Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2013

華人=漢人?


華人=漢人?是咩?那麽我來説說華人是不是漢人。

圖為華人真正的民族服飾 - 漢服,直身

華人的全名叫華夏人而他的家人親戚都屬「華夏民族」。「華夏」是什麽?據《史記·五帝本紀》載,「華夏」產生于黃帝的「華」部落以及炎帝的「夏」部落的結盟。他們的後人自稱為「炎黃子孫」。

這兩個部落的名其實來自于他們所在的地域得名那就是黃河流域中下游一帶的華山與夏水之間。這一區就是中原,這從《尚書•周書•武成》可看到。《尚書•周書•武成》曰:“華夏蠻貊,罔不率俾”,這裡的蠻貊是稱南方和北方落後部族也亦泛指四方落後部族。

所以中原地區這裏建的國也叫中國。這個可從古書看到。《釋詁》雲:“夏,大也。故大國曰「華夏」。華夏謂中國也”。《說文·文部》:“「華,榮」。 「夏,中國之人」。唐孔穎達疏:「華夏為中國也」”。《春秋左傳正義·定公十年》:“中國有禮儀之大,故稱夏;有服章之美,謂之華。”。從這裡,我們看得到,華夏人=中國人。

中國的地域概念從最初炎黃的中原地區,最終定型于長城内的九州十八郡。我們必須知道,修築長城是爲了抵禦北方遊牧民族侵犯長城内的人而成内的人就是華夏人。1644年,滿洲清軍入關,而他們入關第一要事就是頒佈《剔髮易服》,強制所有漢人剃滿人頭飾,著滿人服飾而違令者斬。顧炎武在當時爲此事寫了《髡發》而裏頭有一句:“一旦持剪刀,剪我半頭禿。華人髡為夷,苟活不如死”。

”辛亥革命時,九州十八郡,只要每州每郡革命成功,報章將大肆報道,這些地方已“光復”。“光復”?可去想想爲何用光復這個字眼。翻翻詞典可知,光復的意思是收回失去的領土,也指恢復已亡的國家。1910年,孫中山在舊金山對華僑演講成説過,“我中國已被滅於滿洲二百六十餘年,我華人今日乃亡國遺民,無國家之保護,到處受人苛待。 ……故今日欲保身家性命,非實行革命,廢除韃虜清朝,光復我中華祖國,建立一漢人民族的國家不可也”。從以上的例子,我們大概已有個概念就是,華人=中國人=漢人。

問題來了,漢人一定是華人?漢人原是他稱而非自稱而自稱通常都是用華夏人。宋人胡三省注《資治通鑑》:“據漢時匈奴謂中國人為秦人,至唐及國朝(宋朝)則謂中國為漢,如漢兒、漢人之類,皆習故而言”。其實,“漢人”的稱謂的岀現可能更早。 《後漢書烏桓鮮卑傳》引東漢未年蔡邕奏文有“漢人逋逃為鮮卑謀主”句。在南北朝時,北方遊牧民族稱中國人或中原人為漢人已不用懷疑,如《北史文宣皇后李氏傳》有“漢婦人”,《楊愔傳》有“漢老嫗”、 “漢輩”, 《北齊書高昂傳》有“漢兵”,《高德政傳》有“漢人”。後來,漢人變成中國人的自稱。

華人=中國人=漢人 的概念,從古到民國初期是沒有什麽好爭論但“中國人”一詞在現今已成了一個人的國籍稱號。是持有大陸身份證的人所有。漢人=華人本來不應該有問題但問題還是出現了。問題開始出現于民國,後來的共和國政府把這個問題嚴重化。他們爲了政治需要,創造了具有政治籌碼的“中華民族”政治概念。而爲了達到他們的目的,不惜犧牲民族文化本位,借用教育來灌輸他們的政治理念給無辜的下一代。

