Bulletin Number Five 1985

for your ideal to come true? A: The ideal of great harmony of the worl d has been cherished by the Chinese for thousands of years and by the Christians for about two thousand years. Of course, this is not something that can be easily achieved, and I am afraid it may take a long time for the ideal to come true. However, I still hope that the differences and conflicts between nations and peoples may gradually be reconciled. I believe that great harmony can only be achieved by mutual understanding, by learning from one another and by being friendly towards one another. This was evidently the guiding principle in the development of Chinese culture. If a quarter of mankind can live together as a world by itself in the past, various cultures in modem times should be able to be integrated to give us an ideal world to live in . The tragedy of modem men is that we are on the horns of a dilemma. There is nothing more legitimate than patriotism but it is precisely nationalism that leads to the disintegration of the modem world. Q: What is your view on the future of Chinese culture? A: We have not yet found any single culture or nation that can dominate the world for five hundred years, not even Britain. It is my belief that China will become prosperous again in thirty to fifty years. The activities of mankind may be summed up as their reactions to three different situations: first, relations with nature — utilizing natural resources and creating a materia l civilization; secondly, relations with one another - cooperating with one another in order to create an orderly society; and finally, relations with themselves —cultivating their own moral character in order to achieve mental balance and peace of mind. The modernization programme of China today emphasizes the development of material civilization and efforts are made to catch up in the field of science. Less attention has been paid to modernizing the family system, which is the foundation of an orderly society, and the mentality of the people. A lot has to be done in these areas, either by reviving the old tradition or experimenting with new approaches. There is no need to be too pessimistic or too optimistic about the future of Chinese culture. The key to success is to have confidence. Q: It is really reassuring talking to you. May we turn to some lighter topics? It seems that you had met many good teachers in your university days. Who in fact had the greatest influence on you? A: I was much influenced by Mr. Ku Chieh-kang. For me, he was not only a teacher of the classics, but also a model in word and deed. He was a serious scholar, full of ideals and enthusiastic to guide young students along. As an anthropologist, he advocated the study of ethnology. Q ： At Yenching University ， was it Mr. Hsu Ti-shan, who encouragedyou to read Chinese literature? A: Yes. At first I was a science student but like all young people, I loved to write novels. When I showed my first novel to Mr. Hsu, he urged me to study Chinese literature instead. Q: Why did you give up creative writing then ？ A: Well, I did not get the proper encouragement I needed. As I told you. Mr. Hsu was quite impressed by my first novel and volunteered to find some place for it to be published. He sent it to the Hsiao'shuo-y ü eh-pao , whose editor then was Mr. Cheng Ch ê n-to. On hearing that I was only a second-year student at Yenching, Mr. Cheng replied, ‘It is not appropriate for us to publish works of a nobody in literary circles.' Just like this, I was nipped in the bud. My course was set when I met Mr. Ku Chieh-kang later, who led me into the treasury o f Chinese classics. Q: If your novel were published, you might have become a novelist. A: That is right. I might have become as famous as Pa Chin now. (Ha H a . . . . ) Q: You were appointed an Academic Adviser and Visiting Professor of the Department of Anthropology of Xiamen University in March and an Academic Adviser of the University Museum of Szechwan University this October. I guess this is only the first of many appointments to come from institutions in China. A: During my three years at Amoy University (now Xiamen University), I set up a Museum of Chinese culture there, which was later expanded to become a Museum of the Department of Anthropology. Now they would like me to advise on its further development. My relations with Szechwan is even closer - I lived in Chengtu for eleven years, and while I was serving as the Curator of the West China Union University Museum, I helped to lay the foundation of archaeological studies in Szechwan. The West China Union University was closed after the Sino-Japanese War and its museum collectio n of over 20,000 pieces was transferred to Szechwan University where a new Museum was bulit. I have been invited to map out its development with their Curator. 24 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS