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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 www.keystoneacademy.cn 71