Americans looking to Chinese cultureto enrich their life

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Chinese art, architecture and philosophy were much admired in the West, and Chinese luxury goods like silks, teas and porcelain were in great demand and transformed their way of life drastically.

However, following China's accelerated political and economic decline during the 19th and part of 20th centuries resulting in foreign encroachment upon its sovereignty, its cultural appeal lost its shine, except to the discerning foreigners.

With the advent of the United States as the dominant military and economic power since the 1940s, it has been the turn of the East to be mesmerised by its pervasive achievements in various fields of human endeavour.

Be that as it may, Americans, once again, are looking to Chinese culture to enrich their life. This trend is gathering momentum and is there to stay.

Apart from their love affair with Chinese cuisine, more Americans are turning to its acupuncture, herbal medicines, martial arts, gongfu films, fashions and art and crafts.

Chinese language and acupuncture are now taught in many leading US universities and medical schools. Chinese herbal medicines form an essential component of alternative medicine, which now has as many converts as those seeking conventional medical treatment.

Seemingly outlandish words such as dim sum, ginseng, gingko,oolong cha, taiji, qi, yin and yang and ba-gua have crept into their everyday language.

The latest Chinese cultural icon to make its impact there is feng shui, China's ancient art of placement.

In my recent trip to California, virtually all leading book stores and public libraries were well-stocked with plenty of publications on this highly esoteric subject.

Who are these Americans and why do they take to feng shui like fish to water? They represent a good cross-section of the public, ranging from intellectuals, business tycoons, professional people, Hollywood celebrities to housewives, retirees and students.

It owed its early success to the dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts. But from around 1990 onwards, numerous feng shui schools have sprung up in large American cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston and Houston. Their enrolments have risen by leaps and bounds.

Today, the majority of its practitioners are Americans. They offer a wide range of consultancy services to both individuals and businesses. The successful among them are reaping handsome financial rewards.

Its adherents find its commonsensible approach to daily living an effective counterweight to materialism, and helps them to reduce the intrusion of technology into their lives. With its emphasis on achieving balance and harmony and peace and tranquillity at home and at work, this time-honoured art relaxes their minds and helps them overcome stresses and strains of modern living.

They firmly believe that once their mental and physical well-being are in equilibrium, then good health, work efficiency and prosperity will come their way naturally.

A conspicuous manifestation of feng shui is through the proliferation of miniature fountains strategically placed in the homes, offices, shops, restaurants and at other public places.

This is because water attracts the all-important life-sustaining qi, or energy. The soothing rhythm of running water gently beating down on pebbles or bamboos can uplift one's spirits as it symbolises a vital source of life.

Underpinning the growing popularity of things Chinese is the emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower.

This coincided with its reopening up to the outside world which has enabled an increasing number of Americans to travel there in order to experience at first hand the splendours of this venerable civilisation.

Added to this, the thriving Chinese communities in many American urban centres and their reputation as a model minority have aroused further their interests in this distant land, which is so vastly different from theirs.

One of the palpable strengths of the United States is that it is truly an open society. This makes it easier for it to absorb cultural values and practices from other countries and to nurture them so that they become part of the social fabric of its own multiethnic and multicultural community.

在17和18世纪，中国艺术、建筑学以及哲学，非常受到西方的欣赏。中国的奢侈品，例如丝绸、茶和瓷器大受欢迎，也深刻的改变了一些西方人的生活方式。

但是，中国的政治和经济力量在19和20世纪初急剧衰退，领土也被外国侵占。除了目光独到的少数外国人，中国文化在外国人眼里已失去了光辉。

美国在1940年代崛起为军事和经济强国，他在各个领域的卓越成就，让东方人为之神往。

话虽如此，美国人却又一次的转向中国文化，丰富他们的生活。这个潮流方兴未艾。
除了他们赞不绝口的中国菜肴外，有越来越多的美国人，尝试针灸、草药和中国武术。他们也看功夫电影，学习东方时装潮流和手工艺。

美国的许多著名大学和医学院，已经开设华文和针灸课程。中国的草药已经是“他类医学”的重要一环。有越来越多的美国人已经转向“他类医学”求助。

美国人在不知不觉中，也在日常生活里谈及点心、人参、银杏、乌龙茶、太极、气、阴阳和八卦等。目前，在美国最热门的中国文化是带点神秘色彩的风水学。

我最近到过加利福尼亚州，发现所有著名的书店和图书馆，都有很多关于这门古老学问的书籍。

为什么有些美国人会那么热衷于风水呢？这些人来自各行各业，包括知识分子、商业钜子、专业人士、好莱坞巨星、家庭主妇、学生和退休人士。

风水学早期在美国的成功，得归功于一些中国风水师锲而不舍的努力。从大约1990年开始，风水学校便如雨后春笋，在美国大城市如三藩市、纽约、芝加哥、波士顿和休士顿出现。报名的学生非常踊跃。

现在，大部分的风水师是美国人，他们为个人和企业提供一系列的服务。他们之中比较出色的，已经名成利就。

相信风水的人，觉得他对日常生活问题，简单易懂的解释，能够帮助他们抵抑物质主义，减轻科技对生活的干扰。不论是在工作场所或家里，这门古老的学问，强调的是平衡、和谐以及安宁，也能协助他们克服现代生活的紧张和压力。

当身心得到平衡，他们深信健康、工作效率和富足的生活，便会随之而来。

一个很显眼的改进风水方法，是在家里、办公室、店内或餐馆的重要位置，摆放模型瀑布。这是因为水能够吸引维持生命的气或能量。流水轻拍卵石或竹子的温柔韵律，象征生命的重要泉源，也能够提神养气。

中国逐渐崛起成为政治经济强国，是中国文化在美国日益风行的原因。中国对外开放，也让许多美国人有机会亲身体验，这个文明古国的风采。

此外，许多美国城市的繁荣华人社区，享有模范少数民族的美誉，更让美国人对这个和他们的文化大相径庭的古老文明，产生浓厚的兴趣。

美国的一大优点，在于他是个真正开放的社会。因此，他很容易吸收他国的文化价值观和习俗，把他们融入并成为美国多元种族和多元文化社会的一部分。