Spring comes so late in this year of Chinese lunar calendar. In mid-April, I, accompanied all along by full-blooming cherry-trees, toured in the central part of Japan. Whether on formal visit and meeting or in casual sightseeing or talk, I always savored this cherry-blooming country’s folk custom. Though, it was a short visit of few days, it left me with deep impression: Japan is a country full of tradition and modernity.

In Japan, various folk events are very popular. Each district has its unique folk custom. Folk events are held quite often and Japanese people take active part. During some events, streets and lanes will be crowded by local people. As far as I’m concerned, it is through these events that the Japanese’ spiritual code and temperament come down from generation to generation.

On the contrary, Chinese traditional folk custom, mostly existing in tourist performance, museum collection, history records and people’s memory, has been quite far away from our daily life. Aren’t we sorry for losing our nation’s cultural influence, and even painful for losing spiritual nutrition?

Ceremony is a polite form and manner showing respect for others. Instead of an exchange of interests, it is indeed a communication between mind and soul. Unfortunately, there are two extreme views on ceremony in China today. One holds that ceremony is nothing but a formality. It doesn’t matter whether it exists or not. That’s why rudeness or vulgarity is so common around us. The other insists that ceremony means generous gifts, and people can be moved only by generous gifts. As a matter of fact, generous gifts often turn into bribery and corruption. As to what ceremony is, it seems to me that Japanese know a better answer.