China is descended directly from one of the grand old civilizations of antiquity. Her history goes back 5,000 years with a continuous and uninterrupted cultural development. Today, a nation of more than 700 million people, she has not only demonstrated that such a multitudinous society can live together in peace and order as a big family, but has also shown that, as millions of her members leave the motherland to live in all parts of the world, they can adjust to other environments and live in peace and friendship together with other peoples of the world. She does not have a formal or organized religion developed by herself, but she has as her standard of life a sublimated moral excellence, and she possesses from the earliest times the sophistication of not only tolerating but in fact absorbing other people's religions for coexistence in her society for the benefit of her people. She has been able to acculturate other peoples who had come upon her as predators or conquerors, and made them a part of herself. Such was the case of the Mongols and Manchus, among many others. She was even able to absorb peoples who have shown the greatest tenacity against acculturation, and make them give up their own traditions and ways of life eventually to become a part of the Chinese. Such was the case of the Jewish community in the city of Kaifeng. She observes the supremacy of the orthodox teachings of moral excellence (tao t'ung) over governmental or dynastic legitimacy and has persistently maintained this principle. She has insisted that only men of virtue and wisdom can hold the reins of government, and thus has encouraged the opposition to and disposal of governments in the hands of men devoid of virtue and wisdom. She takes it that only the way, or tao, that represents all embracing greatness and all outlasting transcendence can be accepted as the highest principle of good government and blissful society. She therefore observes that any rule by force will eventually lose the support of the ruled and be doomed to failure and thus she has from the earliest times championed the all embracing Kingly Way of government (wang tao) and condemned the all subjugating overlord's way (pa tao). She observes that material wealth, though necessary to the life of man, is only the peripheral and not the fundamental "need, and that only moral excellence is fundamental. Thus the maxim "Virtues first and riches last" is in her code of high principles. She observes that the basic unit for the organization of state and society is the family and the protection of that basic unit is therefore the fundamental obligation of the state and society. Since promiscuity in sex life is the greatest or basic cause leading to the breaking up of the family, the maxim "sex promiscuity is the greatest of all evils" is therefore coined for its condemnation. And for the solidarity of the family, the virtues of filial piety and brother-love are supported and promoted to the top of all virtues. She has the firm conviction that the rearing of the individual towards moral excellence is the basis or sine qua non of all human endeavors. Thus the first duty of state and society is education and the essence of education is the idea of self-cultivation, which every individual must take hold of, not only in his course of education, but throughout his whole life.
Such observations on Chinese culture, if accepted as relevant and significant, do demand our close study and analysis in order to find out the cause that shaped such Chinese development. We cannot discard them by claiming like certain simple headed men do, that they are but "the riddles of China." We cannot decline this responsibility if we consider ourselves objective and critical men imbued with the scientific spirit. It is indeed a pity that Chinese writing, developed through the centuries in to a language artistically beautiful and scientifically pragmatic, has been too independent a system by itself and totally alien to all Occidental languages, which fact made the appreciation of Chinese culture by Westerners through erudition a very demanding and extremely difficult process, and produced in the West a lack of understanding of the essence of Chinese culture.
In order to understand the essence or main characteristics of Chinese culture, it is a primary requisition that we understand the philosophical basis of the Chinese national spirit and cultural tradition. It is only from this that we will under stand what is meant by the orthodox teachings of moral excellence, or the tao t'ung. And in this in turn will be reflected the essence of Chinese culture. The reading of the Confucian texts of the I Ching and the Chung Yung or the Book of Change and the Doctrine of the Mean is fundamental in gaining access to the above mentioned understanding.
Towards the understanding of the Primary Cause or First Principle of Cosmos, the Chinese sages, throughout the long development of Chinese culture, have made use of their sublimated wisdom and cumulative experience to postulate a series of salient observations and original ideas, which are as follows:
1. Cosmos is Being or Life in grand totality, which "moves on" strong without cease and constantly undergoes metamorphosis and "change." Man is but a tiny unit-life forming a tiny component part of the Life Totality. But the basic principle or fundamental cause of being is one and the same for both, Life Totality and life unit. The primal force that motivates life is also the same for both. This force is given the designation "ch'eng" or "primal-purity." This gives rise to the concept of "Nature (heaven) and Man in harmonious unison" (t'ien jen ho-i), thus the teaching in Chung Yung says: "The way of Heaven is primal-purity; the way of Man is the realization of primal-purity."
