馮驥才:別指望人們靠幾臺節目就對詩歌感興趣大綱

The plenary sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), popularly known as the two sessions, kicked off recently. Feng Jicai, a famed author, and a CPPCC member, talked to The Beijing News, and shared his views on cultural issues.

兩會期間，政協委員、著名作家馮驥才接受了《新京報》的採訪，分享了他對幾個文化問題的看法。

Learning culture is mainly about experiencing culture

學習文化，最主要是體驗文化

1. I know that your proposal this year is about strengthening primary school and middle school students' participation and experience in traditional life and culture. Then in which forms are traditional culture presented?

新京報：你今年的提案是加強中小學生對傳統生活文化的參與和體驗。傳統文化具體有哪些方式？

Feng: Traditional culture is presented in two forms. One is ancient classics, which can be put in textbooks. I remember that when we recited poetry in our childhood, the artistic conception portrayed in the poem was engraved deeply in our minds.

馮驥才：傳統文化有兩種方式，一種是典籍，這些是文本式的傳統文化，這些內容可以進入教材，用教材的方式比較適合。我們小時候背詩，20個字，詩歌深沉的意境就好像刻在骨頭裏一樣。

The other is culture in life. For example, during each Spring Festival, we exclaim that the new year atmosphere is disappearing, and young people are detaching from tradition. If we put Qingming Festival, Duanwu Festival into textbooks, then will young people get more interested in the traditional festivals? It is very important to capture their interest first through education.

還有一種傳統文化是生活文化。比如節日，每到春節時，我們會感嘆年輕人是不是離傳統遠了，年味是不是淡了。如果把清明節、端午節，這些節日的習俗編進教材，年輕人不會有興趣。對中小學生的教育，首先得引起他們的興趣。

2. So how does one arouse their interest to get closer to traditional culture?

新京報：那怎麼引起他們的興趣，親近傳統文化呢？

Feng: Take an example, the Qingming Festival, which is drawing near. If we put it in a textbook, that will include an introduction to the festival's customs, such as tomb sweeping in memory of the deceased. In ancient times, it was also a festival celebrating the early spring, with people taking spring outings, picking willows, flying kites, and swinging. If you explain this to children, they only know it as a concept without any feeling and experiencing. But if you take children outdoors to experience these things, they will learn to cherish nature and life.

馮驥才：舉個簡單的例子，馬上要清明節了。如果我們要寫進課本里，就是清明節的習俗：掃墓，懷念故人；還有古代人親近春天的意思。踏青、插柳、放風箏、打鞦韆，很多活動。你給孩子們解釋，他們只是概念上知道，沒有感覺和親身體驗，老師要帶着學生去踏青就不一樣了，他們會學會珍惜大自然和生命。

Don't expect the public to love poetry after watching a few TV shows

別指望人們靠幾臺節目就對詩歌感興趣

3. The cultural TV shows such as Chinese Poetry Conference and Readers are getting popular these days, have you ever watched the shows?

新京報：最近很火的文化類節目，像《中國詩詞大會》、《朗讀者》，你有沒有看過？

Feng: That's good. While it is only a beginning and an attempt, it can spark people's interests in ancient Chinese poetry on a certain level. Don't expect too much from just a few TV shows. Culture influences people mainly through influencing their souls and temperaments, and not just by making a few TV shows to catch the public's eye.

馮驥才：挺好的，這只是一個開始，一個嘗試。可以激起人們對詩詞的興趣。但是也不要指望人們對詩歌的興趣，靠幾臺節目就能起到多大作用。文化影響人，還是影響人的心靈、人的氣質，這纔是真正的影響，而不是做幾臺節目熱鬧熱鬧，炒作炒作。

4. What is the authentic influence of culture?

新京報：什麼算是真正的影響？

Feng: As an NPC member, I proposed before that China should set up a Cultural Heritage Day. I know this from France, and each year on this day, all the museums in France are free, and all schools and communities encourage people to get close to cultural heritage.

馮驥才：我之前也寫過提案，設立中國文化遺產日(2006年起，每年6月的第二個星期六爲中國的“文化遺產日”，新京報記者張維注)，就是從法國知道的。他們在那一天，所有博物館不要錢，所有學校、社區，讓人們親近自己的文化遺產。

I even participated in a poetry reading event in a community in Austria. I was exhibiting my paintings at a house in the suburbs where my Chinese friend was reading poetry, and then local residents also came to read their poetry or perform a folk song, all spontaneously. If people have such cultural self-consciousness, the whole nation's culture and civilization can be activated.

我曾參加過奧地利一個社區的詩歌朗誦會，在薩爾茨堡一個郊區的房子裏，我展覽我的畫，我的中國詩人朋友朗誦詩歌，當地的老頭老太太也來朗誦，都是奧地利古代的名詩或當地的民歌，我還看過他們表演民間舞蹈。這些都是全民自發舉行的活動。如果全民有這樣的文化自覺，我覺得整個社會的文化和文明纔會活躍起來。

5. It sounds beautiful. When can we have such cultural self-consciousness?

新京報：聽起來很美好。我們什麼時候纔能有這種文化自覺？

Feng: This will be a long process. We can't forget Chinese culture's roots, but we can absorb the essence of foreign culture. The artistic cultivation of a person needs a slow process which can't be accomplished with quick action.

馮驥才：這是一個長久的過程。我們不能忘了中國文化的本，也要吸收外來的、好的東西。人的藝術修養是一個緩慢的事情，潛移默化，不可能一蹴而就。

6. Will the popular cultural TV shows help?

新京報：熱播的文化類節目，會有幫助嗎？

Feng: It won't work for all. I know almost all the poetry in the show, so it works a little on me. Some people have little interest in poetry, and the shows won't work on him, either. It's easy to only concentrate on popular things now. However, art and culture have abundant connotations.

馮驥才：不會都起作用。節目裏的這些詩詞我都知道，可能對我就起不了太大的作用，有些人對詩歌沒興趣，也就沒有作用。說白了，我們現在容易起鬨。一個東西出來，大家一哄而上都說好，所有人就只關注一件事，不就壞了嗎？藝術是有很豐富內涵的。

7. How should we foster the public's cultural self-consciousness?

新京報：那培養文化自覺，應該怎麼做？

Feng: I think that to develop traditional culture, one not only needs the opening of national museums, but also needs more opening of private museums. Foundations and people from all walks of life should develop the culture together, to make people have more immaterial pursuits, instead of focusing only on making more money.

馮驥才：我覺得要做傳統文化，不僅有國家博物館的開放，還要有一些熱心人士做一些私人博物館，社會一些基金會做一些公益的事情，各方面應該把社會的文化做起來，讓人們有一種豐富的精神追求，而不是賺多少錢，卡里有多少數字。

Culture is fundamentally people-oriented and exists to enrich people's inner mind. People should learn art, and learn to experience life in a beautiful way. Some people have said this is too luxurious. I replied that if we never bring luxury in enjoying the beauty of our culture, then we are being too materialistic.

文化最終還是以人爲本，爲了人心靈的豐富。人們要學會藝術，就要學會用美的方式，美的感情去感受生活。以前有人聽到這句話，說我太奢侈。我說，如果我的民族在美上面從來都沒奢侈過，再不奢侈就壞了，我們就太功利了。