CHANGES IN MORALS AND MORALS IN THE MIDDLE KINGDOM IN THE XXI CENTURY

S. Y. GORBACHEV

Graduate student

University of International Business and Economics (Beijing)

Keywords: China, moral values, modernization, society, culture

China has been on the path of "reform and opening up"for more than 30 years. And although this path is officially called the "path of success and prosperity of the Chinese nation," nevertheless, the country's citizens have to pay for grandiose economic transformations with new challenges in the form of a decline in the mores of society, which has opened up unprecedented opportunities.

The main difference in the spiritual foundations of Western and Eastern civilizations is this: Westerners are consumed by the thirst for material wealth, while Easterners are completely absorbed in the problem of inter-human relations; the former gets satisfaction in the process of conquest, the latter experiences happiness from love and emotional closeness that arises between people, " wrote the Chinese writer Wang Xiaobo in 1995. Xiaobo) in his essay "What is the difference between the happiness of the East and the happiness of the West", reflecting on the understanding of happiness in Eastern and Western cultures1.

What do we see now? Do citizens of Western and Eastern countries differ significantly in their moral and ethical attitudes today? And why is the current Chinese leadership showing more and more interest in the moral education of its citizens?

WHAT IS HE LIKE - A MODERN CHINESE?

Based on my personal observations and direct communication with Chinese youth, I would like to note that, despite the still emphasized attention to interpersonal relations (the so-called concept of "Guanxi*"), the situation has changed radically. To paraphrase Wang Xiaobo's words, the modern Chinese are driven by a thirst for material goods and are satisfied in the process of acquiring these goods, supported and supported by strong interpersonal connections.

Confucian culture, which for centuries preaches the idea of modesty and obedience, is not reflected in practice, in the circles of modern educated youth. Having grown up in the new economic conditions, young people are no longer shy about demonstrating their wealth and strive in every possible way to emphasize their status.

According to my observations, this is usually expressed in the following: owning expensive foreign cars, shopping in European capitals, expensive holidays and consuming luxury goods. Despite the attempts of the Chinese leadership to encourage the consumption of domestic industrial products in every possible way, many of which, by the way, are of good quality, nevertheless, in the eyes of modern youth, they are still less desirable and prestigious than foreign products of well-known brands.

As an example, we can cite the well-known brand of cell phone "Xiaomi" (Xiaomi) in the Chinese market, which has managed to establish itself as an excellent cellular communication product. Despite the company's good reputation, the most popular phone is still "iPhone "(iPhone), which one of the Internet users compares to the German car "Audi", while the Chinese phone equates to the Japanese"Suzuki Alto".

Another vivid illustration of the deviation from the traditional Chinese value system is the well-known phrase throughout the country:"It is better to cry while sitting in a BMW than to laugh while sitting on a bicycle." It came from the mouth of a Chinese girl on one of the popular TV shows on the selection of couples. We see that as a result of rapid economic development, a certain "skewed values" began to appear in society: selfishness and the desire to achieve success at any cost came to the fore.

Now, in order to survive in the new economic conditions, yesterday's students in search of work are guided, first of all, by the amount of earnings, which makes them engage in self-development in difficult competitive conditions**, direct maximum efforts to maintain their competitiveness. So, a friend of mine, who works as a manager in a Chinese bank, with quite a decent salary, said: "I would like to get another PhD: in China, those who have it are especially honored and respected."

The growing interest of Chinese youth in Western culture, whose main component is the principle of individualism rather than collectivism (as is customary in the Eastern tradition), also serves as a catalyst for "tectonic shifts" in the moral image of modern man. In addition, young people are often influenced by such negative trends as mercantilism and hedonism2.

MORALITY IS A SPECIAL CONCERN OF THE AUTHORITIES

The task of instilling high morals and solid moral foundations in both ordinary Chinese people and leaders at various levels is an important component of state policy in China. According to the CCP, the unity and cohesion of the Chinese nation should be expressed in patriotism, love for its people, as well as love for work and science.³

In 1998, at the initiative of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, the Leadership Group for building Spiritual Culture was established in the CPC Central Committee⁴. Its main tasks are the formation of new values, the core of which is socialism and the upbringing of a patriotic spirit among citizens.

One of the most important directions in solving this problem is ideological education, which is reflected in the"Program for Strengthening the Norms of Civil Morality (Gongmin tao te)" ⁵, which was adopted on the eve of the XVI CPC Congress held in November 2002.-

* Chinese people attach great importance to social relations and interpersonal relationships. It is believed that the more people you know, the faster and easier it is to solve cases. author's note).

