ANCIENT WISDOM HELPS IN PANDEMIC FIGHT （從中國傳統(tǒng)文化汲取抗疫智慧）
Ancient wisdom helps in pandemic fight
By WANG QIAN in Beijing and XING YI in Shanghai | China Daily |
Traditional culture playing a vital role
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The COVID-19 pandemic has largely been brought under control in China, with many scholars believing that traditional culture has played an important role in shaping people's response to it.
In February, after a field investigation to Wuhan, Hubei province, by the World Health Organization, assistant director-general Bruce Aylward said China had demonstrated phenomenal collective action and a cooperative spirit in fighting the virus.
"Behind every window in every skyscraper, there are people cooperating with this response," the Canadian epidemiologist said.
Speaking at a recent edition of Vision China organized by China Daily and Tsinghua University, Aylward said Chinese people's sense of social responsibility, which is embedded in the nation's culture, and their experiences in fighting the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, outbreak in 2003 are key elements of the country's efforts to tackle the virus.
David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum, said "the cultural element is of the greatest importance" in such a unified and rapid response.
"In the Chinese context, it can be said that traditional values inspired by Confucianism... helped China in its battle against COVID-19," Gosset said.
"Culture has been underestimated by commentators, while it has arguably played the most important role in shaping global reactions to events.
"Less visible than economic dynamics or even political structures or processes, culture is nevertheless what determines the behavior of individuals."
Four factors in traditional philosophy－dayitong (great unification), jiaguo tonggou (family and state are the same), filial piety and tianxia (all under the heaven)－have influenced the country's response to the pandemic, according to scholars.
Mario Cavolo, a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, said,"In a further examination of the values at the root of achievements (made in the fight against the pandemic), we find a historical source driving values, attitudes, and ultimately, our behavior.
"In Europe, for example, we find Judeo-Christian ethics and religions, while some countries prefer a more post-Modern Era neoliberal set of values," he said.
Gosset said,"As a major global crisis, this pandemic has revealed many aspects of our modernity, and certainly that the world is not culturally uniform. It has indeed to be understood as the juxtaposition of several different cultural contexts."
Great unification
The Confucian concept of dayitong means a common pursuit or respect for unity. Traceable to Confucius, Mencius and other philosophers, it was elaborated on by the philosopher Dong Zhongshu (179-104 BC).
From the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onward, ancient China saw its most prosperous period, in which the benefits of Confucian civilization were spread to the rest of the world.
Yu Zhiping, philosophy professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said, "This influence can still be felt in China today, which is helping the Chinese people win the coronavirus war.
"The dayitong concept, which still influences Chinese political culture, has made such an unprecedented mobilization of nationwide resources possible."
Since a lockdown was enforced in Wuhan on Jan 23, unparalleled nationwide mobilization efforts have been made to combat the pandemic.
Two days later, under President Xi Jinping's command, a central leading group on epidemic response, headed by Premier Li Keqiang, was established. On Jan 27, a central working group led by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan was sent to oversee work in Hubei.
On Feb 10, the National Health Commission launched an assistance plan, with 19 provinces providing support to cities in Hubei.
According to official data, some 43,000 medical workers risked their lives to help the province.
Two makeshift hospitals－Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, with a total capacity of 2,600 beds－were quickly built and started treating COVID-19 patients in early February.
Following the efforts made in Wuhan, most cities nationwide adopted strict measures to minimize the movement of people.
Canadian political science professor Daniel A. Bell said that with the experience gained in fighting SARS, Chinese people know that when social order faces a severe threat, a strong, collective and efficient government is needed to take decisive action.
Bell, dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University and professor at Tsinghua University, made the comments in a recent interview with the website of the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
A global crisis perception index released last month by social research agency Blackbox Research and consumer intelligence platform Toluna supports Bell's assessment. It found that China had the highest-rated leadership among 23 nations, with the country scoring 85 points out of 100.
