Harmony in Cultural Development
Confucianism has become a symbol that bonds Chinese culture to the rest of the world. One of the most important steps of promoting Confucian culture, in order to allow people to know more about Chinese culture, is the establishment of Confucian Institutes. In the U.S., there are more than 50 Confucian Institutes attached to colleges already. However, Confucian Institutes target at younger foreigners. Adults, including adults who entered job markets, seniors, and scholars are hardly related to Confucian Institutes. This year, there is another Confucianism-related opportunity that helps connecs scholars from all over the world. This new opportunity of the establishment of Confucius International Art Award and Confucius Literature Award.
In China, it is a tradition to remember a scholar by using his name to set up an award. For example, Lu Xun and Mao Dun are masters of Chinese literature, there are Lu Xun Literature Award and Mao Dun Literature Award, recognizing new outstanding writers. Similarly, the newly established awards serve the same purpose. However, in addition to remember Confucius, these two new awards aim at international influence. This is the first year of these two awards, the candidates include the most influential Chinese movie director Zhang Yimou, and also one of the most famous director Steven Spielberg.
In the past severa decades, westernization has changed how Chinese people think and act. Western movies, Disney fairy tales, and Western logic have been influencing Chinese people's values, from children to adults. At the critical point, Chinese people hope to promote te Eastern values, traditional culture, and to combine Eastern and Western culture, and to create harmony in cultural development. The theme of harmony in cultural development is the most representative thinking of Confucius in the establishment of Confucius Internaitonal Art Award and Confucius Literature Award.