** This means attending various trainings and advanced training courses, obtaining additional professional education (approx. author's note).

most of them have something in common with Confucian values. So, it is argued that the family is the original place where the child receives the basics and lessons of morality. As the Russian researcher A.V. Allabert notes, in Chinese society "... since ancient times, the opinion has taken root that the possession of moral virtues determines both historical development and all aspects of society's life, making morality all-pervasive"⁶.

The concern of Chinese politicians about the values of modern youth is not accidental. Despite the active work on spiritual and moral education, the Chinese press is increasingly finding disturbing publications that claim that society is morally degraded, becoming more and more indifferent to other people's troubles.

In this regard, the article "How can I be proud of my China if we are a nation of 1.4 bn cold hearts", published in the English "Guardian", is noteworthy, the author of which is Zhang Lijia, a Chinese journalist and public figure, formerly a factory worker.⁷

It describes cases of Chinese citizens showing indifference towards their compatriots when they find themselves in a difficult situation. Zhang Lijia believes that one of the reasons is the widespread pattern of behavior, which can be described as " not poking your nose into someone else's question." Interaction between people is limited only to the sphere of their "Guanxi" (relationships), they show a "good attitude" only to those who are in the circle of their "confidants"; others, especially strangers, arouse suspicion and rejection.

Zhang Lijia notes that helping strangers in China has simply become dangerous. After all, often under the guise of a victim or a person in need of help, there may be a fraudster who, in front of the assembled passers-by, will accuse you of an unseemly act that you did not commit*.

By the way, despite the generally positive attitude of the local population towards foreigners in Beijing, there were times when no one approached me or showed any interest. This was even the case in a Chinese hospital, although I had all the signs of malaise and ill health.

Today, young Chinese people are not much different from the generation born in the 1970s. I found the following lines from a member of that generation: "We quickly adopted the commercial culture that was formed in the late 1980s as the dominant one in society. According to its criteria, the level of realization of a person's value depends on what he owns, on his wealth. We believe that this is a clear, simple and convenient criterion. In a market culture, relations between people should be regulated on the basis of interests. We evaluate circumstances on a scale of effectiveness, not morality or spirituality. Good is what makes you more efficient. " ⁸

Really, I can't be more honest...

IN THE PURSUIT OF MATERIAL GOODS

Luxury, wealth and money are becoming the new reference points, gradually replacing the traditional propensity for frugality. This is reflected in the growing desire of wealthy Chinese people to buy expensive apartments, cars, and fashionable clothes.

As American professor and China expert Karl Gert points out in his book "Where China Goes, the World Goes: how Chinese consumers change the rules of the game", the birth of consumerism in China began in 1900, accompanied by the distribution of mass goods, their advertising, and their discussion in newspapers ⁹. Thus, it can be argued that the "levers" of forming "new values" in China are the media, advertising and economic progress.

Earlier, in the early twentieth century, a well - to-do Chinese was a person who had incandescent light bulbs and an electric fan at his disposal, and under Mao Zedong this set included a watch, radio, bicycle and sewing machine. In the 1980s and 1990s, TV sets, cameras, cassette recorders, refrigerators, washing machines, and electric fans became status indicators.¹⁰

Over time, the appetite of the Chinese consumer only increased. Now the indicators of high status are not only things, but also "invisible goods": a good education (although it is worth noting that education in China has always been highly valued, and this value has only grown over the years), the ability to travel. In short, the Chinese have opened up opportunities and prospects that they did not have before.

As it turned out, the consumption of luxury goods in China also has its own "Chinese specifics"¹¹. First, it is expressed in the so-called "unification phenomenon" (zhadui er). Traditionally, luxury goods are divided into 6 categories: objects of art; vehicles (cars, yachts, planes); clothing, perfume, jewelry and various accessories (for example, watches or bags); highly comfortable travel; high-end apartments and country houses; and, finally, food. However, in China, luxury goods are mainly considered to be clothing, jewelry, perfume and watches.

Apartments and cars are not perceived by the Chinese as something luxurious for a simple reason: this is something that everyone should have. In modern society, there are quite strong ideas that in order to get married, the groom must have both an apartment and a car (in fact, without fail). If a man does not have this, he is considered not the most successful option for starting a family.

Second, the consumption of luxury goods.-

* The case of Peng Yu of Nanjing (2006) is widely known. Peng Yu took a fallen woman to the hospital, and she accused him of causing her fall and demanded monetary compensation (author's note).

it appears in such a phenomenon as" living beyond your means " (wei fu xian she), i.e. when you really want to buy something, but the money is not enough. In this case, the Chinese buy luxury goods during the discount season. My friend liked to show off the leather shoes of one of the French brands, which he got with a good discount during a trip to Paris. Although they were not the most beautiful shoes, the fact that they were purchased in France made them "the best and most fashionable".

Third, the trend of "rejuvenation" (nianqing hud) of luxury goods consumers is typical. It is generally accepted that those who have a certain condition are people between the ages of 40 and 60. They are the ones who are able to consume "luxury" goods. However, if we look at the structure of consumers in China, it turns out that the majority of them are under the age of 45, in particular, the group aged 18 to 34 years ¹².

The" Chinese specificity " of luxury goods consumption is also reduced to the phenomenon of "gift-giving" (lipin hud). Luxury goods become a means of rewarding officials for any services. Thus, the official apparatus is turning into a kind of potentially huge market for consumption of "branded" products.¹³

Today, China ranks 1st in the world in terms of luxury goods consumption ¹⁴. This suggests that for the Chinese, the purchase of luxury goods is expressed not only in the desire to possess them, but also becomes an indicator of a certain status of a person, an indicator of success. This is directly reflected in the concept of "face" ¹⁵, when a person's reputation ceases to be a reflection of their internal qualities, merits and virtues, but is formed from external attributes.

Broadcasting all kinds of television shows, entertainment programs for the selection of brides and grooms, where the main criterion is the amount of income of a potential chosen one, negatively affects the formation of public morality. In order to reduce the negative impact of the media on public consciousness, the Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen control over information16, and also decided to reduce the number of radio and television programs that morally degrade young people and inspire them with "wrong behavioral patterns".

The leaders of the People's Republic of China understand that the information space is a powerful tool that actively affects the population, and therefore they have directed it in a positive direction, in their opinion. Traditional culture is actively promoted, the distribution of foreign films is restricted, historical films are shot annually, and patriotic education of young people is strengthened through active social advertising.

* * *

In conclusion, based on my observations of the life of Chinese youth and society as a whole, it should be noted that the citizens of today's China have really experienced the test of "fire, water and copper pipes" in the face of Western values. It is becoming clear that a completely new society is being formed in China right now.

Today's children, having matured, will no longer be like their parents, grandparents, and generations who were still guided by the previously accepted norms of morality in Chinese society. Confucius and his sayings are no more to them than a gray-haired character from a fairy tale or a mythological hero from the pages of school textbooks. Modern Chinese youth have their own idols and moral guidelines.

¹ Chinese Metamorphoses: Contemporary Chinese Fiction and Essays, Moscow, Vostochnaya literatura. 2007. p. 472.

² Qingnianren jiazhiguan bianhuade jidian sikao (Some reflections on changes in the youth value system) - http://www.sdyl.gov.cn/webs/NewsView.aspx?id=bdle997b-53be-476c-ac4d-dc5ce68a22ae (25.01.2016)

³ Gongmin daode zenshe shishi ganyao (Program for strengthening the norms of Civil Morality) - http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shizheng/16/20011024/589496.html

^{Allabert A.V.} 4th place of Confucianism in the modernization of China (late XX-early XXI centuries). Moscow, IDV RAS. 2008. P. 133. (Allabert A.V. 2008. Mesto konfutsianstva v modernizatsii Kitaya (konets XX-nachalo XXI veka.)) (in Russian)

⁵ Gongmin daode zenshe shishi ganyao... (12.9.2015)

⁶ Cit. by: Allabert A.V. Edict. op. P. 152.

^{Lijia Zhang.} 7 How can I be proud of my China if we are a nation of 1.4bn cold hearts? // The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/22/china-nation-cold-hearts

⁸ Cit. by: China: spiritual world of the generation of reforms (Collection of articles of the author's kit). Moscow, 2006.

^{Tert K.} 9 Where China goes, the world goes: how Chinese consumers are changing the rules of the Game, Moscow, United Press, 2011, p. 23.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Shechipin xiaofei zaoyu "zhongguo taese". "Mianji" by guannian zhi kuosanxing xiaoying (Consumption of luxury goods with "Chinese characteristics". Widespread use of the "face concept") http://news.jcrb.com/jxsw/201112/t20111209_769185.html (15.9.2015)

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ The New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/fashion/china-luxury-goods-retail.html?_r=0

¹⁵ "Face" - a person's reputation. This concept goes back to Confucian ethics. author's note).

¹⁶ The website of the Ministry of Industry and Informatization of the People's Republic of China, which regulates the Internet, television and radio broadcasting, as well as the production of content and software, published a document dated February 14, 2016, which contains provisions on cybersecurity (author's note).

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