It has been reported that a university professor in Northeast China recently sent a dispatch to the Vice Minister of Culture, Zhou Heping, stating that a certain Asian country had included a "Dragon Boat Festival" on its national heritage list.

The country is also said to be about to submit an application to UNESCO to have the festival form part of the World Cultural Heritage list and proclaimed as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".

Many thanks to that Asian country! While the Chinese treat their own traditional festivals like dirt, this Asian country has not hesitated to put the culture of other people on its own list of cultural treasures, despite the risk of being ridiculed for "taking others' garbage home". Now the Chinese have at last learnt to cherish it.

As a matter of fact, not only traditional festivals but also much of our traditional culture have been largely ignored at home or have even disappeared so completely that we haven't been able to find them again except in books or documents. We are always pleased and proud every time foreigners express their veneration for the grace and profundity of traditional Chinese culture but do we really cherish our own culture? Just think how many of our traditional festivals are statutory holidays. None of them except the Spring Festival. The Lantern Festival, Pure Bright Festival (Tomb-sweeping Day), Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival - none of them are designated as statutory holidays. On the other hand, such international holidays as New Year's Day, March 8, May Day and June 1 are all included on the list of public holidays. Moreover, Western holidays are growing increasingly popular in China. Young people like to indulge their passion for foreign holidays. On Valentine's Day, flowers are always a hit, and much more expensive than on other days. Most Chinese don't have any idea of the religious connotation of Christmas but they celebrate it as a big holiday just the same.

We have been eagerly adapting to international norms and practices without the slightest idea that our traditional culture is in danger of losing its substance. Just think how many young men can read traditional classics in original form (Ancient books were written vertically in traditional Chinese characters with no punctuation marks). How many young men can write in classical Chinese and have in-depth understanding of traditional Chinese Culture? What's left in our language is idioms and quotations - the odd remnants of traditional classics. And what's worse, many classical stories have been refurbished for the purpose of making fun of historical figures. I'm wondering what our children and grandchildren will think of us if our traditional culture becomes extinct in a number of years and they only have cultural fossils in museums to hold on to.

Now let us take a look at certain countries to see their attitude towards their own traditional culture. As for that Asian country which has placed the "Dragon Boat Festival" on its national heritage list, I'll say nothing. Take France for example. France has spared no cost in protecting the French language. Even the Indians, towards whom some of my fellow countrymen have a condescending attitude, made strenuous efforts to revive the long-dead language of Sanskrit .

It may be too early to say that our traditional culture is dying out. What is annoying and even agonizing is the desertification, impoverishment and deterioration of the cultural soil.

Whither Chinese culture? This is the problem from which there is no escape.

starcomment@yahoo.com