Feng Jicai, writer and CPPCC member, is surrounded by reporters as he registers for the annual session March 2, 2015.
The plenary sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), popularly known as the two sessions, kicked off recently. Feng Jicai, a famed author, and a CPPCC member, talked to The Beijing News, and shared his views on cultural issues.
兩會(huì)期間,政協(xié)委員、著名作家馮驥才接受了《新京報(bào)》的采訪,分享了他對(duì)幾個(gè)文化問(wèn)題的看法。
Learning culture is mainly about experiencing culture
學(xué)習(xí)文化,最主要是體驗(yàn)文化
1. I know that your proposal this year is about strengthening primary school and middle school students' participation and experience in traditional life and culture. Then in which forms are traditional culture presented?
新京報(bào):你今年的提案是加強(qiáng)中小學(xué)生對(duì)傳統(tǒng)生活文化的參與和體驗(yàn)。傳統(tǒng)文化具體有哪些方式?
Feng: Traditional culture is presented in two forms. One is ancient classics, which can be put in textbooks. I remember that when we recited poetry in our childhood, the artistic conception portrayed in the poem was engraved deeply in our minds.
馮驥才:傳統(tǒng)文化有兩種方式,一種是典籍,這些是文本式的傳統(tǒng)文化,這些內(nèi)容可以進(jìn)入教材,用教材的方式比較適合。我們小時(shí)候背詩(shī),20個(gè)字,詩(shī)歌深沉的意境就好像刻在骨頭里一樣。
The other is culture in life. For example, during each Spring Festival, we exclaim that the new year atmosphere is disappearing, and young people are detaching from tradition. If we put Qingming Festival, Duanwu Festival into textbooks, then will young people get more interested in the traditional festivals? It is very important to capture their interest first through education.
還有一種傳統(tǒng)文化是生活文化。比如節(jié)日,每到春節(jié)時(shí),我們會(huì)感嘆年輕人是不是離傳統(tǒng)遠(yuǎn)了,年味是不是淡了。如果把清明節(jié)、端午節(jié),這些節(jié)日的習(xí)俗編進(jìn)教材,年輕人不會(huì)有興趣。對(duì)中小學(xué)生的教育,首先得引起他們的興趣。
2. So how does one arouse their interest to get closer to traditional culture?
新京報(bào):那怎么引起他們的興趣,親近傳統(tǒng)文化呢?
Feng: Take an example, the Qingming Festival, which is drawing near. If we put it in a textbook, that will include an introduction to the festival's customs, such as tomb sweeping in memory of the deceased. In ancient times, it was also a festival celebrating the early spring, with people taking spring outings, picking willows, flying kites, and swinging. If you explain this to children, they only know it as a concept without any feeling and experiencing. But if you take children outdoors to experience these things, they will learn to cherish nature and life.
馮驥才:舉個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的例子,馬上要清明節(jié)了。如果我們要寫進(jìn)課本里,就是清明節(jié)的習(xí)俗:掃墓,懷念故人;還有古代人親近春天的意思。踏青、插柳、放風(fēng)箏、打秋千,很多活動(dòng)。你給孩子們解釋,他們只是概念上知道,沒(méi)有感覺(jué)和親身體驗(yàn),老師要帶著學(xué)生去踏青就不一樣了,他們會(huì)學(xué)會(huì)珍惜大自然和生命。
Don't expect the public to love poetry after watching a few TV shows
別指望人們靠幾臺(tái)節(jié)目就對(duì)詩(shī)歌感興趣
3. The cultural TV shows such as Chinese Poetry Conference and Readers are getting popular these days, have you ever watched the shows?
新京報(bào):最近很火的文化類節(jié)目,像《中國(guó)詩(shī)詞大會(huì)》、《朗讀者》,你有沒(méi)有看過(guò)?
Feng: That's good. While it is only a beginning and an attempt, it can spark people's interests in ancient Chinese poetry on a certain level. Don't expect too much from just a few TV shows. Culture influences people mainly through influencing their souls and temperaments, and not just by making a few TV shows to catch the public's eye.
馮驥才:挺好的,這只是一個(gè)開始,一個(gè)嘗試??梢约て鹑藗儗?duì)詩(shī)詞的興趣。但是也不要指望人們對(duì)詩(shī)歌的興趣,靠幾臺(tái)節(jié)目就能起到多大作用。文化影響人,還是影響人的心靈、人的氣質(zhì),這才是真正的影響,而不是做幾臺(tái)節(jié)目熱鬧熱鬧,炒作炒作。
4. What is the authentic influence of culture?
新京報(bào):什么算是真正的影響?