Conducted over 16 days from April 3, respondents were asked to rate their countries through four key indicators: national political leadership, corporate leadership, community and media.
Families and nation
In addition to the whole-nation system, Bell highlighted the spirit of cooperation among Chinese people fighting the virus.
He said that in traditional Chinese culture, citizens feel obligated to serve their families and the nation.
Yu, from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said this is the ideal of jiaguo tonggou, which means that family is a reduction of the state, and the state is an amplification of the family.
"In Chinese families, parents have the authority to make decisions and children should follow them," he said.
"In cultural terms, we take the country as our family, and when the government declared a war on the deadly pneumonia, millions of people from all walks of life, including civil servants, medics, community workers and volunteers, risked their lives to fight on the frontline."
By inheriting ancient wisdom, Chinese have a hardwired willingness to sacrifice individual freedom and undergo hardships for the sake of common well-being, Yu said.
"To lock down a huge city like Wuhan, with a population of over 11 million people, is unprecedented. With the support of the public and its willingness to comply with government orders, China succeeded."
Bell said that by sacrificing part of their freedom and privacy temporarily, people－with Confucian culture deep in their hearts－were willing to comply with the government's quarantine measures, because they trusted the authorities to make the best decisions.
When the Wuhan lockdown was imposed, all public transportation and business halted, with residents ordered to stay indoors to reduce transmission of the virus. The lockdown was lifted last month, with business in the city gradually returning to normal.
The concerted response to the measures taken in Wuhan bear testimony to a Chinese proverb that states, "When people are of one mind and heart, they can move Mount Tai." (The mountain is a landmark of cultural and historical significance north of Tai'an, Shandong province.)
Bell said that in times of crisis, "the collectivist orientation perspective has its benefits, compared with individual orientation".
As China fought the virus, non-governmental organizations and overseas Chinese donated urgently needed protective equipment, including face masks, surgical gowns and goggles, to support epidemic prevention and control measures.
Tens of thousands of manufacturers nationwide quickly reconfigured production lines to make medical masks to meet surging demand at home and overseas. The country's daily output of masks rose from 8 million on Jan 25 to 116 million on Feb 29.
Meanwhile, technology companies, including Alibaba and Tencent, have created apps to help the public cope with confinement.
Gosset, from the Europe-China Forum, said, "The effectiveness of Chinese governance, combined with a culture in which individuals put collective responsibility above all, can explain why China has been able to manage a highly dangerous situation."
Filial piety
As the outbreak in China developed into a global pandemic, many countries encouraged the elderly and those with severe medical conditions to stay at home, as they faced a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
With hospitals around the world unable to cope with a surge in the number of patients needing treatment for the disease, debate arose over whether medics should give priority to younger patients.
However, Bell said that in China－a country deeply influenced by Confucianism, with filial piety its core virtue－strong measures have been taken to protect seniors from the disease.
Filial piety, or xiao, means to respect, obey and care for the elderly, highlighted in ancient and authoritative classics such as The Analects of Confucius and The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing), along with works by Mencius.
According to a frequently quoted saying by Mencius,"Treat all elders as you would respect your own; love all children as you would love your own."
Tang Bei, a professor specializing in global health governance at Shanghai International Studies University, said, "This virtue has been a constant theme in China's COVID-19 response, which includes all-out efforts to provide testing and treatment for all those in need, no matter whether they are young or old."
In the fight against the contagion, the Chinese leadership has continued to emphasize that people's lives, safety and health are the top priorities.
Tang said, "This is people-orientation, an important ethical requirement in the public health field, especially in making epidemic prevention and control policy."
China's response to the pandemic is largely shaped by its ancient philosophy of ethics, which has greatly increased people's trust in the government, the professor said.
Tang quoted from the Confucian classic The Book of Documents, or Shangshu, which states, "The people are the root of a country; when the root is firm, the country is tranquil."
