[meta name="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

To all Chinese, especially Oversea Chinese

Look at the Western youths, are you happy with them ? They take drugs, commit adultery, show no respect to parents or elders, spend their time in rave parties and rock concerts, ...

Also look at the youths in your place, are they better than the Western youths ?

Speaking about Chinese, do you think Chinese have a temperament different from much of the world ? Why is it so ?

Suppose you met a Chinese overseas, and he camouflaged himself so that you could not see his yellow skin, and he talked English. Could you, but mere observation of his attitudes and manner, make out that he is a Chinese ?

What is the reason that Chinese behave differently, and have different attitudes, from the rest of the world ?

Chinese have a deep culture, rooted in Confucius, whereas the West, except they embrace Christianity, do not have such long established culture, a culture over thousands of years.

The Japanese business men/industrialists and the Korean Business men/industrialists, all benefited from this Confucius culture, and they have good success around the world.

Many second/third generation of oversea Chinese could not read, write Chinese. Do you think it is healthy sign ? If they could not read Chinese, could they read any of the books in "The Grand Collection of Four Categories of Books" compiled during the Ching Dynasty (i.e. collection of all Chinese books published before Ching Dynasty) ? Could they read any Chinese book written by ancient Chinese, by contemporary Chinese ?

Therefore if you are an oversea Chinese, you have the duty and responsibility to teach your children how to read/write Chinese, so that they may not be cut off completely from their cultural root, and also they could read ancient Chinese books, to nourish their spirit and culture.

Confucius and Mencius are no longer taught in China. During the Cultural Revolution, the Leninists tried extremely hard to root out Confucius/Mencius from China. Do you know the reason why they were so adamant in rooting out Confucius/Mencius from China? If you read the books of Confucius, Mencius, whose Internet links are given below, you will know.

Will China forsake Communism in the near future ? in the coming 10 years ? in the coming 20 years ? Would they introduce the teaching of Confucius and Mencius again ? I wish to remind you that communist party is a big party in China, with millions and millions of members, all obeying command from a top Leninist.

Even in Hong Kong, which has a British type of government, the reading of Confucius and Mencius is not encouraged. Pick someone in the street, and ask if he/she has ever read Confucius or Mencius ? They may have read novels, fictions, both Chinese and English, but have they read Confucius and Mencius ?

Is situation in Taiwan, or Singapore any better ? What is the percentage of population who have read Confucius or Mencius, the springboard of our culture ?

Probably you have not read them yourself. If so, you should read them, and also encourage your children to read them, so they may retain the culture that shape all Chinese.

Also I appeal to all Chinese who know computer, and who have talents in the Chinese Language, to set up web sites teaching oversea Chinese our language; so that all 2nd or 3rd generation Chinese, who know not how to speak/write Chinese, may be able to do so in several years' time.

Now speaking of myself. I am a Chinese Christian. I value the teachings of Jesus and of GOD more than anything else. The teachings of Jesus and of GOD are much more SIMPLER than all teachings of the world. But, except on minor points, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius do not contradict the teachings of Jesus, and of GOD. In fact, teachings of Confucius and Mencius paved the way of my acceptance of Christianity.

Jesus' GOLDEN RULE : "Do to others what you wish others to do to you" is similar to Confucius' "Do not do to others what you do not wish others to do to you."

Jesus' teaching : "Unless you turn and become like children, you will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven." is similar to Confucius/Mencius : "Make your heart pure as a new born baby."

What am I to leave to my children as inheritance (though I do not have any children) ? Or shall we leave them none of our cultural inheritance, so that they start with no culture, and acquire theirs through TV ?

I will teach them the Laws/commandments/Ordinances/Statutes of GOD, I will teach them all Jesus' teachings, I will also encourage them to read

1. Confucius,
   
   



2. Mencius,
   
   



3. Bible,
   
   



4. as well as the Book of Mormon, which is true history of Mayans of America. (I recommend the Book of Mormon, not the Mormon Church. I am against the practices of the Mormon Church.)
   
   

I will also definitely teach them the Chinese Language.

Today is the Internet Age, and in Hong Kong and Taiwan, there are many educational web sites (e.g. you click "hk.yahoo.com", or tw.yahoo.com, and enter search keyword "school". Though many schools only advertise in their web sites, but many include writings of their students, etc.). Also, there are educational VCD. They are of great help to you to teach your children Chinese.

Remember our cultural root, do not let it stop after it has nurtured the hearts of our ancestors for thousands of years.

Isabella Bird has written a book "Yangtze Valley and Beyond" when she travelled to China during the 19th century, and she said in her book,

The human product of Chinese civilization, religion, and government is to me the greattest of all enigmas, ... , sober, industrious, thrifty, orderly, peaceable, indifferent to personal comfort, possessing great physical vitality, cheerful, contented, persevering - his filial piety, tenacity, resourcefulness, power of combination, and respect for law and order, ... .... Truly the "Great Teacher" was one of the greattest of men, for he has cast into a mould of iron for two thousand years the thought, social order, literature, government, and education of 400,000,000 of our race. It is easy to laugh at an education which for boys of all ranks consists solely in the knowledge of the ancient Chinese classics, and there is no doubt that it stunts individuality, belittles genius, fosters conceit, and produces incredible grooviness .... But on the other hand, there is no education, unless it might be one strictly Biblical, which furnishes the memory with so much wisdom for common life, and so many noble moral maxims. Whatever of righteousness, virtuous domestic life, filial virtue, charity, propriety - and just dealing exists among the Chinese, and they do exist - is owed to the permeation of the whole race by the teaching of the classic. ...

Wu Siu Yan


11 June 2003

P.S.

It is my sincere wish that if you agree with me, that you send the following link,

http://balder.prohosting.com/sywu/chinese.htm

to all your oversea friends.

LINKS

(*) Law of GOD and His Commandments (English)


(*) Law of GOD and His Commandments (Chinese)


(*) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (English)


(*) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Chinese)


(*) Other Teachings of Jesus


(*) Hymn loved by Chinese

Christians -- a very quick way to understand the hearts of Chinese Christians.


(*)

Your screen cannot display Chinese ? If you are using Microsoft's Internet Explorer (Version 5.0 and up), there is a way to read web pages of all languages from all over the world. Say you wish to read simplified Chinese. First visit some sites using simplified Chinese. Initially some garbage will be displayed. Then Internet Explorer will ask you if you wish to download the font. Answer "Yes", and after the download, Internet Explorer will display simplified Chinese on your screen. If you still have difficulties, ask someone who surfs the web often, and he/she could help you.