2. The concept of cosmos, in Chinese yü chou, is identifiable by its two components: time and space. "The limit enclosing the universe: top, bottom and the four sides, define yü," thus it indicates the three dimensional space. "The past that is forever going and the present that is forever coming define chou," which indicates the fourth dimension, time. All beings within this time-space framework each possesses a life with its own time-span, some enduring, some ephemeral. The prerequisites of life are two: substance (chih) and energy (neng). The two unite by the interplay of the Ch'ien element (yang) and K'un element (yin) to develop into a form (t'i), and through the adaptation of this form (t'i) to time and space, there is developed the function (yung) of life. This is what the I Ching designated as the interplay of yin, yang, shih (time) and wei (space). The interplay of yin and yang will finally "arrive at equilibrium and harmony" (chih chung ho); the adaptation to time and space will finally "result in full-adjustment and perfection" (chih chung cheng). The two processes will have to keep on undergoing constant adjustments to reach the appropriate state required for the sustainment of life. Thus the process of "chung," the constant adjustment moving towards the mean or equilibrium, is of primary importance to life, in both its grand totality and component unit.
3. The primary expression of Heaven is its "sublime brightness" and its total sheltering of all beings and physical substances. The primary expression of Earth is its "vast massiveness" and the all inclusive support bearing upon it all beings and substance. The basic qualities of time and space are "permanence" and "boundlessness." Add them together, the aggregate symbol of life is formed. It is one all-embracing "whole" and not any component part or unit; it is "vast" and "permanent," and it is life bequeathing life and growth following growth, in an unending and self-perpetuating train.
4. As myriad beings coexist in cosmos, the grand totality and the component units all undergoing metamorphosis and change, this "movement" or activity will inevitably cause conflict and collision. How, then, can such conflicts be avoided so that each will proceed on its own proper course capable of satisfying its living and growth? The way is found in each making its own adjustment to arrive at a course that will fit into a grand total course representing coexistence and side-by-side evolution and progress for all. The way of mutual assistance that is essential for this coexistence is designated "jen" or All-in-One Love; and the process of adjustment required is designated "chung" or Constant Mean. Thus in the Chung Yung, it is stated that "As the Mean or state of equilibrium and harmony is reached, Heaven and Earth are in position and myriad beings all enjoy life and its propagation."
5. This "movement" (hsing) of constant adjustment (shih chung) sometimes has to take an upward direction, which is represented by the symbol of fire which has flames always going up. Sometimes it has to take a downward direction, which is represented by the symbol of water, which possesses the nature of always going towards a lower level. Sometimes it has to take a spreading direction, which is represented by the symbol of wood which has the character of sending branches to all directions. Sometimes it has to take a shrinking direction, which is represented by the symbol of the metal, which is capable of crystallizing or contracting. Sometimes it has to move towards or remain at equilibrium, which is represented by the symbol of the earth, which poses the quality of evenness and stability. These five are designated the five movements (wu hsing). The five movements arranged together will form a sine curve.
6. All beings, substances and things capable of being designated by a name are capable of being paired into twosomes within which the one is possessed of opposite qualities in relation to the other. Thus the opposite qualities can always be represented by two symbols, yin (--) and yang (-), and the presence of yin and yang in opposition can be seen in such pairs as: heaven and earth, solidity and receptivity (kang and jou), movement and stability (tung and ching), old and young, substance and energy, etc. The opposing two in a twosome, although one of them grows or wanes, or prospers or decays always at the expense of or in counter-movement to the other, nonetheless they always exist one at the side of the other or dependent upon the other. If one ceased to exist, the other will not be able to exist independently. Thus it is said that a solitary yin will not live; a lone yang can never grow. Only one yin and one yang in pair will life prosper. It is from the interplay of yin and yang that the Way (tao) emerges.