Feng: As an NPC member, I proposed before that China should set up a Cultural Heritage Day. I know this from France, and each year on this day, all the museums in France are free, and all schools and communities encourage people to get close to cultural heritage.
馮驥才:我之前也寫過(guò)提案,設(shè)立中國(guó)文化遺產(chǎn)日(2006年起,每年6月的第二個(gè)星期六為中國(guó)的“文化遺產(chǎn)日”,新京報(bào)記者張維注),就是從法國(guó)知道的。他們?cè)谀且惶?,所有博物館不要錢,所有學(xué)校、社區(qū),讓人們親近自己的文化遺產(chǎn)。
I even participated in a poetry reading event in a community in Austria. I was exhibiting my paintings at a house in the suburbs where my Chinese friend was reading poetry, and then local residents also came to read their poetry or perform a folk song, all spontaneously. If people have such cultural self-consciousness, the whole nation's culture and civilization can be activated.
我曾參加過(guò)奧地利一個(gè)社區(qū)的詩(shī)歌朗誦會(huì),在薩爾茨堡一個(gè)郊區(qū)的房子里,我展覽我的畫,我的中國(guó)詩(shī)人朋友朗誦詩(shī)歌,當(dāng)?shù)氐睦项^老太太也來(lái)朗誦,都是奧地利古代的名詩(shī)或當(dāng)?shù)氐拿窀?,我還看過(guò)他們表演民間舞蹈。這些都是全民自發(fā)舉行的活動(dòng)。如果全民有這樣的文化自覺(jué),我覺(jué)得整個(gè)社會(huì)的文化和文明才會(huì)活躍起來(lái)。
5. It sounds beautiful. When can we have such cultural self-consciousness?
新京報(bào):聽起來(lái)很美好。我們什么時(shí)候才能有這種文化自覺(jué)?
Feng: This will be a long process. We can't forget Chinese culture's roots, but we can absorb the essence of foreign culture. The artistic cultivation of a person needs a slow process which can't be accomplished with quick action.
馮驥才:這是一個(gè)長(zhǎng)久的過(guò)程。我們不能忘了中國(guó)文化的本,也要吸收外來(lái)的、好的東西。人的藝術(shù)修養(yǎng)是一個(gè)緩慢的事情,潛移默化,不可能一蹴而就。
6. Will the popular cultural TV shows help?
新京報(bào):熱播的文化類節(jié)目,會(huì)有幫助嗎?
Feng: It won't work for all. I know almost all the poetry in the show, so it works a little on me. Some people have little interest in poetry, and the shows won't work on him, either. It's easy to only concentrate on popular things now. However, art and culture have abundant connotations.
馮驥才:不會(huì)都起作用。節(jié)目里的這些詩(shī)詞我都知道,可能對(duì)我就起不了太大的作用,有些人對(duì)詩(shī)歌沒(méi)興趣,也就沒(méi)有作用。說(shuō)白了,我們現(xiàn)在容易起哄。一個(gè)東西出來(lái),大家一哄而上都說(shuō)好,所有人就只關(guān)注一件事,不就壞了嗎?藝術(shù)是有很豐富內(nèi)涵的。
7. How should we foster the public's cultural self-consciousness?
新京報(bào):那培養(yǎng)文化自覺(jué),應(yīng)該怎么做?
Feng: I think that to develop traditional culture, one not only needs the opening of national museums, but also needs more opening of private museums. Foundations and people from all walks of life should develop the culture together, to make people have more immaterial pursuits, instead of focusing only on making more money.
馮驥才:我覺(jué)得要做傳統(tǒng)文化,不僅有國(guó)家博物館的開放,還要有一些熱心人士做一些私人博物館,社會(huì)一些基金會(huì)做一些公益的事情,各方面應(yīng)該把社會(huì)的文化做起來(lái),讓人們有一種豐富的精神追求,而不是賺多少錢,卡里有多少數(shù)字。
Culture is fundamentally people-oriented and exists to enrich people's inner mind. People should learn art, and learn to experience life in a beautiful way. Some people have said this is too luxurious. I replied that if we never bring luxury in enjoying the beauty of our culture, then we are being too materialistic.
文化最終還是以人為本,為了人心靈的豐富。人們要學(xué)會(huì)藝術(shù),就要學(xué)會(huì)用美的方式,美的感情去感受生活。以前有人聽到這句話,說(shuō)我太奢侈。我說(shuō),如果我的民族在美上面從來(lái)都沒(méi)奢侈過(guò),再不奢侈就壞了,我們就太功利了。