What is the Essence of Chinese Culture?
In oversea countries, many Mandarin Chinese teaching courses, lessons and programs or Chinese culture-related projects, companies and organizations mention their teaching and business purposes are spreading Chinese culture. The contents include Mandarin Chinese, Chinese folk music, Chinese traditional dresses, poetry and articles, Chinese food, architecture, etc... Among those, a very small portion of courses or business teach or spread out Chinese philosophy and history. So, when most overseas students want to learn Chinese, what they are learning are expressive forms of Chinese culture, like literature, dresses, food... Consequently, this causes the long-term misunderstanding in a bigger scope: Chinese culture equals dumpling, Qipao, Lion Dancing...
Indeed, this misunderstanding is very understandable, because culture is a general concept and comprehensive summary of consciousness. People can only get to know, analyze and understand it from its variety of expressive forms or relatively outer symbols. The scope is quite deep and profound. These forms and symbols gradually represent Chinese culture itself.
What is Chinese culture?
Chinese culture (simplified Chinese: 中华文化; traditional Chinese: 中華文化; pinyin: Zhōnghuá wénhuà) is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago.[1][2] The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns as well. The terms 'China' and the geographical landmass of 'China' has shifted across the centuries, with the last name being the Great Qing before the name 'China' became commonplace in modernity.
What is "Harmony"?
China has about 5000 years history. During the history changes and consciousness reforms, religions, philosophies, politics, economics and different nationalities bring various culture complexity. These comprehensive elements eventually form the highest degree of Chinese culture: Harmony (also called "Hehe" ). The "Hehe" can be traced back to Confucian thought on harmony, much of which stresses three principal harmonious relationships.
First, harmony between humans and nature. In Chinese culture, human life is part and parcel of nature.
Second, harmony among people. In Confucius' eyes, an individual cannot live without community and society. Interpersonal harmony, hence, is crucial for us. Third, harmony within oneself. Chinese thinking highlights that people should not only understand the external world but more importantly, uplift their internal state of mind or pursue the inner world of "Junzi," also known as a virtuous man.
All of the above mirrors the essence of Chinese culture and resonates with universal human values. This is perhaps why Confucian thought in the 21st century still retains the interest of not only the Chinese but also people in other parts of the world.
What does "Hehe" mean?
What does "Hehe" mean? The concept is still embodied in Chinese people's daily lives. Take two examples. One is about Chinese cuisine, authentic Kung Pao Chicken involves multiple layers of flavor like being sweet, sour, salty, and spicy, but combines all these complementary or even opposing flavors so "harmoniously." Thus, its name has been spread globally.
Another is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It offers a holistic picture and worldview, which means that our bodies coordinate with the environment and the universe. Our visceral organs comprise a physical universe in which they also need to be in harmony with each other. Therefore, Hehe has already been reflected much in Chinese people's everyday lives.
But, now, due to trade frictions and political tensions, uncertainties and destabilizing factors seem to crop up every day. Should we opt for confrontation or cooperation? Should we opt for harm or harmony? Problems are rising, hence, so is the need for cooperation and harmony, "Hehe." This is the time. This is the place. We are the decision-maker.