華人的文化就是華夏文化也就是漢文化。華人文化最基本就是衣冠禮樂,《春秋左傳正義·定公十年》曰:“中國有禮儀之大,故稱夏;有服章之美,謂之華。”。衣冠是一個民族的面貌象徵,從“黃帝垂衣裳而天下治”時,華人已定下了交領右衽,寬衣博帶的衣冠形式。梅頤《偽孔傳》:“冕服採裝曰華,大國曰夏”。可見衣冠的重要性。

禮樂也在同一時出現,完整全備于周代,所以才有了《周禮》和《禮記》。過後的華人朝代禮樂都依據這兩本為准。禮樂是教化民衆維持社會次序的系統,我們所知道的長幼尊敬就是禮樂教化的結果。就因爲注重衣冠禮樂的文化,以及此文明優越性,周邊個國也間接的受到華夏文明的洗禮而華夏大地也叫衣冠上國,禮樂之邦。

結論是什麽?結論就是華人=漢人,漢人=華人。不然我現在用的華文字幹嘛稱為漢字漢文,不然幹嘛你我現在用的華語也叫漢語(漢語其實包括了方言而我們平常用來交談的“華語”其實是北京官話,也是方言)?如果漢人≠華人那麽學術殿堂裡漢學科是在學什麽?

要怎樣知道自己是不是華人?有漢姓,承認華夏文化為自家文化(關鍵)和敬天法祖,你就是華人。若還不確定那麽就去看族譜,家譜或祖先的墓碑,若顯示祖先來自于九州十八郡,你就不用再懷疑自己了。

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Shall not we, Chinese feel ashamed?

By, Henri Lai
Learnt so much about Indian culture these few months. How much is unchanged in their midst. They preserved most of their epic cultural relics and I've not yet heard of much 'extinction' of culture in their midst. Talking with my colleague made me realise that they are basically using treasures far exceeding what we could imagine. Things that we are longing for, i.e. natural and chemical-free stuff, are being used daily without any whimsical packing and/or superfluous marketing.

That is just their daily lives. What about tradition? You would never want to believe it; to them tradition is life, to live tradition is to be alive. When approached, I told her that we have lost our traditional clothing (and being truthful, our modern version of Hanfu is not even Hanfu at all). Being all shocked, she exclaimed,

"Why? How could you choose to let it die?"

I said,

"It is not in our will, it is forced by those who conquered us before,"
"They are gone right?" She remarked
"Yes, but we (Chinese) think that flowing robes are silly and partially because the modern Hanfu did not reflect even a tad bit of our glorious past. Hence, people dislike them,"
"Aiyo, bodoh ke dia orang bang? Macam mana boleh tak pakai pakaian tradisional sendiri?" (Huh? Are they stupid? How can someone reject their own traditional clothing?)

All of that from someone who has unwavering admiration for their own culture... Hmm, What else is there left for me to contemplate?

Monday, September 10, 2012

Coming-to-age Ceremony: OH YEAH!! I'm Officially An Adult!!

Its been awhile since I last wear my Hanfu and head north. So, on 31st August 2012, I wore my Hanfu and drove all the way to Genting to help out in the 5th Chinese Cultural Camp. Its been awhile since I last meet my friends and so I'm really looking forward for this camp.

On my way to the venue


This year camp is very different from the camp of the past because this year we have this Malaysia very first (could be the world first) mass Chinese coming of age ceremony. According to the Book of Rites  《禮記》, a person of the of 20 shall go through this ceremony to mark the beginning of his adulthood. Without going through this ceremony, a person is not considered an adult and that person is not allow to marry. Once a person went through the whole ceremony, he/she will obtain a style name (字). 


Getting reading for the Ceremony


Of course, since I'm in the camp, I too participated in this ceremony. It is a solemn ceremony in which we made our pledge to serve our country, contribute to the society and pass on the torch of Chinese culture to the next generation in front of many people (our teacher, parents and the crowd) and not to forget the heaven, earth and ancestor which acted as a witness to our pledge. There are only 2 words to describe the whole ceremony, dignify and awesome!


