Almost a century has lapsed since the New Culture Movement ¡ª which promoted the emancipation of the mind in a society that had recently toppled its last dynasty ¡ª took place from 1915 to 1921. However, in recent years there has been a renewed debate about which direction Chinese culture should take.

In recent years guoxue (literally ¡°national culture studies¡±) has become a heated and controversial topic of discussion. More and more people have been talking about guoxue, with much of the discussion focusing on whether guoxue should be promoted or not. This is part of the continuing debate since the May Fourth Movement over the direction of our cultural development, and it is also a microcosm of the wider debate on the direction our nation should take.

On May 31, the Beijing-based Renmin University of China formally announced the upcoming opening of its College of ¡°Guoxue¡± (National Culture Study). This is the first college solely devoted to national culture study to have been established in China since the founding of the People¡¯s Republic.

The announcement has caused a great sensation in Chinese society, sparking off a heated debate over the nature and significance of guoxue.

The concept of guoxue can be traced back more than 2,000 years. From its beginnings and over much of the following two millennia, guoxue mainly referred to the central educational system or institutions in China. It was not until the early 20th century that the concept of guoxue was highlighted again as a study of China¡¯s national culture. This came against a socio-political background in which Western cultures were crowding into China and even overwhelming Chinese national culture. It was during this period that guoxue gradually gained its current definition, which essentially refers to traditional learning ¡ª Confucianism, philosophy, history, and literature ¡ª stretching from pre-Qin documents all the way through the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In the minds of many Chinese people, guoxue is a backward and shameful legacy of feudal China. In the early 20th century, radical intellectuals attacked it as the root of China¡¯s ills. During the ¡°cultural revolution¡± (1966-1976), Chinese national culture was smashed to pieces. National culture, and especially Confucianism, was once again criticized as representing feudalism and conservatism. In a time of economic reforms, traditional Chinese culture is regarded by some as the main subjective obstacle to China¡¯s modernization drive.

As a result of such cultural turbulence, many Chinese people have lost their sense of identification with their roots, and they have found themselves in a spiritual vacuum. They have no faith in traditional cultural and moral values and a new set of ethics and values has yet to be put in place.

We have been striving for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The objective of national rejuvenation is not confined to economic and material development but also encompasses social, political, cultural and human development. No national revival of the Chinese people can be successful without a spiritual and cultural revival. If we are unable to inherit and further develop Chinese culture to a greater height and glory, the cultural revival as well as national rejuvenation will be only empty talk.

Stressing the importance of traditional Chinese culture in an abstract sense is not enough, concrete measures are needed. We must create a favourable environment and necessary conditions for raising public awareness of national culture and heritage. In this sense, the research of guoxue, or the national culture, is not only necessary, but also useful to the aim of rebuilding cultural values and an ethical code of a collective society.