During summer and winter vacations, thousands of students join the "Self-Reliance Activities" sponsored by the Chinese Youth Corps--programs such as mountaineering, long-distance hiking, camping, horse-riding, shooting, parachuting, paper-cutting, newsgathering, photo-taking and so on. On different levels, a number of symposiums are also held.
Recently more and more youths have demonstrated increasingly active interest in "off-duty" Scholastic studies. A "Chinese Culture Symposium" at Tunghai University, from January 31 to February 5, for example, attracted more than 100 college students, most of them philosophy majors though there were also a number of science, business management, and other students. Although some participants differed in scholastic background, they all showed common concern about the future of the country and the people.
Li Chiu-chin, a home economics major, said, "Although I am a home economics student, I am intensely interested in literature and history. I want to be strongly involved in the future of the country. We can engage in mountaineering and other outdoor activities on our own, but this is a rare opportunity for me to encounter top philosophers. That's why I'm participating in this symposium."
Sun Chung-chen, a civil engineering major at Tamkiang University, declared, "Though my major is engineering, I try to find time to read cultural and philosophical books. I'm participating in this symposium, because I want to check-out my views gained from self-study. I want to discuss my views with others because I want to make sure I am not traveling on the wrong path."
Tung Chih-hua, a communication management student at National Chiao-tung University, and Yang Chih-hsien, a student of the College of Chinese Medicine, agreed, "We joined the symposium because our schools don't offer courses in the humanities. We are always worried that our thinking in these areas is not sufficient. We took advantage of winter vacation to absorb the extra learning 'nutrients' we need."
The symposium, organized by Prof. Feng Hu-hsiang, dean of Tung-hai's department of philosophy, was "intended to inspire young people's sense of duty in relation to their country and people," said Professor Feng. "Concern for the nation and the people is certainly the consensus among most college students. Still, many do not have the educational background for correct judgements concerning cultural and philosophical problems. We hope the six-day symposium will become a forum for scholars and students from home and abroad in which they will analyze various philosophical and cultural problems from different perspectives, so that they may find correct directions for their future pursuits. For philosophy students, the symposium offers an opportunity for retrospection; for non-philosophy students, it is an opportunity for guidance from both philosophy professors and students in training their own reasoning ability."
On the first day, philosophy Professor Mo Tsung-san set the tone, lecturing on the applications of philosophy. He told the gathering that philosophy is not the hollow mental game many suppose, and that this is especially true of Chinese philosophy, which is closely related to everyday life. Many people downgrade philosophy because they believe, Professor Mo continued, that philosophy will not help them to making a living. But, he said, the real value of philosophy is in energizing thought, so that an individual becomes an illuminant. Philosophy can solve nagging problems impeding the path of a country and the flow of its culture, the Professor stated, and he called on intellectuals here to give penetrating thought to the problems involved in modernization.
Professor Mo stated that though most people can adequately think and express their views, most cannot refine what they think into congruous thought. Men should lubricate their thought with intelligence and nurture their minds with virtue, he said. It is a matter of benevolence and intelligence. A benevolent man may be at best, a good but not very useful person. Only when he has intelligence can he brings benefit to others.
He told the participants that their study of philosophy should emphasize exploration for national culture. During the May 4 Movement in the early years of the Republic of China, the departments of philosophy at the universities were most popular among the students, he noted. Many then clamored for abandonment of Confucius and his philosophy, were preoccupied with the promotion of democracy, freedom and science. But they did not really know what all those concepts meant.
The Professor sees the May 4 new cultural movement, the infiltration of Marxism into China, and the modernization of Taiwan today as three major stages in Chinese cultural progression. But he said that few people really understand the characteristics of these three stages. During the May 4 Movement, all of the philosophy professors at Tsinghua, Peking, and central universities on the mainland showed little interest in the problems of their time and failed to speak out on behalf of the nation. Since these intellectuals had limited concern for the national future and limited interest in the problems of the times, how could they hope to advance the national cause.
Another problem of the intellectuals of recent eras is their inclination to win approval with extraneous ideas, he said. He went on to reflect that some people say that Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People have no appeal for today's youth, and few influential intellectuals like to teach the subject. This attitude is not justified. It is a political philosophy designed to meet the need of China.
So began the vacation symposium. If its popularity actually represents a new tendency among students, the nation will be the gainer from a heightened interest in thought as a corollary to the permanent campus interest in new experience.
[Picture Caption]
1. The "Chinese Culture Symposium" was held at Tunghai University. Here Mo Tsung-san, an eminent Chinese philosopher, lectures. 2. Academia Sinica historian, Lao Kan, also spoke to the participants giving them an historical perspective. 3. Participants listened carefully and also took notes.
1. President of Tunghai University, Mei Ko-wang, said he hoped to raise high the flag of Chinese culture. 2. Mo Tsung-san chatted with participants after his lecture. 3. Organizer Feng Hu-hsiang said, "Next summer, I invite foreign students and overseas Chinese to take part in our activities." 4. Not only did older scholars lecture, but younger ones as well.
One of the small discussion groups. Discussion was very lively.
2. Academia Sinica historian, Lao Kan, also spoke to the participants giving them an historical perspective.
3. Participants listened carefully and also took notes.
1. President of Tunghai University, Mei Ko-wang, said he hoped to raise high the flag of Chinese culture.
2. Mo Tsung-san chatted with participants after his lecture.
3. Organizer Feng Hu-hsiang said, "Next summer, I invite foreign students and overseas Chinese to take part in our activities.".
4. Not only did older scholars lecture, but younger ones as well.
One of the small discussion groups. Discussion was very lively.