As of April 6, the average total cost of treating a hospital patient with COVID-19 was 21,500 yuan ($3,038).
For severe cases, the average minimum cost was 150,000 yuan, with the overall charges for treating some critical cases reaching more than 1 million yuan, according to the National Health Commission. All such expenses are covered by the country's healthcare insurance system and government budget.
Official data show that as of last month, Wuhan had registered more than 50,000 patients with the virus－about 2,500 of them age 80 or older. The oldest patient who recovered is 108.
Global community
While taking good care of its citizens at home, China has offered help to nations severely affected by the pandemic.
The sudden emergence of the virus has served to remind the world that, in the era of globalization, all countries' interests are closely interconnected and society has a shared future.
The concept of a shared future is similar to the notion of tianxia (all under the heaven), which embodies a worldwide public perspective rooted in Confucian moral and political thinking.
In Liji (The Book of Rites), translated by the Scottish Sinologist James Legge, Confucius states, "When the grand course was pursued, a public common spirit ruled all under the heaven."
Cavolo, from the Center for China and Globalization, has lived in China for two decades and witnessed the country's fight against the pandemic in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province.
The Italian-American, who remains deeply concerned for his family and relatives in the United States, said: "In essence, we are all connected. We are all part of the same glorious community, and each individually responsible for what we do to shape that community."
This community transcends ethnicity or sovereign borders, and in this sense, people are experiencing a unifying challenge as they face the pandemic," he said.
The Confucian vision of an ideal society envisioned a world characterized by harmony and cooperation, which President Xi has mentioned several times.
