In 2012, President Xi, as he newly took office, soon put forward that “only well-off nation and country can make the people lead a happy life”, which guides all nations around the country on the correct way of comprehensively deepening reform, running the country by law and adapting to the new economic “normal”, unifying people into the positive energy of jointly conquering difficulties and realizing the China dream.
The general orientation and top engineering have been established. Various reform measures are going forward smoothly. President Xi pays high attention to people’s family, the basic unit and cell in a country and society.
Therefore, on the CNY greetings gathering, he said “Family is the basic cell in society and the primary school for the life. No matter how times and life pattern change, we should pay high attention to family building, family education and family style; closely foster and advocate socialist core values; to make families the key basis for country development, national progress and social harmony.”
Why family is regarded as the key basis for country development, national progress and social harmony?
Human being is born self-centered and thus the basic circle of family is formed. As human being’s social intercourse, life and work circle expand, this basic family circle grows gradually into larger circles, such as friendship circle, followed by team, hometown, nation, country circle. Family is the firmest, most essential and basic circle. If this circle is stable, with proper home education and righteous family tradition, social individuals will bring harmony and positive energy to the others. As this grows further into a general trend, country development, national progress and social harmony will be promoted. Therefore, family, focus on home education and style means that the fundamental element of state spiritual line is seized.
Details can be observed from the general and the general can be known from the details. Dust particles can be observed from the universe and the universe can be known from the dust. Dust particle can be divided into numerous worlds. From the view point of the state, family is the smallest country. This is the correct methodology acknowledged by philosophy, natural science, social science and the five religions. The Diamond Sutra (The Vajracchedika-prajna-paramita Sutra) said “these particles of dust are not (real), (but) are (merely) called particles of dust; the universe is not (real), but it is (merely) called the universe.” President Xi knows well of the Diamond Sutra ideology. He first uses the general call for China dream to make people’s heart unified, then goes back to the basis of family to where everyone attaches great importance to highlight the significance of promotion by family, home education and tradition for country development, national progress and social harmony. This confirms to both the cognitive law of human being and also the Chinese traditional core cultural values.
There are two popular songs A Happy Family Brings Wealth and The Country which reveal the indivisible relationship between families and the state. I also said in the session titled A Happy Family Brings Wealth in the Forum of “Make A Turnaround” that “heart is like a family and how large your heart is will determine how large the family is.” The lyrics of A Happy Family Brings Wealth told us that our ancestor left one saying to us and Chinese people believe in this rule – a happy family brings wealth. The lyrics told us that in a family “good wife and mother, great happiness with filial sons and daughters”. And in a country and society, more hands produce a strong flame; one fist by ten fingers can sustain great weight; raising water in large river will get the small rivers full; a forest can be formed if more people plant a tree; a stable and prosperous country can bring peace and wealth to its people; and wealthy people contribute to the state stability. The lyrics of The Country describe that “country is said large, but is a family actually”. The lyrics told that the people should “hold up the family with whole heart for the state”; “the family of state is in heart and the state of family is established by peace”; because “family is the smallest country; a country consists of thousands of families; both country and families are around the world; only strong country can bring wealth the families”; “country is the will for honor and a family is the overflow of happiness.” Therefore, “each piece of land in a country and each footprint of family should be linked to jointly create a worldwide miracle.”
Since ancient times, numerous families practiced this law with respect to state and family. In ancient times there is positive story about Menciuss mother relocating the house for three times and Yuefei’s mother made patriotic tattoo on his hack, and also there is negative example such as Li Tianyi and Jaycee Chan. I wrote in Though-provoking Apology by Jackie Chan and Where Is the Way-out for Artists with Bad Deeds that our society and families should start from our inner heart and, in collaboration with the government, help these young men depart from the evil and return to the good and righteous way.
President Xi observed this point. Therefore, he said “no matter how great the times change and no matter how great the life pattern changes”, indicating that he had observed that the material, fame and money centered education had deviated from the core values, which results in serious pollution to politics, business, art, education circles and families, and the youths are also affected. In Tentative Observation on the Five Elements Ideology of President Xi in Managing State Affairs, I wrote that “education is the future”, and I mentioned that Mr. Deng Xiaoping had already realized that the largest failure lies in education. “But this issue is never fundamentally solved in subsequent rapid economic development. There is relatively serious material centered and dechinazation tendency in inner Party education, full-time education, pre-school education and adult education.”
Therefore, from the collective study in Political Bureau of the Central Committee to the literature and art circle in Peking University and Tsinghua University, even at kindergarten, President Xi tirelessly stressed the reconstruction of core values. Chinese New Year is a great occasion of “families gathering, spending with relatives, friend gathering, family ties communications, and happy atmosphere”. President Xi timely took this occasion and stressed the importance of family, home education and tradition. This is a good chance to drive the core value education towards the most essential basis. President Xi seized this opportunity, and caught one important element of five essential elements in managing state affairs, which show his well know-how and wisdom with respect to the five elements ideology.
In the Spring Festival gala for the sheep year last night, anti-corruption, homesickness, “Like” and grass root are used as key words, unprecedentedly giving a clear picture of the core values. The New Year message delivered by President Xi and the subject of Spring Festival gala all reveal that, for each family, it is right time to involve core values into family education, which has a bearing on the family future and also the state and nation future.
As we welcome the god of wealth, let us welcome the core values into the families, home education and tradition and make them an integral part in us.
