History cannot be "dissolved or melted away"
cnnw
The adverse current of "de-Sinification" and "rectification of Taiwan's name"
has shown signs of spreading inside China's Taiwan Island.
In amending the "organic regulations" of the prestigious Palace Museum in Taipei
recently, Taiwan authorities have deleted the wording that "treasures come from
the Palace Museum in Beiping (currently named Beijing) and the Central Museum,
and changed "the Chinese ancient relics into antiques from both at home and
overseas". In so doing, they attempt to fade and blur the fact that the Palace
Museum in Taipei originated from the Palace Museum in Beijing, so as to sever
the "ties of blood between the culture in Taiwan and the Chinese culture.
Since its assumption of power, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been
persistent with its move for desinification in a bid to peddle the notion of
"Taiwan-centric consciousness". Whatever contents in political documents and
those names of institutions, enterprises and schools, which are somewhat
relevant to China, have been deleted. They revised textbooks to peel off the
common history across the Taiwan strait; they incorporate the Revolution of 1911
led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, which overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911),
into the Chinese ancient history and regarded Dr. Sun himself as an "alien". An
examination commissioner clamored that "China is (in essence) Taiwan's enemy"
and "those who are well versed in China's history are the common enemies." Their
moves for the "rectification of Taiwan's name" have been absurd at times. In
Taiwan, there is a very good breed of goose, called the "Chinese goose", which
had been raised there from the imperial Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but a local
agriculture (bureau) "official" insists that it has to renamed, for the simple
reason that its version, both in Chinese and English, is alive with Chinese
colors or flavors.
It is particularly heartless for those agitators and peddlers of
"desinification" to single out Chinese ancestors for the target of their attack
and viciously smear the language, culture, scripts and history, and trample on
the cultural gems left over the ancestors. The deletion of the source for these
cultural relics being displayed at the Palace Museum in Taipei is nothing but
slapping themselves on the face. How can it be that more than 600,000 pieces of
gems and valuables drop from the sky?
Ordained by fate, there is a palace museum on either side of the Taiwan straits,
and they share the same root and represent the common cultural assets of the
Chinese nation. With a glimpse at the imposing and gorgeous Palace Museum in
Taipei, one cannot but amaze the feat and greatness of the Chinese ancient
civilization with the aeon wisdom of the Chinese nation embedded in piece after
piece of ace bronze ware, pottery, porcelain and jade wares, and elegant
calligraphy and painting works. With their traces throught war flame and
turmoil, transport and relocations, they tell of the fate of the Chinese
nationals and the vicissitudes in the life of the Chinese people and they
themselves are engraved with their traumatic experiences in the longstanding
Chinese history.
At the Palace Museum in Taipei, exhibits are often replaced and renewed one
after another, but three priceless objects, namely the "tripod of Duke Mao",
Green Jade Cabbage and "Dongpu meat-shape Stone", nevertheless, remain there and
have never been substituted for. An invaluable article of the Zhou dynasty more
than 2,800 years ago, the "tripod of Duke Mao" was unearthed at the Siqi Hill in
Northwestern China's Shaanxi province during the rein of Emperor Daoguang during
the Qing dynasty, and it enjoys equal fame with another ancient tripod, the
"Great Squarely Tripod of Sima Fu". The exquisite and life-like Green Jade
Cabbage, a marvellous piece carved out of a wonderful half-emerald and
half-white jade, was the dowry of Imperial Concubine Jin for Emperor Guangxi of
the Qing Dynasty.
The name of "Palace Museum," which means the elite palace of different eras in
Chinese history, is naturally associated with China and reminds its people with
the outstanding ancient civilization. For those working with "Taiwan
Independence" factions, they have a guilty conscience and are anxious to get rid
of them. But then, where is the "heart and soul" of the world-famous Palace
Museum if it is stripped off all historical and cultural relics that have been
shipped to Taiwan? Noted critic, writer and historian Li Ao acknowledged that
traces of China is alive and vivid everywhere in Taiwan. Indeed, what will be
left for the culture on Taiwan Island, provided the country's language,
characters, the Chinese names of people and places, books, literature and art,
history and customs are discarded with one stroke.
Equipped with the concept for "Taiwan independence", Taiwan authorities are bent
on with their vain "desinification" endeavor to cultivate their exclusive
"identity of Taiwan." In the meantime, they have put to use much of their
political and administrative resources to spur the erosion and weakening of the
identity and sentiments of Taiwan populace for the Chinese mainland. And the
impact involved cannot be overlooked. So people around China should be alert to
the cultural policy of Taiwan authorities with their manipulation of "Taiwan
independence" ideas.
By People's Daily Online