In 2015, Xi took the podium at the UN to speak of "a community with a shared future for mankind". He elaborated on this later, saying that an ideal world would be one that is safe, prosperous, open, orderly and inclusive.
On May 18, Xi announced at the virtual opening of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly that China would provide $2 billion over two years to help with the COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in countries affected by the virus, especially developing nations.
Xi also said China is ready to work with the international community to bolster support for the hardest-hit countries.
Igor Shatrov, deputy director of Russia's National Institute for the Development of Modern Ideology, told Xinhua News Agency the pandemic is a serious test in which "humanity must realize that we live in a single world and have a common destiny, so it should unite in the face of a global threat".
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譯文：
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從中國傳統(tǒng)文化汲取抗疫智慧
中華優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化在抗疫中發(fā)揮重要作用
記者：王茜、邢奕
當前，中國大部分地區(qū)新冠肺炎疫情得到了有效控制。海內外學者認為中國抗疫經(jīng)驗背后是中國傳統(tǒng)文化的力量。這樣的文化傳承使中國高效快速的抗疫行動得以實施。
中國-世界衛(wèi)生組織新冠肺炎聯(lián)合專家組外方組長、世界衛(wèi)生組織助理總干事布魯斯·艾爾沃德在2月對武漢進行實地考察后，感嘆于中國在疫情阻擊戰(zhàn)中表現(xiàn)出的驚人的集體行動力與合作精神。
在這位加拿大籍流行病學專家眼里，“武漢街道空無一人，但是每個窗戶后面都有配合應對疫情的市民?！?/span>
在隨后，艾爾沃德應邀在中國日報社與清華大學舉辦的線上“新時代大講堂”上，分享自己對中國抗疫成果的印象，他說深深植根于中國文化中的社會責任感和2003年戰(zhàn)勝“非典”的經(jīng)驗，是中國抗擊新冠肺炎疫情的重要依托。
中歐論壇創(chuàng)始人高大偉表示認同，他認為中國社會各界的快速積極反應和全力抗疫與其背后的“文化因素”息息相關。
高大偉解釋道：“在中國語境下，我們可以把這樣的傳統(tǒng)文化因素理解為儒家思想的精髓，而正是這樣的精神力量幫助中國取得今天的抗疫成績?！?/span>
“在疫情面前，人們往往低估了文化的作用，而恰恰是這種精神內核很大程度上左右著各國應對公共危機時采取的行動路線。與經(jīng)濟發(fā)展和政治結構相比，文化的影響有其不可見性，但對個體的行為模式卻起到?jīng)Q定性作用?！?/font>
中外學者認為從中華傳統(tǒng)文化中的“大一統(tǒng)”的社會治理思想、“家國同構”的傳統(tǒng)觀念、孝道和“天下”的理念中，我們可以反觀文化是如何影響中國抗疫政策的。
全球化智庫高級研究員馬意駿表示：“在應對這場疫情中，我們應該進一步探究各國文化差異造成的政策不同，因為只有這樣，我們才能明白歷史的過往是如何影響我們的價值觀、態(tài)度，最終影響到我們的行為?！?/span>
