Cultural consciousness promotes peaceful coexistence. Photo: TUCHONG

Cultural modernization cannot simply start anew; instead, it must build on and innovate from existing traditions. It is essential to have a deep awareness of both the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese culture and other cultures in order to find a path for the modernization of Chinese culture and for the overcoming of the ills of modernity within a broader civilizational vision.

Cultural consciousness

Chinese scholar Fei Xiaotong believed that while it is essential to learn Western modern technologies to develop the economy and increase people’s wealth, it is more important to consider the insights Chinese culture offers for the path of modernization. The cultural emphasis on harmonious coexistence nurtured in China’s fine rural traditions can provide insights into the concept of a global community of shared future. Fei Xiaotong encapsulated this core value of Chinese culture in his theory of “cultural consciousness,”  advocating for “achieving one’s own goal yields gratification, lending a hand to consummate others’ goal doubles satisfaction. Goals of self and others can be unified, thus the world can be harmonized.”

Cultural consciousness involves first understanding one’s own culture and determining whether to preserve and promote it based on its adaptability to new environments. Secondly, it requires comprehending and assimilating the essence of other cultures. After achieving awareness of various cultures, a consensual basic order can emerge within this diverse world, leading to a common set of principles that promote peaceful coexistence, mutual benefit, and collaborative progress among all cultures.

Remembering nostalgia

“Remembering nostalgia” embodies the cultural value of “homeland China” and reflects cultural consciousness in rural revitalization and Chinese modernization. It encompasses complex emotions such as attachment to one’s homeland and longing for one’s native place. As a metaphor for urban-rural relationships and rural identity, “remembering nostalgia” also holds ethical significance and value aspirations, such as ideal pursuits, identity recognition, and spiritual support. Some scholars believe that “remembering nostalgia” is the inheritance and modernization of the traditional Chinese discourse on nostalgia. It has provided the moral and cultural roots for the reconstruction of rural ethics in the process of modernization. It has also become an indispensable cultural expression in the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy. In the process of rural revitalization, nostalgia serves as a motivational force driving people to return to their hometowns. Whether they are simply homesick or returning to support local development, many are motivated by a deep-seated spirit of “returning to one’s root,” that is, a cultural identity rather than merely economic development opportunities and policy advocacy. Therefore, rural revitalization should aim to create “solid culture” rural areas that preserve and nurture nostalgia through cultivating cultural identity, rather than “hollow culture” rural areas. This deep cultural recognition, rooted in cultural consciousness, can also apply to cities. Nostalgic memories are a precious spiritual asset for all Chinese people.

This nostalgia fosters the idea of “falling leaves returning to their roots,” creating a spiritual bond between people and their homeland. This bond is the reason behind the traditional cyclical flow of talent between urban and rural areas, and it serves as a strategy for resolving challenges of urban-rural integration in modern China.

In summary, sociologists and rural development activists, exemplified by Fei Xiaotong, have consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining self-awareness and consciousness of Chinese culture based on profound reflections on fine traditions of “homeland China.”

Wu Yue is a lecturer from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing University of Technology.

Edited by ZHAO YUAN