Keystone Magazine Keystone Magazine 5th EN | Page 71
and festivities, we need to restore traditions character, qing ( 情 ), has a history that
that help us embrace nature, and restore our stretches back thousands of years to its first
agrarian heritage.
mention in the Book of Rites. In this work,
qing was used to describe the seven humours
The 24 solar terms can be further divided into – the ancient Chinese medicinal system of
72 pentads. In simpler terms, each pentad is body functions that influences an individual’s
a three five-day unit called hou or zhenghou. natural personality. According to ancient
Even the smallest change in a season or Chinese culture, qing naturally comes from
temperature is reflected and can be observed within while gan is a product of the interaction
in nature as a clear sign or zhenghou. Let me between man and the wider world, therefore
explain from my own experience. I remember these two concepts come together within, and
standing on the frozen Kunming Lake in the through man to produce feeling.
Summer Palace in the first pentad, which is
when spring begins. As I stood there I could ‘Open your senses to the world and open
hear the cracking of the icy surface. It is the your heart’ is the fundamental understanding
nature’s way of signaling the first signs of of this important Chinese character, and also
spring with the melting of ice that releases the what I encourage everyone to do in their
fish holed in through a whole to rise above lives. However, when I do so, I am often
the thinning ice to greet the increasingly asked especially by friends with children
warm sun. This is the kind of wisdom that who are looking into what they should
we can learn from the traditional way of life; study at university: “We really like classical
we can gain the ability to observe the laws Chinese literature, but wouldn’t our kids be
of nature, as they have already been codified a bit too sensitive and emotional if they get
into a practical system of calculating time. into the classics?” Being culturally sensitive
There are other ways to calculate time too, and aware of your roots does not mean a
such as measuring it with the blossoming of natural tendency for oversensitivity or an
certain flowers. The ancient Chinese sought emotional demeanor. Gan is the fundamental
to promote a harmonious relationship with relationship between man and the world, and
nature in many ways.
if this relationship is based on being open
and positive then our own attitude to life will
Open Your He arts. Sense the be positive. I would suggest that the basis of
World.
the Chinese character is this idea of opening
Some of the oldest Chinese literary classics
make reference to this harmonious existence,
such as this: “man is one with Heaven and
Earth, as well as all living creatures,” or
“Heaven and Earth exert their influences
on all things allowing humans to feel the
true character and emotions of Heaven and
Earth,” from I Ching. There is much depth
in two Chinese characters from this classical
text; these two characters are for the word
feeling or to feel or ganqing.
one’s senses to open our hearts, creating a
sense of joy and happiness as an extension of
being part of nature. I have always striven to
cultivate the ideal character as prescribed by
Chinese culture, which requires one to open
one’s senses and hearts, to be understanding
of others, and to observe ways of the universe.
A renowned poet of ancient China, Xie
Lingyun once said that happiness comes
from four things: nice weather, beautiful
scenery, inner happiness and pleasant events.
Nice weather and beautiful weather are given
to us by Heaven, however, inner happiness
and pleasant events are what come about
when we experience the first two. The inner
happiness and joy of every single person
comes from within, just as much as from
without. This renewed way of thinking will
connect us once again to nature, as our
ancestors once were. By seeing ourselves as
part of the stars, the lofty mountains, the
babbling brooks, the lush forests, every one
of us will be able to open our hearts to the
joys of existence. Every nation contributes to
the making and history of humanity, whether
it is the Industrial Revolution of Britain
or the Financial Revolution of the United
States. China’s is our attitude to nature and
our relationship with the natural world that
can be its legacy, a legacy that humanity is
beginning to see in a whole new era.
If we unpack the character gan ( 感 ), the
top half ( 咸 ) means “all” or “harmonious”,
while the bottom half ( 心 ) means “heart.”
But where does this character come from? It is
derived from our five senses – sight, hearing,
smell, taste and touch. The idea of the five
senses led to the idea of ‘feeling.’ In essence it
is the idea that people are moved emotionally
when they feel, such as when they appreciate
the beauty of nature. This ancient school of
Chinese thought led to the understanding that
since the five senses are used to interact with
the wonderful and beautiful world around
us, thereby creating a relationship between us
and everything else in this world. The second
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