他介紹：“例如，在歐洲國家，人們多相信 ‘猶太教和基督教的價值’，而另一些國家則傾向后現(xiàn)代時代的新自由主義價值觀?！?/span>
高大偉認為：“新冠疫情作為一場全球性的公共危機暴露出現(xiàn)代社會的諸多問題，也讓我們看到背后各國文化的差異性以及這種差異性存在的原因?！?/span>
大一統(tǒng)
儒家的“大一統(tǒng)”理論本意是說以統(tǒng)一為綱，可以追溯到孔子、孟子及其他哲學家。西漢哲學家董仲舒（公元前179年－前104年）將儒家思想發(fā)揚光大。
在儒家思想的指導下，漢朝時期（公元前206年－公元220年）的中國經(jīng)濟繁榮，讓世界目睹了漢代中國的昌盛。
上海交通大學哲學系教授余治平指出，這種治國觀念，在今天，依然有指導意義，正是這樣的管理理念幫助我們贏得這場和病毒的戰(zhàn)斗。
“在這樣的‘大一統(tǒng)’理念的影響下，中國才能實現(xiàn)在如此短時間之內調動起全國資源抗疫的應對方案?！?/font>
從1月23日武漢封城，短短幾天內全國各地紛紛啟動應急響應援馳武漢。
兩天后，習近平總書記緊急召開中央政治局常委會。會議決定，黨中央向湖北等疫情嚴重地區(qū)派出中央應對新型冠狀病毒感染肺炎疫情工作領導小組，國務院總理李克強作為組長。1月27日,國務院副總理孫春蘭率中央指導組抵達湖北省武漢市,全面加強一線疫情防控工作。
2月10日國家衛(wèi)健委公布了19省份對口支援湖北新冠肺炎醫(yī)療救治的具體工作方案。
官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示， 4.3萬余名醫(yī)護人員不顧生命危險堅守在湖北抗疫一線。
2月初，兩家為抗擊新冠肺炎興建的臨時醫(yī)院——火神山和雷神山——在武漢拔地而起并迅速投入使用。兩家醫(yī)院可提供2600張床位。
繼武漢封城后，全國大多數(shù)城市紛紛采取嚴格疫情防控措施，最大限度地減少人員流動。
加拿大政治理論家貝淡寧說，，通過對抗SARS的經(jīng)歷，中國人民認可并遵守中央政府的要求，因為他們意識到：當社會秩序遭受重大而直接的威脅時，需要強大的、集中的、有效的政府提供秩序。
貝淡寧在接受中央紀委國家監(jiān)委網(wǎng)站的采訪時如此表示，他是山東大學政治學與公共管理學院院長，清華大學教授。
貝淡寧引用了新加坡獨立民調機構Blackbox Research與國際消費者調查機構Toluna聯(lián)合發(fā)布的一項各個國家和地區(qū)的民眾對政府抗疫滿意度的調查報告中的數(shù)據(jù)佐證自己的觀點。報告顯示，在全球23個經(jīng)濟體中，中國大陸民眾對政府抗疫的滿意度最高，百分制以綜合得分85分高居榜首。
民意調查從4月3日持續(xù)16天。該調查采用四個主要指標來評估各經(jīng)濟體的政府抗疫舉措，分別為政治領導力、企業(yè)的領導力、當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)抗疫表現(xiàn)，以及國家媒體在危機中的責任感。
家國情懷
除了舉國體制，貝淡寧強調了中國人攜手抗疫、共克時艱的態(tài)度與精神。
他說基于中國傳統(tǒng)文化，中國老百姓認為自己有義務服務于家庭和社會。
余治平說，這樣的精神來源于“家國同構”的傳統(tǒng)觀念，這一理念就是家與國休戚與共,在這種格局下,家是小國,國是大家。
他解釋道：“我們傳統(tǒng)的家庭是家長制。”
“從文化上來講，我們是把國家當成我們自己的家，所以當我們的政府打響新冠疫情阻擊戰(zhàn)的時候，會有幾千萬來自各行各業(yè)的人積極響應投入戰(zhàn)斗，包括公務員、醫(yī)護工作者、社區(qū)工作者和志愿者們，他們冒著生命危險堅守在抗疫一線?！?/font>
他認為這樣優(yōu)秀的傳統(tǒng)文化基因讓中國人在面臨疫情大考的時為了國家公眾的更大利益，愿意犧牲個人的自由；讓他們不畏艱難險阻無私奉獻。
余治平說：“封鎖一座1100萬人口的大城市，絕非易事，可以說是史無前例。如果沒有公眾的支持與配合，這將是不可能完成的任務。”
貝淡寧認為中國老百姓愿意犧牲他們的自由與隱私，除了根植于他們內心的儒家思想，他們對政府的信任也是原因之一。武漢封城令頒布之日起，全市城市公交系統(tǒng)停運，城市按下了暫停鍵，市民居家隔離以防病毒傳播。上個月武漢解封，城市正在逐漸重新回歸正常秩序和生活。
在武漢這樣通力合作的抗疫行動正印證了中國的一句俗話“人心齊，泰山移。”（泰山位于山東省泰安市，被譽為五岳之首，具有極高的歷史文化底蘊。）
貝淡寧認為：“這樣的成效是面對未知病毒的突然襲擊、在沒有任何先例可以遵循的情況下，迅速行動起來取得的?！?/span>
為了緩解國內醫(yī)療防護物資急缺，非政府組織和海外僑胞積極捐贈口罩、防護鏡、防護服等防疫抗疫物資。
