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Tang poetry and English don't make great cities
By Frank Jiang |
June 28, 2010, Monday
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WE'RE not short of absurdities and laughingstocks. But what Zhang Yongchun, a member of Xi'an's social science research department, has to say about his ideal Xi'an just might take the cake.
In a misguided attempt to cast the city as a "civilized and globally influenced" city, the Xi'an government and its social scientists proposed that within 10 years, when the population will hit a staggering 10 million, Xi'an will become a cosmopolitan metropolis.
As ambitious as this sounds, they don't stop there. The plan suggests qualities that ideal residents should have.
This tips the rock over the precipice.
Topic groups would be established to instil (more like force-feed) morals and educate residents in culture and literature.
Zhang says these groups would take "concrete measures" so that by 2015 half the city's people will be able to recognize 500 Chinese traditional characters and be able to speak 900 English sentences.
"They also will be able to recite Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and Song Dynasty (960-1279) poems as well as recite the poems of Goethe and Pushkin, enabling the people of Xi'an metropolis to radiate the spirit of the great city of Xi'an," said Zhang.
This sounds coercive and is so absurd that it barely merits response.
What happens when foreigners, such as Italians or Africans, move in? You obviously can't force them to attend group lessons and learn 900 English sentences.
As a matter of fact, if important people unable to speak English are prohibited from living in Xi'an for failing to pass a test or meet required standards, Xi'an might not be able to attain its cosmopolitan goals.
Furthermore the requirements are too concrete and specific. They say nothing about the holistic view of a civilized person in a civilized city.
The ability to recognize characters and recite poems and English sentences has nothing to do with personality or a person's ability to contribute to society.
A person's "quality" cannot be simply quantified. It involves personality, varied education, diverse experience and environment, culture and wisdom.
And what's the reason for selecting 500 traditional Chinese characters, instead of 700? Nine hundred English sentences instead of 300? Pushkin instead of Shakespeare?
Is there any scientific or neurological evidence to back up these numbers?
But who needs scientific justification for something so absurd?
Instead of coming up with complicated and meaningless ideas, why doesn't Xi'an look to Shanghai as a model for evolution into a global, inclusive and cosmopolitan city?
Shanghai has undergone rapid growth over the years and is now bubbling with financial and cultural energy.
Does Shanghai set preposterous standards for its residents?
The answer is obvious because Shanghai understands that imposing such requirements could exclude the valuable individuals that make the city what it is today. Let's hope Xi'an will understand what makes a great city and decide rationally about the future.
(The author is an Australian student in Shanghai. The views are his own.)
In a misguided attempt to cast the city as a "civilized and globally influenced" city, the Xi'an government and its social scientists proposed that within 10 years, when the population will hit a staggering 10 million, Xi'an will become a cosmopolitan metropolis.
As ambitious as this sounds, they don't stop there. The plan suggests qualities that ideal residents should have.
This tips the rock over the precipice.
Topic groups would be established to instil (more like force-feed) morals and educate residents in culture and literature.
Zhang says these groups would take "concrete measures" so that by 2015 half the city's people will be able to recognize 500 Chinese traditional characters and be able to speak 900 English sentences.
"They also will be able to recite Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and Song Dynasty (960-1279) poems as well as recite the poems of Goethe and Pushkin, enabling the people of Xi'an metropolis to radiate the spirit of the great city of Xi'an," said Zhang.
This sounds coercive and is so absurd that it barely merits response.
What happens when foreigners, such as Italians or Africans, move in? You obviously can't force them to attend group lessons and learn 900 English sentences.
As a matter of fact, if important people unable to speak English are prohibited from living in Xi'an for failing to pass a test or meet required standards, Xi'an might not be able to attain its cosmopolitan goals.
Furthermore the requirements are too concrete and specific. They say nothing about the holistic view of a civilized person in a civilized city.
The ability to recognize characters and recite poems and English sentences has nothing to do with personality or a person's ability to contribute to society.
A person's "quality" cannot be simply quantified. It involves personality, varied education, diverse experience and environment, culture and wisdom.
And what's the reason for selecting 500 traditional Chinese characters, instead of 700? Nine hundred English sentences instead of 300? Pushkin instead of Shakespeare?
Is there any scientific or neurological evidence to back up these numbers?
But who needs scientific justification for something so absurd?
Instead of coming up with complicated and meaningless ideas, why doesn't Xi'an look to Shanghai as a model for evolution into a global, inclusive and cosmopolitan city?
Shanghai has undergone rapid growth over the years and is now bubbling with financial and cultural energy.
Does Shanghai set preposterous standards for its residents?
The answer is obvious because Shanghai understands that imposing such requirements could exclude the valuable individuals that make the city what it is today. Let's hope Xi'an will understand what makes a great city and decide rationally about the future.
(The author is an Australian student in Shanghai. The views are his own.)
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