Chinese Online Class - No need to standardize a saint's look

Opinion / Raymond Zhou

No need to standardize a saint's look
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-24 05:08

I can safely bet that, of the billions of people in the world today,
nobody has seen Confucius in person.

I can also bet you everything I have that nobody has seen a photograph of
him, either.

You see, Confucius was born in 551 B.C., well before photography came
into existence. Yet, some organization wants to standardize his portrait
to "give him a single, recognizable identity around the world."

The China Confucius Foundation will create this visual rendering "with
advice from Confucian scholars, historians, artists and his descendants,"
and unveil it during the September celebration of his 2557th birthday.

None of them has seen Confucius or his likeness except the earliest
painting of him by Wu Daozi of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), on which
the standard portrait will reportedly be based.

But Wu and Confucius lived more than 1,000 years apart. His painting at
best incorporated written descriptions from an earlier time, or was most
likely a work of his own imagination.

The disturbing thing is not that the foundation wants to issue a portrait
that it touts as "standard," but that it wants to stamp out all other
images of the Great Sage because it claims they "will severely harm his
good aura and personal charisma and will hinder the propagation of his
thoughts."

So, how will our benchmark Confucius look? He will be an old man with a
long beard, broad mouth and big ears. He will wear a robe and cross his
hands on his chest.

Was Confucius never a boy who enjoyed mischief, a young man who
frolicked, a curmudgeon who resisted new ideas, an old man who got
lonely? He might have gone through those times and moods like everyone
else, but if the foundation has its way, he will now be forever embalmed
in one particular portrayal. No variations and creativity allowed.

The problem is not whether the "standard portrait" will be authentic --
it does reflect the Confucius in most people's minds -- but whether
interpretations will benefit or harm his stature, and by extension, the
fabric of our society. Therefore, it does not matter whether portraits
from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods exist or what kind
of organization the China Confucius Foundation is.

There is simply no need to standardize such a thing as the image of
Confucius.

There are certain things in a civilized society that should be
standardized. For example, laws and regulations, and most obviously,
measurements. But do we need uniformity when it comes to how people react
to a movie or a book, and in this case, a portrayal?

There were times in our history when liking one movie or hating another
was identified as "incorrect," as in "politically incorrect." The giant
steamroller of conformity would crush any trace of individuality and
pulverize it into dust under a paved road.

Now that we realize how ludicrous it was to make everyone feel the same
way about something so personal, we may also laugh at the futility and
folly of regulating Confucius' visual depiction.

Even if the foundation's claim had authority validity, it would be
impossible to enforce it beyond the border. Are they going to tear down
the Confucius statue in New York's Chinatown if it does not fit their
profile?

The real danger behind the portrait homogenizing scheme is the effort to
control how we see Confucius and Confucianism. Thirty years ago, we were
force-fed the notion that he represented all the evils of Chinese
culture; and now, we are supposed to kneel down and kowtow.

While I believe every Chinese student should study some Confucianism, we
should steer clear of the pitfall of blind idolatry. Yes, a lot of his
teachings are relevant today, but some are evidently out of date, such as
blind obedience to the authorities and father figures and contempt for
women.

The important thing is, everyone should have the right to approach
Confucianism with independent thinking and critique his theories without
the coercion of standard answers.

That is not the same as being disrespectful. If there is one Chinese who
should be enshrined, it is probably Confucius. But treating him as an
icon of Chinese civilization does not preclude that we read him with our
own opinions or portray him from our individual minds' eyes.

Diversity in interpretation will only make Confucianism stronger, not
more confusing.

E-mail: raymondzhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/24/2006 page4)

Hot Talks

� Former US Treasury Secretary says dump T-Bills

� MC'DONALDS + SINOPEC = FUBAI

� Share Our Crafts: Naming contest

� The microprints of 1980s Shanghai

� The ceremony at the White House

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. Source model ship,
wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress,
pocket bike, Vaginal Speculum, Samurai Sword, String Panty and PVC Pipe.

Learn Chinese, Learning Chinese, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet