By Glyn David from British
Part of the topics on which the contestants spoke included commenting on the statement "Some people have said that Hainan is a cultural wasteland". I admit that I do not know who these people are, but I know that they are completely wrong. The statement is uninformed, inaccurate and displays an amazing lack of understanding of Hainan and its culture. In fact, Hainan has a rich, vibrant and varied culture, both modern and ancient, stretching back many thousands of years.
I suppose that if one sees Chinese culture only as represented by the great architectural heritage of the provinces further north, then Hainan appears to be lacking. There are no imposing Imperial palaces, no ancient fortified cities, no "Great Wall of Hainan". But this is hardly surprising, as Hainan was far from the ancient centres of the world's oldest civilization, with limited importance to the dynasties. Although the Han dynasty established a military garrison on Hainan in 110BC they abandoned it in 46BC. Instead, monuments from the earlier periods are to people banished from the centres of government to a hot and humid island on the very edge of China. Hence Haikou has the Dongpo Academy (after the statesman, poet and writer Su Shi or Su Dongpo), the Temple of the Five Officials (officials banished for varying periods to Hainan during the Tang and Song Dynasties) and the tomb of Hai Rui (a famous official of Hainanese origins during the Ming period), all representing men of great historical, literary, artistic and philosophical significance in China's dynastic past. A visit to any of these historical sites gives a window into the cultural and historical development of early China and its people.
Yet culture is not only about monuments to the past, or the history of empires and dynasties, emperors, generals, poets and ministers. It is overall about people. People make culture, and Hainan is rich in cultural heritage, cultures which are both ancient and still alive and thriving today. As a foreigner living in China I have always been struck by this country's ethnic diversity, and admired how it is treasured, celebrated and maintained. Here in Hainan, the majority of the population are Han people, but also Li, Miao, Zhuang, Hui and more. Each of these minorities has its own cultural history and traditions, adding to the richness of Hainan's culture.
For instance, the earliest inhabitants of these islands are the Li people. They have been here for many thousands of years. They have built no great Imperial monuments, but their culture has still influenced overall Chinese culture. For example, the earliest textile weaving skills in Chinese history are those of the Li people. As early as the 5th Century their workmanship in silk cotton spinning and weaving was hugely advanced, and by the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) their technology was learned by experts from the North and East, and especially transferred to Wunijing (now Shanghai), from whence it was taught and expanded out into all of China's traditional textile industry. Li textiles are only one example of a cultural heritage filled with tradition, music and dance and vibrant festivals.
This article does not afford the space or time to move on to describing the later development of Hainan, its important place in the history of the modern era, or the thriving, developing and bustling modern Chinese culture one encounters today. But even this brief look at the cultural richness of this island should demonstrate how ridiculous is the statement "Hainan is a cultural wasteland". Instead, it is filled with culture, both past history, living history and modern development. I would recommend to all that they take a little time to learn more of Hainan's culture, and in doing so add that rich diversity to their own experience and understanding of life.
