7月15日 Interesting and Chinese

If you think that 7/15 looks far off from the correct date today, check again to make sure your computer's calendar is set for "lunar" mode.

To many Mainland Chinese people today, this lunar calendar date is unremarkable. It is the middle of the seventh lunar month and a week after the "Chinese Valentine's Day," but generally an unremarkable day. However, comparatively traditional Chinese are certainly aware of today's lunar calendar date.

Today was 鬼节 guijie, the ghost festival. This holiday is somewhat similar to old spooky versions of Halloween, although the attitude towards ghosts here is generally less fearful and more reverent. The traditions of the holiday, along with those of many other holidays, are nearly invisible in Beijing and other large Chinese cities. Unfortunately, the Communist party firmly believed in Marx's assertion that "religion is the opiate of the masses." The result of party policy is only dim recognition of many significant traditions that still survive in many overseas Chinese communities.

Fortunately, even in the sleek and modern capital city, there is still room for tradition--even if it is in a narrow Hutong that has already been marked for the wrecking ball. On my walk home from dinner, I was surprised to see an old woman and her granddaughter kindling a fire in the street until I realized that she was burning paper money as an offering to either ghosts or ancestors. Several doors down another family was at work on a similar undertaking, and a few lanterns were suspended from firey red kites flying far overhead.

The celebration was certainly subdued compared to footage I have seen of Ghost Festival celebrations in Taiwan. Nevertheless, the careful attention to performing and passing on tradition was touching.

Starting fires in the middle of a largely wooden section of the city in observance of a traditional holiday provides evidence that China's cultural heritage runs deeper than a government campaign for "Civilization." The scenes I saw tonight also demonstrated that the traditions are being passed on to the younger generations. Perhaps Chinese traditional culture and civilization will not be eradicated by a government eagerly playing catch up with the West. Perhaps the traditions will be reborn in a generation that is growing up with experience of old and new ideas and the capabilities to integrate the two sides into a new identity.

Perhaps not. Contrary to some traditional beliefs, predicting the future is nearly impossible in China. As the cliché says, "the only thing that's constant is change." That said, it's good to know that some people still pay attention to the cycles of the traditional year. It's reassuring to know that the lunar calendar so much as exists in today's China. It's comforting to know that as much as the surface of Beijing changes, there will always be people on the ground keeping watch "lest the old traditions fail."