7. Either party of the two opposing elements, in case of an extreme extension towards one direction, is capable of reaching the direction which the opposing element stands for. For example, if we turn left three consecutive times, ·we wind up facing right. If an object continues to fly towards the east, it will eventually land at the west of its starting point. Thus it is said that any extreme extension will reverse itself, or any extreme misfortune will bring about auspiciousness. In order to achieve multitudinousness of life (kuang sheng) and prolongation of life (ch'ang sheng), the way is to stay without any overreaching nor under-doing, or to seek to remain with the well-adjusted Mean (chung yung) all the time.
8. All paired opposing elements, although coexistent with simultaneous presence, should be differentiated into two categories of relative importance, and be treated fundamental over peripheral, or primary over secondary. To seek the latter at the expense of the former will be harmful to life.
9. The component element of a collective body (the many) is the unit body (the one). The two appear to be an opposing pair, but are actually in one uniform body, one the diminutive self of the other with difference only in size, and any separation will bring about the destruction of both. Thus it is said that the totality of human society (t'ien hsia) is rested upon the basis composed of states, the state rests on the basis of families, the family rests on the basis of individuals, and the individual is the basic component unit of all. In the reverse order, the cultivation of the self by the individual is for the development of the family, to develop the family is to bring good government to the state, and to have peace, order and well-being in the state is to achieve overall freedom, equality and prosperity in the whole human society (t'ien hsia). In this, there is no conflict between "the one" and "the many" in their course of development.
10. The development from the Ultimate or Absolute Principle (t'ai chi) to the two opposing elements of yin and yang, on to the four manifestations (ssu hsiang), on to the eight trigrams (pa kua), and finally on to the 64 hexagrams, is the course symbolizing a passageway potential of all possible variations and changing conditions that all beings in their life's development from simplicity to complexity must pass through. This designated course of symbolic essence is intended for providing man with hints and suggestions for ways to encounter all possible variations and changes in the course of life.
Based upon the above 10 points of basic observations, mankind, in order to promote its own life and existence, should combine the "teh" or moral excellence of Nature in its power of multiplication of life, with the ''jen'' or All-in-one Love that signifies the embracing of all Nature and myriad beings as one total Being; with the aggregate symbol of "ta kung" or all embracing "whole"; and follow the supreme course which guides all beings to live and coexist in togetherness, to lay the basis of the highest human moral and ethical principles. Based upon this, man should then develop the "ch'eng" or "primal purity" which is born in him as the prime motive force of life; follow the course of Nature which he is born and identified with (so hsing); and realize himself in the constant cultivation of this course (hsin tao); so that he could achieve the functions of ch'eng chi" or self-fulfillment, which comprises of mind rectification (cheng hsin) and self-cultivation (hsiu shen); and "ch'eng wu" or fulfillment for all, which means to develop in turn the family, the state, and the whole human society to bring about peace and well-being for all. And in this course of development, man should rely on "chung" or the Mean, which calls for neither over-reaching nor under-doing, to bring about the adjustment required by his movements or "hsing," so that the perfect point of equilibrium will be arrived at and all life will find due satisfaction and progress. Thus the above four, ch'eng, jen, chung, and hsing, being the basic principles of life in Cosmos, should be followed by man in seeking his own life and coexistence with others.
Yao Ti, the sage-ruler, patterned his government after the all-embracing Heaven to achieve his greatness of well-being for all, and left for his successor the sage-ruler Shun Ti the teaching "Always observe the Mean" (yun chih chuen chung). Shun Ti is renowned for his great filial piety, and he passed on to his successor, the Great Vii, the teaching of:
"Man's mind goes easily astray; while
The Essence of Tao hidden aloft.
Learn One-in-All and All-in-One
And observe always constant Mean."
