Influence of Chinese Culture: Japan
Many people, including some Japanese people, believe that Japanese people are descendants of former Chinese people. It is needless to say that human beings on the Japanese Island must have come from the continent, but whether this happened after the formation of the Chinese people is open to discussion.
It is recorded that the First Emperor of Qin (reigned over China during 246 BC to 209 BC) had sent boys and girls to look for immortal elixir in the eastern seas of China. They never returned. There are speculations saying they actually reached the Japanese Island and settled down there. If it is true, they probably did not bring much technology and cultivation with them, because Japan remained relatively underdeveloped for quite a few centuries.
It was in the Sui and Tang Dynasties of China (581-907) that Japan began to send out large numbers of students to China. They usually stayed in China for years to learn Chinese culture, from political organization to educational system, from language to clothing, from architecture to sports, from religion to customs. Almost every aspect of Japanese culture has a shadow of Chinese culture. For instance, Kyoto, the old capital of Japan, is almost a duplicate of Chang’an, the capital city of China in the Tang Dynasty.
Can you tell which is Japan, which is China?
Japan is good at imitation and reservation. While the Chinese traditional culture has suffered destruction from wars and campaigns in China, it is kept untouched in Japan, who has successfully combined modernity with tradition. Perhaps it is time the former teacher and student should change roles. As Confucius once said, “If manners are missing, look for them outside the city,” it is time China learn from Japan.
