Americans looking to Chinese cultureto enrich their life

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Chinese art, architecture and philosophy were much admired in the West, and Chinese luxury goods like silks, teas and porcelain were in great demand and transformed their way of life drastically.

However, following China's accelerated political and economic decline during the 19th and part of 20th centuries resulting in foreign encroachment upon its sovereignty, its cultural appeal lost its shine, except to the discerning foreigners.

With the advent of the United States as the dominant military and economic power since the 1940s, it has been the turn of the East to be mesmerised by its pervasive achievements in various fields of human endeavour.

Be that as it may, Americans, once again, are looking to Chinese culture to enrich their life. This trend is gathering momentum and is there to stay.

Apart from their love affair with Chinese cuisine, more Americans are turning to its acupuncture, herbal medicines, martial arts, gongfu films, fashions and art and crafts.

Chinese language and acupuncture are now taught in many leading US universities and medical schools. Chinese herbal medicines form an essential component of alternative medicine, which now has as many converts as those seeking conventional medical treatment.

Seemingly outlandish words such as dim sum, ginseng, gingko,oolong cha, taiji, qi, yin and yang and ba-gua have crept into their everyday language.

The latest Chinese cultural icon to make its impact there is feng shui, China's ancient art of placement.

In my recent trip to California, virtually all leading book stores and public libraries were well-stocked with plenty of publications on this highly esoteric subject.

Who are these Americans and why do they take to feng shui like fish to water? They represent a good cross-section of the public, ranging from intellectuals, business tycoons, professional people, Hollywood celebrities to housewives, retirees and students.

It owed its early success to the dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts. But from around 1990 onwards, numerous feng shui schools have sprung up in large American cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston and Houston. Their enrolments have risen by leaps and bounds.

Today, the majority of its practitioners are Americans. They offer a wide range of consultancy services to both individuals and businesses. The successful among them are reaping handsome financial rewards.

Its adherents find its commonsensible approach to daily living an effective counterweight to materialism, and helps them to reduce the intrusion of technology into their lives. With its emphasis on achieving balance and harmony and peace and tranquillity at home and at work, this time-honoured art relaxes their minds and helps them overcome stresses and strains of modern living.

They firmly believe that once their mental and physical well-being are in equilibrium, then good health, work efficiency and prosperity will come their way naturally.

A conspicuous manifestation of feng shui is through the proliferation of miniature fountains strategically placed in the homes, offices, shops, restaurants and at other public places.

This is because water attracts the all-important life-sustaining qi, or energy. The soothing rhythm of running water gently beating down on pebbles or bamboos can uplift one's spirits as it symbolises a vital source of life.

Underpinning the growing popularity of things Chinese is the emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower.

This coincided with its reopening up to the outside world which has enabled an increasing number of Americans to travel there in order to experience at first hand the splendours of this venerable civilisation.

Added to this, the thriving Chinese communities in many American urban centres and their reputation as a model minority have aroused further their interests in this distant land, which is so vastly different from theirs.

One of the palpable strengths of the United States is that it is truly an open society. This makes it easier for it to absorb cultural values and practices from other countries and to nurture them so that they become part of the social fabric of its own multiethnic and multicultural community.

在17和18世紀(jì)，中國(guó)藝術(shù)、建筑學(xué)以及哲學(xué)，非常受到西方的欣賞。中國(guó)的奢侈品，例如絲綢、茶和瓷器大受歡迎，也深刻的改變了一些西方人的生活方式。

但是，中國(guó)的政治和經(jīng)濟(jì)力量在19和20世紀(jì)初急劇衰退，領(lǐng)土也被外國(guó)侵占。除了目光獨(dú)到的少數(shù)外國(guó)人，中國(guó)文化在外國(guó)人眼里已失去了光輝。

美國(guó)在1940年代崛起為軍事和經(jīng)濟(jì)強(qiáng)國(guó)，他在各個(gè)領(lǐng)域的卓越成就，讓東方人為之神往。

話(huà)雖如此，美國(guó)人卻又一次的轉(zhuǎn)向中國(guó)文化，豐富他們的生活。這個(gè)潮流方興未艾。
除了他們贊不絕口的中國(guó)菜肴外，有越來(lái)越多的美國(guó)人，嘗試針灸、草藥和中國(guó)武術(shù)。他們也看功夫電影，學(xué)習(xí)東方時(shí)裝潮流和手工藝。