(jen hsin wei wei;
tao hsin wei wei.
wei ching wei i
yun chih chueh 'chung')
And Yü, releasing the life force of primal-purity or ch'eng to give his all-out work and dedicating himself to the all-embracing whole at the expense of the unit self, he conquered the immense flood which had spread all over the land. King T'ang, the founder of Shang, also observed the Mean, and the Kings Wen and Wu of Chou practiced the government of well-being for all, or the government of ''jen,'' to leave a model for all posterity. The Duke of Chou, a man exalted in his achievements in both government and military affairs, held the frontiers secure against invasion by the barbarian peoples from without, and practiced the government of cultivation by rituals and music (li yueh, or teh chiao-cultivation to develop moral excellence) within, has laid the foundation for the unity and solidarity of the nation for all posterity. Then came Confucius, the one in whom the cumulation of all teachings and cultures of the past found expression in an amalgamated grand total, in which the concepts of ch'eng, jen, chung and hsing became the center of teaching, which became the orthodox teaching of moral excellence (tao t'ung) for the Chinese people for the subsequent 25 centuries. His teachings also forged a national spirit of all-embracing broadness, unyielding solidity, well-adjusted tolerance and firm attachment to orthodox values (ta, kang, chung, cheng). This is the orthodox spirit bequeathed by the sages of the past, and it is this spirit that Dr. Sun Yat-sen endeavored to give further development to.
From the above we can understand that what is called the tao t'ung, or the orthodox teachings of moral excellence, is but the successive bequest to posterity of the Great Course (ta tao) or Prime Principle (yuan li) upon which the unit and total life of humanity depends, so that subsequent generations will know what to observe and follow. Confucius and Dr. Sun Yat-sen were both men of their time who took upon themselves the responsibility of propagating this Great Principle. From this linkage we come to understand why the Chinese culture can come down in an unbroken chain of transmission, while other cultures should suffer from sudden disruption and termination. The reason is found in that the Chinese culture represents the prime principle upon which the life and existence of mankind is based, and while mankind keeps going on seeking life and existence, Chinese culture will keep on existing and propagating. The Chinese Communist government tried to destroy Chinese culture with their so-called "cultural revolution." This is acting against the basic principle of human existence. It is like, as the Chinese saying goes, to hit a block of stone with an egg. That which is going to be destroyed is the egg and not the stone. Indeed if we take a general survey of their practices, they were moving further and further away from the human nature of primal purity, or ch'eng; autocratic and discriminating without any all-embracing all-in-one love, or jen; partial and extreme without any adjustment to harmony or chung, and wanton and excruciating without the least conformity to human propriety or li. In a word, it is totally divergent from the spirit of Chinese culture; and as it is against life, it will not be suffered to live.
Chinese culture, besides centering on the life and existence of man, goes further to seek man's improved life, multitudinous life and prolonged life. It is because of this spirit that China is able to come to have 700 million people in one family, and to maintain a glorious history of 5,000 years without break. The Chinese culture also emphasizes differentiation of the fundamental from the peripheral, or the primary from the secondary. The fundamental is to be held firm and never let go; while the peripheral will be given only divided notice and never allowed to take precedence over the fundamental. This is one of its strong points. With regard to paired elements in relative opposition to each other, Chinese culture often takes interest in both, assigning importance to each relative to adjustments made according to conditions dictated by time and space, so that no excess will be committed lest it might bring in adverse results. This is another strong point. Following such directions, Chinese culture gives higher emphasis to man or humanity, and its chief contributions and achievements are geared towards this end, with the result that a negligence in material development gradually sets in. But In earlier periods inventions and discoveries were plentiful; the sages did not mean to ignore the material side. It was taught that "Only the one who has realized fully his primal-purity can make himself follow his own nature all the way. When one follows his own nature all the way, he is capable to lead others to follow their nature all the way. When one can lead other men to follow their nature all the way, he can make other beings and the physical world to follow their nature all the way..." It is also said that "realization of primal-purity (ch'eng i) and restoration of the original mind (cheng hsin)" begin with "the study of the myriad things (ke wu)." It is also found in the Nine Principles dealing with the development of the state and the whole human society that one of them is titled "to encourage congregation of craftsmen." This is intended for the realization of "plentifulness of goods and wealth," which shows the teaching emphasizes both spiritual and material sides of the well-being of a state or society without any total disregard of the material side. It is a pity that such teachings were overlooked, and the Chinese culture suffered the result of staying put with its emphasis wholly on making men give all from their nature, without going one step further to make the material world give all from its nature. This made China fall back 200 years in comparison with the· Western world in the development of natural sciences, and the poverty and weakness of China today is its natural consequence. In the opinion of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the spiritual work of making men give all from their nature will have to be built from its basic steps, but the study of the physical world to make it give all from its nature can be picked up from the level in which the Western world is working at right now and catch up with them readily. This is the aim of the Cultural Renaissance Movement currently promoted in Taiwan.
