Lecture on Chinese Culture & Politics (1)/ 中華文化與政治 (一)

Special Lecture by George Yong-Boon Yeo, Minister for Trade & Industry, Singapore (Part 1)	中華文化與政治   (一)
At the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of New Asia College, Chinese University of Hong Kong, on 29 Oct 1999	新加坡貿工部長楊榮文在香港中文大學新亞書院 金禧紀念專題講座上的演講(1999-10-29)
“Artificial Stability”	“人造穩定”
Throughout Chinese history, a profound tension exists between stability and instability. Chinese civilisation is the longest continuous civilisation on earth going back more than 5,000 years. This shows the tenacity of the culture and its deep stability. However, Chinese society is also highly fragmented. The father of modern China, Sun Zhongshan, once described Chinese society as a tray of loose sand. Outside the extended family, Chinese people tend to be lacking in public spirit. In their minds, a clear distinction is made between what is within the family and what is outside the family. Within the extended family, mutual trust and assistance is taken for granted. Beyond the extended family, liberties are often taken unless there is a threat of punishment.	縱貫中國歷史，在穩定與動盪之間一直存在深刻的張力。中華文明可以上溯到五千多年前，是世界上最悠久而又未曾間斷的文明，這證明了中華文化的堅韌與高度穩定。然而中國社會又是十分鬆散，所以現代中國之父孫中山曾說，中國社會好比是一盤散沙。在家族的圈子之外，中國人往往缺乏公衆意識。在他們看來，家裏、家外截然不同：在家族內部，理所當然要互相信賴、互相幫助；在家族之外，除非懾於刑罰，往往恣意而行。
Without a strong state to hold Chinese society together, it can dissolve quickly into internal dispute and civil war. In physics, there is a phenomenon called “artificial stability”. This describes a situation when stability is achieved by external control over what would otherwise be unstable. For example, a fighter aircraft, whether it is a Sopwith Camel, a Spitfire or an F-16, is designed to be unstable so that that aeroplane can manoeuvre freely in a dogfight. The control system or the pilot has to maintain stability all the time. Once the control is withdrawn, the aeroplane quickly turns left or right, up or down. In the same way, a bicycle is more stable when additional load is placed at the back but this makes it less manoeuvreable. When the load is placed in front, the bicycle is more unstable, but the rider finds it easier to steer the bicycle. Chinese society is “artificially stable”. Without a good control system externally imposed, it becomes chaotic.	中國社會若沒有强大的政權維繫，便可能迅速瓦解而陷入內鬥和內戰。物理學上有所謂“人造穩定”的現象，即原本不穩定但依賴外力維持住穩定的狀態。譬如一架戰機，無論是駱駝戰機、噴火戰機或是F-16型戰機，都有意設計爲不穩定，以便在空戰中可操縱自如。戰機的操縱系統或飛行機師必須時刻維持穩定；一旦撤銷控制，戰機立即會左轉右轉、爬升或俯衝。同樣地，如果在脚踏車尾部附加一個重物，可以增加穩定，但降低了靈活性。如果重物加在脚踏車前部，車子的穩定性降低，騎車人却比較容易操縱車行的方向。中國社會正是處於“人造穩定”狀態，若無一個良好的外加控制系統，便會陷入動亂。
Many years ago, I had an interesting discussion with a Suzhou official. He told me that the Jiangsu Provincial Government was reluctant to develop the parts of Jiangsu adjacent to Shanghai because Shanghai might one day take over those areas as the city grew. When there were floods in the lower Yangtze Delta, decisions had to be taken whether to sacrifice large areas of farmland in Jiangsu or to allow Shanghai to be affected. Furious arguments would take place and Beijing would have to step in to arbitrate and decide. Without a strong centre in China, the different provinces could quickly go to war with one another as had frequently happened in the long history of China. No wonder the Romance of the Three Kingdoms began with the famous saying that “long disunity leads to unity and long unity leads to disunity”.	多年前，我同一名蘇州官員作過一次有趣的談話。他說，江蘇省政府不樂意開發該省與上海市接壤的地區，因爲上海市日益發展，有朝一日可能將那些地區據爲己有。長江下游三角洲遭受洪灾時，必須决定是否要犧牲江蘇省的大片農田以保全上海，爲此兩地時常激烈爭吵，以致北京的中央政府不得不干預，以便作出裁决。在中國，若無强大的中央政權，各省份之間可能很快便彼此開戰，這在中國千百年來曾頻頻發生。難怪《三國演義》開宗明義便道出這句名言：“天下大勢，分久必合，合久必分”。
This tendency of Chinese society to be chaotic is both a strength and a weakness. The frequent disorderliness is also a source of creativity and dynamism. While China today remains an authoritarian state, there is intense competition at the provincial and city levels. It is a situation of controlled chaos.	中國社會這種動亂的傾向有弊也有利。無秩序狀態頻繁出現，也可以催生創造性和活力。儘管今日中國依然是威權統治，各省市之間還是有激烈的競爭。這是一種受控下的無序局面。
The Idea of One China	“一個中國”的觀念