These are the things for the men coming of age ceremony


Inviting Ancestor to the Ceremony

















The whole Ceremony ended successfully and we are really satisfied with whole thing and of course, our Ceremony has been reported in 8TV and NTV7 on the same day, other major Chinese newspaper reported this Ceremony with some put it as their headline while others give us a full whole page of reporting.



02/09/2012 - Sin Chew Daily


02/09/2012 - China Press

02/09/2012 - Guang Ming Daily
The next day, something epic happened!







Totally genuine, no Photoshop
The whole camp ended on Sunday, 02/09/2012. All I can say this whole camp is freaking AWESOME and I love everyone in the camp, they too are AWESOME!! I'm loving it :)


My style name :D

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Let the Picture Tell You the Story of Hanfu Movement (一圖勝千言! )


From top left until bottom right:

  1. What youngster think we are doing
  2. What old people think we are doing
  3. What parents think we are doing
  4. What impostor tries to depict us as
  5. What we think we are doing
  6. What we actually do :)

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Cheongsam Facts (旗袍的事實)


FACTS: The current Cheongsam(qipao) that we know nowadays only appear in the early 1920's. It is a modified version of Manchurian women garb that was modified to cater the need of GROs in nightclubs and brothels in Shanghai. 
Conclusion: Modern cheongsam is not Chinese nor Manchurian traditional costume. 

事實:我們現今所知的旗袍其實起源之1920年代的上海夜店和妓院。爲了拉攏顧客與嫖客的需要,在夜店以及妓院的小姐們就把原本的滿族婦女傳統的旗袍西化以及性感化,從此現代旗袍就誕生了! 
結論: 傳下來不一定是正統,失傳未必是不正統。傳統要看哪一代,有空去搜索一下現代旗袍的由來,它不是華人民族服裝,也不能算是滿人民族服裝。

旗袍原身乃滿族公主(格格)與滿族貴族婦女之服
The original cheongsam (qipao) was wore by the Manchurian women
ps: 滿族與華族(漢族)是兩個不一樣民族。切記!

References(註釋與參考): 
黄能馥:《中国服装史》,北京,中国旅游出版社,1995 
许地山:《近三百年来中国底女装》(下,续五),大公报,1935年6月22日 
周锡保:《中国古代服饰史》,北京,中国戏剧出版社,1984 
郑逸梅:《服御之变迁》,上海,纺织染工程,1946年第4期

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Selamat Merdeka

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Selamat Merdeka to fellow Malaysian. Its been awhile since I updated. LOL!

Let me share with everyone this video, an advertisement for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Malaysia Independence Day


Did you see anything? YES!! No more cheongsam or samfu for Chinese. GREAT! Finally ad producer put an effort in knowing that cheongsam isn't Chinese traditional costume. The true Chinese traditional costume is Hanfu. Kudos to them :D

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Chinese Feast (漢宴)in Major Chinese Mass Media

14/01/2011 - China Press (中國報)

14/01/2011 - GuangMing Daily (光明日報)
14/01/2011 - Nanyang Siang Pao (南洋商報)
14/01/2011 -Sin Chew Jit Poh (星洲日報)
13/02/2011 - NTV7's Mandarin7 News Report

12/02/2011 A Grand Chinese Feast (漢宴)

Day 10 of Lunar New Year, the world first grand (true and proper) Chinese Fest after 360 years of forceful disappearance was finally back and this grand feast was held in Palace Of The Golden Horses, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This dinner strictly follows the Rites of Zhou(周制禮)and through this it has has brought out the essence in Chinese culture & etiquette which are respect, courtesy & manners. In my view, this event is a success and also another milestone in restoring Hanfu & also Chinese rites & etiquette for Hanfu Movement in Malaysia. Good job to everyone in the movement :D

Phase 1: Check in


Ticket for the Chinese Feast

Registration Counter

Red cloth still covering tablet of Chinese Ancestors

By 7pm most people has arrived

Monday, January 31, 2011

華人文化基本中的基本是什麽?

 大家可知華人文化的最基本是什麽嗎?難道是琴棋書畫?難道是民間風俗?

