Tangchi, a small town in central China’s Anhui Province, recently gained fame as a “civilized town” and as a “harmonious society model town.” It is said that visitors are deeply moved by the sense of harmony here. Intrigued, this reporter and six other journalists visited and met some of Tangchi’s 50,000 residents.
Departing Beijing, we traveled by train to Hefei, the provincial capital of Anhui. After an overnight rail trip and one hour drive, we finally reached the destination. The rolling green hills and clear waters outside our car windows suggested we were in the picturesque region south of the Yangtze River.
However, upon entering the town we were at first a little disappointed to see that it did not seem to appreciably differ from other rural towns in this part of the country – excepting perhaps for the several hotels built around the local hot springs, since ancient times a popular attraction here.
But as we walked around, we began to take note of differences. For one thing, very little litter was on the road, and the entire town seemed tidy and in good order. We thought some citizens we saw picking up litter were environmental sanitation workers, but we later learned that they are ordinary townsfolk. They voluntarily collect litter simply because the teachers of the Lujiang County Chinese Culture Education Center (the Center) instruct that they should depend upon themselves in sustaining their own environment.
The town’s taxi drivers are kind and polite, voluntarily introducing passengers to local history and attractions along the way, and never forgetting to bow their thanks to departing customers. They say this is attributable to the Center’s teachers, as is the fact that restaurant managers will never attempt to persuade their customers to spend more. Instead, they will remind clients to order according to their proper requirements. They will say that discarded leftovers are a waste, “You see, teachers at the Center will never do that.”
Why do Tangchi townsfolk speak so much about the Center? Visiting the institution, we learn the answer. Founded at the close of 2005, the Center is a nonprofit private community school run by local people promoting traditional Chinese ethics and moral education and training of teachers. Its purpose is to make Confucianism and other traditional classics accessible to all townsfolk. The school also welcomes students from other places, even from around the world.
The head of the Center says that with a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization, and a longstanding traditional culture, China is known to be very attentive to etiquette and protocol. But due to many factors, once traditional culture was not the point of focus, and such education was lacking in society. This gave rise to uncivilized behavior. He says that we should absorb the essence of our traditional culture, and make good use of it in building a modern civilization with Chinese characteristics.
The Center has accomplished much in the education of traditional culture since its establishment. First priority is the training of teachers. The staff of the Center are volunteers from around the nation. Most are young, and many were industry elites before they came to the Center. This reporter spoke with a teacher and found her to have a very broad scope of knowledge. Later, I learned that she graduated from the London School of Economics. She operated a foreign trade company in London before coming here. A visit to the Center greatly inspired her, and she knew that the Center was the place for her. It was not long before she closed her company and came to serve as a volunteer at the Center.
Teacher Zhou Yongshan, holding a master’s degree in biology, resolutely quit his highly-paid position in Taiwan and settled in the town. Zhou, his wife and children now make Tangchi their home. It is based on such a faculty that the teaching in the Center can be organized smoothly.
Differing from ordinary schools, the Center adopts an “open door” teaching model, educating traditional culture to the townsfolk as well as people from other places of the country, or even from overseas. Students need not pay for their tuition, textbooks, food or lodging. The Center is financed by donations provided by those supporting education. Forms of education in Tangchi are diversified, ranging from the out-of-doors “green classes;” teachers going to the grass-roots level to disseminate traditional culture; to evening parties and opera and drama performances. For adults and children, the curriculum differs, respectively. The training and education has also greatly enriched the local cultural life.
Besides education, the Center also joins with local government in programs like “Respecting the Senior and the Virtuous.” They also co-promoted “Respecting Senior Pension” on behalf of the more than 2,400 seniors above the age of 70 in the town. The move aroused an intense response in the town. A senior citizen says that he enshrines the money in the most important place at his home. “I will hand it down as a family heirloom,” he says. “Let it serve as a good example for the later generations, and let them know they should respect the seniors, be obedient and respectful to parents and treasure the young.”
The Center also assisted the town government in the “Good Father,” “Good Mother,” “Good Mother-in-Law,” “Good Daughter-in-Law,” “Good Child,” “Good Youth,” and other awards. The purpose is to help establish role models in the town and enhance correct and modern ethics.
During the last Spring Festival, the versatile teachers and local residents together held an art party based on the theme of “Harmony and Love,” during which teachers and local residents performed together.
At the last Double Ninth Festival (9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar), the traditional day for showing respect for seniors in China, seniors were honored personages, accepting respect from the juniors, receiving gifts, watching performances and more. The townsfolk spent a warm, grateful and unforgettable day.
As time passes, honesty and simplicity become more a feature of local folkways. Local court records reveal that the divorce rate in Tangchi, one year after the founding of the Center, decreased 48.5 percent over the same period of the previous year. Criminal cases were also down 47 percent during the same period.
According to residents, much change has taken place during the last two years. Today more citizens are aware that they should be obedient to seniors and more polite while dealing with others. There are fewer quarrels, disputes and fights, and families live in harmony. People are ready to help others, do good deeds, and the number of criminal cases is reduced.
In April 2006, local taxi driver Zhang Shougen saw that his passenger, the factory head of Shanghai Volkswagen, forgot his bag on the seat. Zhang hurriedly drove to find the owner and returned the bag. Inside were 70,000 yuan and a laptop computer. The owner was so moved that he took out 20,000 yuan to give to Zhang. But Zhang politely declined. He said that teachers from the Center often said in their lectures that as we get along with others, we should be honest.
A leader from the town government told us that since the establishment of the Center, the town has attracted more investors and tourists. Today, increasing numbers of local people wish to learn traditional culture, and more people are coming to buy homes and settle in the town, and the economy is growing.
“The practice of Tangchi proves that adhering to venerable traditions is effective in educating people in modern times,” says the head of the Center. He explains that the function of the Center is to remind and guide people in correcting bad habits while establishing a positive and sensible outlook on life. In this way everybody will achieve a meaningful, worthy and happy life.
