Chinese culture shapes Taiwan student's life

Editor's Note: During his visit to the Chinese mainland between March 27 and April 7, many students accompanied former Kuomintang chairman Ma Ying-jeou. Let's hear what they have to say about what they experienced during the trip.

Ho Chia-lin: Chinese culture shapes my social interactions

I used to feel a familiarity for and yet also a strangeness toward the Chinese mainland.

It felt familiar because, in Taiwan, we also celebrate the Lunar New Year, eat Chinese food and learn about the 5,000-year history of the Chinese civilization.

It was simultaneously a strange place to me as I had only set foot on the mainland's soil once before this visit. That was in 2002, when my elders took me to visit relatives in our hometown on the mainland.

When Mr Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, visited the mainland, I was lucky to be included in the delegation to personally see, experience and learn about the mainland further.

The first stop on our 12-day trip was the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the final resting place of Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's democratic revolution, on Zijin Mountain in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

Walking on the stone steps leading to the mausoleum, I felt as if I were traveling back to that turbulent time.

"The world is for the public" is one of the core beliefs of Mr Sun Yat-sen's philosophy. Originating from ancient Chinese classic Liji (The Book of Rites), it remains relevant even today.

Then we went to Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province, a city rich in cultural and historical legacy including the Wuchang Uprising, which ended the millennia-long absolute monarchy in the country.

The unique local customs and human touch remain unchanged after being hit hard by the once-in-a-century pandemic.

Located in Hunan University in the neighboring Hunan province, the thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy naturally prompts admiration from students.

In Southwest China's Chongqing, I visited the cemetery of General Zhang Zizhong, who was killed during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), saw related relics, and laid a flower to pay tribute on Tomb-Sweeping Day, as well as taking photos with the Taiwan Restoration Monument.

The previous generations defended the peace and integrity of the nation regardless of their personal safety. I was deeply moved again.

Shanghai, where we landed to start the 12-day exchange, was also where we concluded the trip.

Jin Li, president of Fudan University, shared with us how the university takes its name from a famous line in A Commentary on The Classic of History: "Brilliant are the sunshine and moonlight, again the morning radiance returns at dawn", indicating relentless efforts for self-reliance and diligence. I think it works for life as well.

I was most impressed with the people we encountered during the trip. I was touched by the attentive care of Taiwan affairs offices at all levels, the sincere communication with students and teachers from the mainland, and the warm welcome from local residents.

The consideration and thoughtfulness of the Taiwan office staff were shown in small details again and again, from the itinerary booklets printed in traditional Chinese characters, the use of the most convenient way of transportation such as shuttle buses, and the specially prepared Chongqing hotpot with our preferred level of spiciness.

Along the way, we communicated with young friends from Wuhan University, Hunan University and Fudan University.

When discussing daily life, we talked about whether it is difficult to become a civil servant and the differences between the life of graduates and undergraduates, as well as comparisons between only children and children with siblings.

Academically, we discussed sustainable development and exchanged opinions on the research I am currently conducting on carbon trading and green finance. Resonance seems to be planted in our mind, with no need to seek from the outside.

Upon our departure from Chongqing, the tour guide shared a text from elementary school textbooks in Chongqing, titled "Taiwan, the treasure island". He is drawn by the spectacular scenery of Ali Mountain and wants to look out over Taipei from Taipei 101's observation deck. However, due to cross-Strait tension and policy reasons, he was not able to visit Taiwan.

After face-to-face communication during these days, I feel from the bottom of my heart that there is mutual trust and appreciation out of sincerity between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

During an exchange activity at Hunan University, a student from Xinjiang wanted to learn about the influence of Chinese culture on young people in Taiwan.

I remembered my first winter vacation assignment in elementary school was to recite educator Zhu Bolu's Maxims for Managing the Home.

We eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, burn incense and worship Buddha on the first and fifteenth days of every lunar month, and read "The Legendary Swordsman" by martial arts novelist Jin Yong after growing up.

Chinese culture is embedded in my feelings and emotions, and shapes the way I interact with others.

Of the 8 billion people on Earth, almost one in every four is Chinese, and we share the same language and cultural and spiritual systems, so "de-sinicization" is impossible and meaningless.

As inheritors of Chinese culture, what we should really think about is how to promote China's continuous progress with the efforts of all Chinese people, so that Chinese culture can be interpreted positively and be admired and desired by the whole world.

Let's meet next year when the magnolia blooms again, striving for peace and national rejuvenation in mind.

The author is a second-year postgraduate student majoring in commercial law at the College of Law of Taiwan University. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Translated by Liu Ming