Ministro de Cultura de China

Este señor es Sun Jiazheng, el actual ministro de cultura de China.
Reproduzco a continuación el discurso (está en inglés) que pronunció en el National Press Club de Washington recientemente.
Me ha llamado la atención que aparte de la sabida retórica diplomática y las afirmaciones políticamente correctas, sus palabras transmiten una idea de las relaciones humanas y de los pueblos muy válidas y sabias. No elude mostrar los graves problemas a los que China se enfrenta en estos momentos y los retos que el futuro les depara . En su reflexión entronca con el pasado de China y "actualiza" el tradicional ideal de la armonía que las relaciones entre humanos deben tener y el que entre éstos y la naturaleza debe estar siempre presente, también en la política.

Chinese Culture Today: Aspirations and Dreams

(Speech by Sun Jiazheng, Minister of Culture, China;
National Press Club, Washington DC, October 3, 2005)

A better knowledge of Chinese culture will help you understand the
Chinese people today. The Chinese government is now upholding the
principle of "people first," implementing a scientific approach to
development, and working hard to build a harmonious socialist
society. This is a continuation and advancement of the past twenty
years of reform, opening up and development, as well as a basic
direction for the future social development of China.

Contemporary Chinese culture is a mirror of contemporary Chinese
people's mentality and a reflection of their innermost emotions and
aspirations. In the past 26 years since reform and opening up,
China's modernization has made great achievements, bringing about
profound changes in economic, political, cultural and social life.
This is truly a remarkable progress. It is not in line with reality
to ignore this progress and exaggerate the problems. Huge
differences exist in different regions in China. More than 100
million people still live on less than US$1 per day, among whom
about 30 million only have less than US$ 0.50 each day. There are
numerous problems in China either left over by history or waiting
ahead in our way forward. To solve them and eventually realize the
dream of building a harmonious society, we need the efforts of
several generations. Since we already know how lofty our mission is,
we will never be afraid of the long way we need to go.

From the beginning of the human society, there have always been
three fundamental conflicts: between man and nature, within human
society, and within man himself. The names of the three major halls
in the Forbidden City well reflect this philosophy: "Tai He"
(Supreme Harmony) signifies the dialectic unity of heaven and earth,
and harmony between man and nature; "Zhong He" (Central Harmony)
indicates the state of tranquility and stability in human society;
and "Bao He" (Preserving Harmony) refers to the peace of mind and
health in body and the balance between the two. The names of these
three halls well reflect the values of Chinese traditional culture.

Today, our efforts to build a harmonious world are also in line with
China's reality. President Hu Jintao has proposed six requirements
in building a harmonious society: "democracy and the rule of law,
equality and justice, trust and fraternity, vigor and dynamism,
safety and order, and harmony between man and nature." In order to
fulfill those requirements, we are attaching unprecedented
importance to the value, rights, interests, and freedom of human
beings, the quality of life, the potential for personal development,
the happiness of the people, and the coordinated economic,
political, cultural and social development, as well as the
harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

In building a harmonious society, the economy is the foundation,
politics the guarantee, and culture the soul. In the course of
development in the 21st century, there appears a new awareness to
put culture in such an important place and entrust it with such
lofty mission, since it is closely related to the character of a
nation and impacts every aspect of social life. Its functions to
educate, inspire and to bring beauty are more often realized in
indirect, far-reaching and subtle ways. Culture is like water,
nurturing everything in quietness.

The harmonious society that we're striving to build is one which
respects the interests and appeals of all social groups, where
people can fully realize their potential, get what they deserve, and
live a well-off, peaceful and happy life. In terms of culture, this
ideal boils down to safeguarding basic cultural rights and interests
of all citizens, and addressing the multi-level and diverse needs
for culture of all members of the society. We focus on the
prosperity and development of culture, and hope to improve the
living standard of our people and boost their self-development
through quality cultural products and services. Furthermore, we
strive to soothe, inspire and cultivate our people through culture,
enriching their inner world, producing a sense of tranquility and
happiness for them and fostering their creativity. We are committed
to the establishment of a framework for the advancement of culture
and the building of a learning society for all.

This framework will comprise an enabling environment for cultural
innovation, a comprehensive system of cultural laws and regulations,
a widely accessible network of public cultural services, a sound and
viable cultural market, and a well-functioning cultural
administration and management system that can give impetus to the
cultural circles for the creation of more works of excellence and
development of more cultural talents.

At the same time, we will continue to earnestly promote
international cultural exchanges, and strengthen heart-to-heart
communication between the peoples of China and around the world. As
Culture Minister, I maintain that culture should be used to satisfy
spiritual needs. Our cultural undertakings and enterprises should
listen and respond to the humanistic call from the public.

In the two decades since the reform and opening up, China has
undergone tremendous changes, which are not just manifested by
mushrooming skyscrapers or soaring statistics. The biggest change is
the change of Chinese people's outlook on themselves and the world.
With a broader mind and heart, Chinese people connect their own well-
being and happiness to the peace and development of the world.

China is the world's largest developing country, and the United
States is the world's largest developed country. Both our countries
have great peoples with kind hearts and immense creativity, and
broad markets in which the two economies can well complement each
other. We have a lot to learn from each other. "Standing high and
seeing far" is the typical Chinese way of thinking, while
emphasizing details marks the American people's spirit of
pragmatism. Combination of the two can enable us to see more clearly
what our peoples' expectations are and where the world is heading,
and thus to negotiate on and settle specific issues. "One cannot
lift himself up while sitting in a basket." Only through dialogue
can we achieve mutual understanding.

The exchanges between China and the US need us to open our hearts
and minds. Culture originates in, and in turn speaks to the human
heart. And my speech today is aimed at conveying my wish to promote
the heart-to-heart communication between our two peoples. What gives
me great pleasure is that such a wish is not just my expectation,
but has become an ongoing cultural process and an objective
historical trend.

Both China and the United States are great countries and our peoples
are endowed with great wisdom. 26 years ago, at the Kennedy Center
in Washington, where the "Festival of China" has just opened, Deng
Xiaoping held an American boy in his arms and said with deep
emotion, "Now all the people in China and all the people in the
United States are shaking hands!" The little boy in Deng's arms has
already grown up. But for more lovely children in China and the US,
for the children of the world, for the earth we live on, and for our
common dreams, shouldn't we hold our hands even tighter?

Thank you!
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