Cycles of growth and decline are common in human history. What is unique and extraordinary about Chinese history is the ability of Chinese society to re-gather itself into a single polity again and again. The Han Dynasty was roughly contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. Both broke up at about the same time. The areas under the control of the Roman Empire never succeeded in reuniting themselves. Attempts were made by Charlemagne, Napolean, Hitler and others, but they never came close to achieving the dominance of Rome. Even the European Union today is a loose confederation of tribal groups. In contrast, China was able to reunify itself many times since the fall of the Han Dynasty. This is because the idea of one China is deeply embedded in the minds of all Chinese people.	人類歷史上，盛衰交替本不足爲奇，但中國歷史的獨特之處，却在於社會有能力一次次重新凝聚爲單一的政治實體。漢朝與羅馬帝國大致同時，二者崩潰的年代也約略相近。原羅馬帝國治下的各地區，後來從未能復歸一統。儘管查理曼大帝、拿破侖、希特勒等人曾力圖重建帝國，但當年羅馬的霸業無人能够企及。即使當今的歐洲聯盟，也不過是多個部落群體的鬆散聯盟。相比之下，中國自從漢朝傾覆以來，却能多次重歸一統。此中緣故，在於“一個中國”的觀念在全體中國人意識裏根深蒂固。
For centuries, Chinese children, before they could read or write, were taught to recite the San Zi Jing through which the Confucianist idea of society being one big happy family is programmed into young minds. The three-character phrases are like strands of cultural DNA which are passed on from generation to generation. Thus, the political idea of one China is also a cultural idea. This distinguishes Chinese culture from other ancient cultures. For example, Jewish culture is as tenacious as Chinese culture but it does not put the same emphasis on political unity. Hindu culture is also an ancient culture. While Hindu culture encompasses political ideals, it does not programme into all Hindus the idea of one India the way Chinese culture does. For this reason, the idea of Taiwanese independence is emotionally unacceptable to many Chinese people because it goes against a long-held cultural ideal.	千百年來，中國孩童還未讀書寫字便須背誦《三字經》，儒家的“家天下”觀念便由此深植於孩童心中。《三字經》的詞句，好比是文化遺傳物質，世代相傳。因此“一個中國”的觀念既關乎政治，又植根於文化，這使得中華文化與其他古老文化不同。例如，猶太文化之堅韌不下於中華文化，但它對政治統一並不那麽强調。興都教（印度教）文化同樣也歷史悠久，它雖然也包含政治理想，却和中華文化不同，並未將“一個印度”的觀念深植於全體興都教徒心中。因此之故，台灣獨立的想法，許多中國人在感情上不能接受，因爲它違背世代相傳的文化觀念。
The Stability of the Chinese Family	穩固的華人家庭
However, like Jewish and Hindu cultures, Chinese culture places great emphasis on the family. This is the basic building block of Chinese society, and is almost indestructible. Despite wars and revolutions, floods and famines, the Chinese family has held together. In this century, despite family members being separated by hundreds or thousands of miles over long years, the Chinese family held together in a remarkable way. Strong Chinese families explain the strength of Chinese diaspora culture. Diaspora Chinese culture is much more tenacious than diaspora Japanese culture.	但是，一如猶太和興都兩大文化，中華文化也極爲重視家庭；家庭作爲華人社會的基礎構件，簡直是堅不可摧。儘管歷經戰爭、革命、洪水、饑荒，華人的家庭始終凝聚爲一。本世紀以來，即使親人長年分居、阻隔萬里，華人家庭仍是不離不散，令人矚目。這便是海外華人文化力量强大的緣故。海外華人文化之堅韌，遠遠超過海外日本人文化。
However, the strength of the Chinese family also means that, outside the circle of relatives and friends, Chinese people tend to be less public-spirited. The difference between the public spirit of Japanese people and Chinese people is well-known. I remember once visiting the Meiji Shrine in June when the blue irises were in bloom. Because the Meiji emperor planted blue irises which the empress loved, Japanese women romanticise this particular irises. On the day when I visited the shrine, there was a long procession of Japanese women lining up to view the blue irises. There was no rush. When it was their turn to take photographs, they took them quickly so as not to hold others back. When they saw litter on the ground, they picked them up. It is hard to imagine Chinese people ever behaving in this way. If there were a similar event in Singapore we will need many workers the following day to clean up the park. [To be continued; see Part (2), Part (3)]	然而，華人家庭强大的另一面是，一旦走出親友的圈子，華人便往往缺乏公衆意識。就公衆意識而論，日本人和華人之間的區別是衆所周知的。記得我有一回在日本參觀明治神社，時逢六月，藍蝴蝶花盛開的季節。相傳當年明治皇后喜愛藍蝴蝶花，天皇便親手栽種，因此日本婦女對此花別有一番浪漫的情思。我去參觀神社那天，只見日本婦女排成長龍輪候看花，秩序井然，無人推擠。每人輪到機會時，都快快地拍照，生怕耽誤了後頭排隊的人；看見地上有垃圾，她們便動手拾起來。很難想像華人能有如此的舉止。類似的場合假如是在新加坡，我們隔天便須出動大批工人來清理公園。 [待續；見 Part (2), Part (3)] (Translated by Allen Zhuang)
[ 楊榮文以英語演講；華文譯本兩天之後(1999-10-31)載新加坡《聯合早報》社論/言論/天下事 / ； The lecture was in English; its Chinese translation appeared two days later in Lianhe Zaobao (Oct 31, 1999).]