Since Chinese culture concentrates its quest on how man can best live and co-exist, the following problems are therefore the first to be studied and answered:
1. How are human relationships to be classified? How is each category of relationship to be kept in proper order and sustained?
Answer: They can be classified into five categories, which are designated as the five relationships (wu lun), or human relationships (jen lun), or the five all-reaching moral principles (wu ta tao). They are: (1) parents with sons and daughters, (2) elder brothers and sisters with young brothers and sisters, (3) husband with wife, (4) leaders in government and society with their subordinates (chün and ch'en), and (5) friends with friends. Correct relationship can be properly maintained in each category by conforming to the following guiding principles for each: (1) parents-kindness, children-filial piety; (2) elder brothers and sisters-kind brother-love, younger brothers and sisters-respectful brother-love; (3) husband and wife-harmony; (4) chün-benignity, ch'en-reverence; (5) friends-fidelity. These are the so-called ethical principles (lun li).
2. What is the basis upon which man and men can live together and coexist?
Answer: If everyone would exercise love, understanding and assistance, then there will be mutual love (jen), mutual understanding (chih or wisdom), and mutual assistance (yung or courage). Jen or All-in-One Love forms the center of the three. The three are designated as the three basic virtues (san ta teh).
If we combine the five moral principles (wu ta tao) with the three virtues (san ta teh), we readily find the meaning of the term tao-teh or morality or moral excellence. The definition of tao-teh or moral excellence is that "Moral excellence is the prime principle and its functioning (or grand concourse and its use) based upon which men live together and coexist." Mankind can live and propagate if it follows this course. It will perish if it deviates from it. It is thus said that "if moral excellence is kept man will not perish." This is the basic explanation why Chinese culture centers on morality and ethics. On moral excellence hang the success or failure of the individual, the prosperity or decline of a family, and the rise or fall of a nation. The Chinese concept of the difference between man and animals is that man can develop moral teachings, illustrate moral excellence, and esteem the virtues of jen or All-in-One Love and i or righteousness. Thus religious teaching is inculcated through secular education, and moral cultivation does not need religion to be effective.
3. Now that we see moral excellence is centered in jen or All-in-One Love, where then does the practical cultivation of this begin?
Answer: The practical cultivation should go from minor towards major objectives and from the immediate towards the distant. Thus the starting point should be the cultivation of "hsiao-ti," or filial piety and brother-love. It is said in the Analects: "The superior man (chün tzu) concentrates on the fundamental, when the fundamental is established, ways or principles (tao) will be derived. For the virtue of jen or All-in-One Love, the fundamental is hsiao and ti, filial piety and brother-love." Thus Chinese culture gives the highest place to family, and esteems the virtues of filial piety and brother-love. The order in its concept of moral excellence is: from the love of your relatives (ch'in ch'in) proceed to the love of other men (jen min); from the love of all men, proceed to the love of all nature (ai wu). Thus it is necessary to start with establishing the fundamental. When the fundamental is established, there will be no more worries of messing up the order and putting secondaries before the primary.
4. The realization of living together and coexisting depends upon all parties concerned. Yet the first step should evidently be that each do his own part to cultivate himself to the utmost, that is, to the highest potential for coexistence. How is it, then, that the three all-pervading virtues of wisdom, humanity (All-in-One Love) and courage (chih, jen and yung) can be practically cultivated? Or, in other words, how to take as an initial step the cultivation of one's self into a perfect man?