自疫情發(fā)生以來,很多制造企業(yè)紛紛跨界轉產(chǎn)，轉向口罩、護目鏡、防護服等防疫物品的生產(chǎn)。我國口罩日產(chǎn)量從1月25日的800萬只迅速增長，到2月29日已達1.16億只。
與此同時，阿里巴巴和騰訊等科技公司也在通過技術手段，例如研發(fā)通行應用等，助力防疫事業(yè)。
中歐論壇創(chuàng)始人高大偉認為，“中國政府高效快速的抗疫措施，以及集中力量辦大事的文化氛圍，可以解釋為什么中國可以有效應對這場危機。”
孝道
在中國疫情防控形勢持續(xù)向好，全球疫情持續(xù)蔓延的時候，一些國家鼓勵老年人和患有嚴重疾病的人盡可能待在家中，因為他們是新冠肺炎的高危人群。
一些國家的醫(yī)院正因對新冠疫情準備不足而陷入混亂，有些醫(yī)護人員提出優(yōu)先治療年輕人的救治建議，引發(fā)巨大爭論。
貝淡寧說這樣的想法在重視孝道的中國是行不通的，因為中國人尊敬老人，所以人們普遍認為需要控制這種疾病。
孝在中國社會關系中占有及其重要的地位，從字面上理解是尊老愛老。孝道的內涵在《論語》《孝經(jīng)》和孟子思想中都進行過探討闡釋。
孟子的“老吾老，以及人之老;幼吾幼,以及人之幼”常被用來定義孝文化。
上海外國語大學副教授、全球公共衛(wèi)生治理專家湯蓓說：“這樣的傳統(tǒng)道德準則從始至終貫穿在中國政府疫情政策的制訂中——全力免費救治每一位患者，不放棄每一個生命?！?/span>
在這場沒有硝煙的戰(zhàn)爭中，中國政府一直堅持人民至上、生命至上的原則。
湯蓓說：“而這正是以人為本執(zhí)政理念的體現(xiàn)。從公共衛(wèi)生的角度看，以人為本是一項重要道德倫理基礎，應該影響政府在重要疫情防控中的決策走向。”
她認為中國之所以能在抗疫攻堅戰(zhàn)中取得成果很大程度上與幾千年來的優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化內核有關，這些文化基因增加了民眾對政府的信任。
在她看來，以人為本的執(zhí)政理念恰恰是儒家經(jīng)典《尚書》中提到的“民惟邦本 ,本固邦寧”的新時代外化體現(xiàn)。
國家醫(yī)保局數(shù)據(jù)顯示截止到4月6日,確診住院患者人均醫(yī)療費用已經(jīng)達到2.15萬元（3038美元）。
目前重癥患者人均治療費用超過15萬元，少數(shù)危重癥患者治療費用甚至超過百萬元。所有救治費用醫(yī)保均按規(guī)定予以報銷。
官方數(shù)據(jù)顯示截至4月中旬，武漢確診病例達到5萬多名，其中80歲以上高齡患者約2500多名。治愈出院患者中,最大年齡108歲。
全球社區(qū)
在做好自身防疫工作的同時，中國也在向那些疫情肆虐的國家施以援手。
突如其來的新冠疫情讓世界認識到在全球化發(fā)展的今天，各國的利益是緊密聯(lián)系在一起的，各國應該攜手合作共享未來。
共享未來這一理念與儒家的天下觀異曲同工。
《禮記》有云“大道之行也，天下為公?！边@本書也被英國蘇格蘭漢學家理雅各翻譯成英文。這句話闡釋了儒家學派的政治理想及其對未來社會的憧憬。
在中國生活了20多年的全球化智庫高級研究員馬意駿在遼寧省沈陽市見證了中國是如何抗擊新冠肺炎的。
這位美籍意大利人時刻關注著在美國親人的安危。他說：“本質上看，我們每一個人命運都是息息相關的。我們都是這個美麗世界社區(qū)的一部分，每一個個體都應該為我們居住的社區(qū)負責。
這個社區(qū)跨越種族，跨越國界，從某種意義來說，在疫情面前，全人類都面臨著同一個挑戰(zhàn)。”
儒家的天下大同的理想蘊含著推動構建人類命運共同體的哲學智慧，這一理念曾多次被習近平主席引用。
2015年，習近平主席在紐約聯(lián)合國總部發(fā)表題為《攜手構建合作共贏新伙伴，同心打造人類命運共同體》的重要講話。他強調，和平、發(fā)展、公平、正義、民主、自由，是全人類的共同價值。
今年5月18日，習近平主席在第七十三屆世界衛(wèi)生大會視頻會議開幕式上致辭時宣布：中國將在兩年內提供20億美元的國際援助，用于支持受疫情影響的國家，特別是發(fā)展中國家抗疫斗爭以及經(jīng)濟社會恢復發(fā)展。
他也提到中國愿同國際社會一道，加大對疫情特別重、壓力特別大的國家的支持力度，幫助其克服當前困難。
俄羅斯獨立智庫當代國家發(fā)展研究所副所長伊戈爾·夏特洛夫在接受新華社采訪時表示疫情是對全人類的一場嚴峻的考驗，“人類必須認識到，因為我們生活在同一個世界，有著共同的命運，所以我們必須團結起來，一起面對這場全球性危機”。
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