Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, today, I am happy to share with you my personal passion for learning Chinese history. Tomb-sweeping festival is drawing close, setting my family and myself on a journey of origin discovery.We’ll travell to the countryside where the grandfathers would always take my family tree book out of a box while my ancestors were faded, or in Chinese, JiaPu(家谱), in revealing the inherited legacy from generation to generation while I felt it’s incumbent uponus to really learn something about our position on this tree. This is where my love of learning Chinese history lies: it is not merely a grand history of 5,000 yeas,it is a closely connected memory which are consisted of native landemotion and kindred pride.
Firstly, owing to the geographical state of Chinapossess, all family members live together like a beehive, which contributes to the close interaction within family members, which enabled the passing down of family rules, allowing the descendants to know the manners of setting reputation, clarifying status, and finally making up social relations. One good instance would be my own learning of Zeng Guofan(曾国藩) the general, who personally delivered his wisdom of governing a family, governing an army in the form of letters to his offspring. This basic family tree history makes up the foundation of values which may encourage teenagers to first find their own stand in history and second to move for a brighter future.
Secondly, I believe 1.3 billion trees may grow together, and the trickle became a stream and the stream became a torrent. Finally, the regional history came into being and synthesized into national ones, making up a complete system of customs and ethical codes to which our actions nowadays still have reference. In the distinguished work of Fan Zhongyan(范仲淹), he commented that one should be more concerned about affairs earlier than others, and enjoy the comfort after others. This is a concept still celebrated and acted out by many Chinese leaders nowadays. Working in a panel, they ensure the safety and sustainability of this great nation, to create the perfect atmosphere for us to embark on significant tasks and really fight for our dreams.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is my love for learning Chinese history, virtually the only civilization which survived the torture of dozens of centuries and kept its vigor. We can extract inspirations and thoughts from it. It is a force that binds us together; it is a power that brings us and the society together and connect our family history with the national history. And only under that circumstance can we feel safe and proud. In this era of peace, when it is history that reminds us of who we are, where we are from in the past and the future. Thank you very much.