions
during which people seek fun and relax themselves,"said one expert, "If you want
to do business or lure investment, trade fairs are much better than
festivals."
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