美國(guó)的許多著名大學(xué)和醫(yī)學(xué)院，已經(jīng)開(kāi)設(shè)華文和針灸課程。中國(guó)的草藥已經(jīng)是“他類(lèi)醫(yī)學(xué)”的重要一環(huán)。有越來(lái)越多的美國(guó)人已經(jīng)轉(zhuǎn)向“他類(lèi)醫(yī)學(xué)”求助。

美國(guó)人在不知不覺(jué)中，也在日常生活里談及點(diǎn)心、人參、銀杏、烏龍茶、太極、氣、陰陽(yáng)和八卦等。目前，在美國(guó)最熱門(mén)的中國(guó)文化是帶點(diǎn)神秘色彩的風(fēng)水學(xué)。

我最近到過(guò)加利福尼亞州，發(fā)現(xiàn)所有著名的書(shū)店和圖書(shū)館，都有很多關(guān)于這門(mén)古老學(xué)問(wèn)的書(shū)籍。

為什么有些美國(guó)人會(huì)那么熱衷于風(fēng)水呢？這些人來(lái)自各行各業(yè)，包括知識(shí)分子、商業(yè)鉅子、專(zhuān)業(yè)人士、好萊塢巨星、家庭主婦、學(xué)生和退休人士。

風(fēng)水學(xué)早期在美國(guó)的成功，得歸功于一些中國(guó)風(fēng)水師鍥而不舍的努力。從大約1990年開(kāi)始，風(fēng)水學(xué)校便如雨后春筍，在美國(guó)大城市如三藩市、紐約、芝加哥、波士頓和休士頓出現(xiàn)。報(bào)名的學(xué)生非常踴躍。

現(xiàn)在，大部分的風(fēng)水師是美國(guó)人，他們?yōu)閭�(gè)人和企業(yè)提供一系列的服務(wù)。他們之中比較出色的，已經(jīng)名成利就。

相信風(fēng)水的人，覺(jué)得他對(duì)日常生活問(wèn)題，簡(jiǎn)單易懂的解釋?zhuān)�能夠幫助他們抵抑物質(zhì)主義，減輕科技對(duì)生活的干擾。不論是在工作場(chǎng)所或家里，這門(mén)古老的學(xué)問(wèn)，強(qiáng)調(diào)的是平衡、和諧以及安寧，也能協(xié)助他們克服現(xiàn)代生活的緊張和壓力。

當(dāng)身心得到平衡，他們深信健康、工作效率和富足的生活，便會(huì)隨之而來(lái)。

一個(gè)很顯眼的改進(jìn)風(fēng)水方法，是在家里、辦公室、店內(nèi)或餐館的重要位置，擺放模型瀑布。這是因?yàn)樗�能夠吸引維持生命的氣或能量。流水輕拍卵石或竹子的溫柔韻律，象征生命的重要泉源，也能夠提神養(yǎng)氣。

中國(guó)逐漸崛起成為政治經(jīng)濟(jì)強(qiáng)國(guó)，是中國(guó)文化在美國(guó)日益風(fēng)行的原因。中國(guó)對(duì)外開(kāi)放，也讓許多美國(guó)人有機(jī)會(huì)親身體驗(yàn)，這個(gè)文明古國(guó)的風(fēng)采。

此外，許多美國(guó)城市的繁榮華人社區(qū)，享有模范少數(shù)民族的美譽(yù)，更讓美國(guó)人對(duì)這個(gè)和他們的文化大相徑庭的古老文明，產(chǎn)生濃厚的興趣。

美國(guó)的一大優(yōu)點(diǎn)，在于他是個(gè)真正開(kāi)放的社會(huì)。因此，他很容易吸收他國(guó)的文化價(jià)值觀(guān)和習(xí)俗，把他們?nèi)谌氩⒊蔀槊绹?guó)多元種族和多元文化社會(huì)的一部分。