Answer: The step to take is the realization or restoration of primal-purity or ch'eng. With primal-purity there will be no more artificiality. With primal-purity there will be natural attachment to goodness and tenacious resistance to departure from that which is good. With primal-purity, which is the primary motive force of life, there will be the impetus to action, to move forward for self-betterment without cessation or giving up. With primal-purity, the road is clear for the fulfillment of self (ch'eng chi) and then onto fulfillment for all (ch'eng wu). Thus, restoration of primal purity (ch'eng i) is the premise of self-cultivation (hsiu shen). Without primal-purity there will disappear the existence of everything. (Primal-purity envisages the initiation and termination of all things. Without primal-purity all things do not appear.) When a man has restored his inborn purity and uncontaminated mind (ch'eng i and cheng hsin), his self-cultivation is automatically achieved. With accomplished self-cultivation, one can at the least attain the status of a superior man (chün tzu), or a t the maximum a sage (sheng hsien). This is what is meant by the fulfillment of self (ch'eng chi). From this, with one's self imbued with moral excellence and wisdom, one can proceed to fully develop his family (ch'i chia) on to bringing good government to the state (chih kuo) and finally on to bringing peace and prosperity to the whole human society (p'ing tien hsia, or wang t'ien hsia). This is what is meant by the fulfillment for all (ch'eng wu). This is the concept of "sage-hood wisdom inside and kingly leadership outside" (nei sheng wai wang), which should be the highest or most ambitious aim of life for every man. Every man should uphold this ideal and seek its realization by the persistent force of primal purity or ch'eng (or faith) which by nature attaches itself tenaciously to that which is good. I identify here ch'eng with faith on the basis that all passages on ch'eng in the Chung Yung correspond or are synonymous to passages in the Christian Bible on faith in God.
5. Among men there should be mutual understanding and mutual love. But in this coexistence there are bound to be problems or conflicts, here and there, now and then, this and that, that have to be solved. What are the principles based upon which these problems can be solved?
Answer: The solution must be to the satisfaction of all parties, without any partiality to any side. Impartiality indicates the Mean, or chung. Thus "chung" is the highest guiding principle based upon which all conflicts or problems between parties should be solved and settled. "Chung" means the way dictated by reason, guiding a solution, without any over-reaching or under-acting, to be arrived at a point that is just right. Thus Chinese culture gives the highest credit to the doctrine of the Mean, and abhors extremes, as the I Ching or the Book of Change, has taught that any extreme will bring about the reverse of the desired direction. To expect or desire the greatest or longest life or existence of anything, the way to achieve it is to follow the doctrine of the Mean. Thus the principle of "chung" or "chung yung" is designated as "the great fundamental (ta pen) governing all in Nature."
6. About "hsing," movement or action: Full restoration of primal purity (ch'eng), the prime motive force of life, brings in its sequence unceasing movement towards betterment. To approach jen, or All-in-One Love, constant movement is demanded. To know where the Mean or equilibrium lies, one has to know first the two extremes. But to arrive at the Mean requires adjustment, which is movement. Thus in order to attain, consummate, execute, construct, perform, or carry out anything, the prerequisite is movement or action.
To sum up, Chinese culture is a humanistic culture. Moral excellence, centered in jen and i, or All-in-One Love and righteousness, is its basis. It requires that every man be made to possess the following four top indispensable requisites:
1. Primal-purity or ch'eng for self-guidance (to be able to attach always to that which is good).
2. All-in-One Love or jen for guiding him in his relationship to other men.
3. Constant adjustment to the Mean or chung to guide him in his handling of affairs or solution of problems.
4. Movement or hsing to guide him to achieve his work or career.
Only when all men are equipped with these four guiding principles will there be between man and man mutual respect for their differences and mutual love for their similarities, so that all will march hand in hand toward the highest ideal personality goal that they are dedicated to achieve-a goal "the broadness and weightiness of which only the Earth can symbolize, the nobleness and brightness of which only Heaven can symbolize, and the permanent value and boundless development of which are equaled only by the infinity of space and time." Absorbing minor differences, they will arrive at agreement in a grand cosmopolitan whole, with harmony and equality for all. Everybody is submerged in a sea of love, and none can escape from the influence that will eventually make him one of them all. Thus the foundation of peaceful coexistence is founded, upon which no selfish individualism can survive, and all selfish materialism will disappear. The purpose of life is noble and clear: self-cultivation is meant for the development of the family; development of the family is meant for good government for the nation; and good government for the nation is meant for bringing peace, equality and prosperity to the whole human society. Thus the responsibility a man is to shoulder is made manifest, and the direction his efforts should be dedicated to is unmistakable. Thus the well-being of all mankind, the peace of the whole world, can only be achieved by the spread of the spirit of the Chinese culture which has enveloped in it this very goal all the way. It is a common conviction that whatever is truth is bound to survive; and whoever saves others will be saved himself. The above presented are the most salient strong points of Chinese culture, and it is the mission of all of us today that they be propagated far and wide in order to save mankind from its present scourge.
Finally, it is relevant to point out that Chinese culture has indicated that moral excellence is the fundamental, and material wealth the peripheral or non-essential. It is said that if this is reversed, conflict of interest will divide people and bring about plunder, ravages and war. Thus craving for material wealth is the cause of all fights and killings, and is in no way the means to solve the problems of human existence. This is a timely warning to the nations which are now knee deep in capitalistic development, in which the weaknesses displayed are quite evident to the eyes of all observers today. It is also indicated by Chinese culture that moral excellence is fundamental and power is nonessential. It is said that power will overcome others but its superiority will only be accepted with reluctance for it is only in terms of power; but if it is moral excellence that overcomes, it is a superiority unresented but accepted with sincerity and willingness. Power will hold its sway for a time, but it will not last long. Chinese leaders in the past had taken this to heart and had declared for the kingly way of government and discarded the overlords' way which champions conquest and domination by power. For the multiplication and prolongation of the life of mankind, it is indeed a mistaken policy to rely on any category of power for the domination of men. This is a sincere warning to the nations that are Communist powers today. The basis of the mainland Chinese Communist government today is built upon nothing but power. Its inevitable collapse in the future will indeed provide a strong evidence to verify what I have just said. It is only moral excellence that will persuade the strong to support the weak, wise to assist the dull, rich to help out the poor, so that all inequalities are thus made to level off gradually towards equality. Only in this way will peaceful coexistence be assured, for inequality is the cause of all conflicts and war. Any nation which is formed by a congregation of people possessed of the teachings of the four cardinal principles of ch'eng, jen, chung and hsing, will be a nation that is broad-minded and all embracing, endowed with the force of primal-purity capable of influencing not only all men but also the physical world, possessed with the All-in-One Love to have love for all men, knows the golden Mean to avoid excess and keep impartiality, moves forward for the betterment of itself without cease, and the last keeps friendly relations with its neighbors for the realization of universal harmony and coexistence. Such a nation is undoubtedly destined to enjoy an unending long life with periodic rejuvenation and reinvigoration to serve as a permanent indispensable influence to the whole human society.
It is our conviction that any culture based upon moral and ethical preponderance is like a house built on firm foundations. It has stability and will not crumble. It might not be pretty; but can be remodeled. On the other hand, any culture based upon material wealth or power is like a house built on sand. It is liable to fall to pieces any time. Once its religious faith lost ground, all moral and ethical values will be without supporting framework and the disintegration will come even sooner. The present Cultural Renaissance Movement in Taiwan is aimed at refurbishing the firm moral ethical basis of the Chinese culture and putting additional work on it to improve its stability, and at the same time using democracy and science as new material to remodel or rebuild the house to add to its beauty and usefulness. We believe that all friends of China who are aware of the contributions Chinese culture has made towards human society in the past and are therefore eager to see this contribution redoubled in the future due to the present movement will no doubt be very enthusiastic about our undertaking and wish it speedy success. It is our sincere hope that not only overseas Chinese and our students studying abroad will join hands to enhance the effort dedicated to this work, but that our Western friends will also lend timely assistance to it. For where the Chinese culture is, there is China. Even more so, where the government and people who represent and support the Chinese culture are, there is China. International power politics might say otherwise, but we are going to stick to our claim and do all we can, give all we have, to the end of our lives, to justify it. We believe that our work will not only help the cause of China, but that it will help the world community even more. For we feel that right now the world needs China more than China needs the world, in the sense of maintaining international righteousness and justice, in the sense of sustaining human moral values, and in the sense of dedication to cultural refinement and development.