其實,華人最基本的文化是「華夏」。孔子,孟子,老子還沒出現時早已存在。爲何我們叫 ‘華人’?這也是因爲華夏。華人只是華夏人的簡稱,而大家可懂華夏是什麽嗎?

這可從《左傳•定公十年》和《尚書正義》裏得到解釋。《尚書正義》註“華夏”:“冕服華章曰華,大國曰夏。” 而《左傳•定公十年》疏雲:“中國有禮儀之大,故稱夏;有章服之美,謂之華。” 所以,華夏裏的「華」和「夏」實際上是指華人的衣服和華人的禮。就到此,有些人會問,此服爲何服,此禮爲何禮?爲何是華夏為華人文化基本中的基本?


華人的衣服其實指的是衣裳(華)而華人的禮其實指的是禮樂(夏)。為和作爲華人文化的基本中的基本?我們從衣裳「華」開始講。《易經》中有一句話:“黃帝堯舜垂衣裳而天下治”。這一句試圖解釋黃帝堯舜“垂衣裳”而達到“天下治”的原因。原始人本不穿衣,黃帝時部落、部落同盟的形成,要求在人群中區分管理者與被管理者,即官與民。於是人們發明衣裳,從而結束了散亂無秩的狀態。這就是“黃帝堯舜垂衣裳而天下治”的含義。簡單而言,衣裳是象徵。

那麽,衣裳是什麽?衣裳就是漢服而他們有個大名就是華夏衣冠。所以,我們的傳統服飾是漢服。漢服不是指“漢朝服飾”,而是“漢民族的民族服飾”。那麽漢族是什麽?其實漢族就是華族,而此名是華族的另一個名稱。就因爲如此所以華語也稱漢語,華語字也稱漢字。

現在我們就談談「夏」。「夏」乃禮樂而“垂衣裳”之後,發生了周公制禮作樂。何謂禮樂?禮樂是規矩,在不同場合,不同身份的人,不但禮儀有別,所用的音樂也不同。所以華人禮樂其實很博大精深。

「華」與「夏」爲何那麽重要?爲何是基本中的基本?這是因爲「華」是個民族的象徵如同一個國家軍隊的軍服而「夏」是個民族的規矩如同軍隊裏的軍法。如果各國軍隊無軍服,那麽就會很亂,因爲分不清軍官和士兵,敵與我也分不清,天下必亂。還有,如果我們連自家衣裳都不認了反而跑去穿他人衣服還當成自家的,就代表這個民族已抛開自己的外表,放棄自己的身份,此民族必亡,那就好像一個國家的軍隊再也不穿自國軍裝反而穿起他國軍裝一樣,就代表此國已亡。所以,一旦捨棄自己民族的身份,規矩也不必跟了而漸漸的「夏」也就會消失。




到此又有人會問,華人深受孔子儒家思想影響幾千年,可否算是華人文化基本中的基本?若否,那又爲何?很簡單,儒家只是諸子百家衆多學説中其中一家。若是儒家是華夏文化的基本中的基本那麽法家,道家和其他學説是什麽?就好像軍隊裏,個個士兵都有自己的理念,哲學,價值觀和看法。若隨便拿一個人或軍隊裏其中一個士兵的哲學和理念壓在其他士兵身上,不過多久必會發生兵變。所以,要維持擁有那麽多不一樣想法的軍隊不兵變,必須要有個個士兵都認同的東西而這個當然是軍法和軍服。同樣的,華夏人以前的社會是由王,士,民組成而能讓大家都認同以及沒法挑戰只有「華」與「夏」而不是什麽諸子百家學説。也不要忘了,華夏文明有5000年曆史而儒學和其他諸子百家學説也只不過有大概3000多年的歷史,所以儒學何談得起為華人文化基本中的基本。



「華」和「夏」很重要,就因「華」和「夏」是我們都認同的東西,就因「華」和「夏」是我們華人的根而在當今「華」和「夏」已到了膛目不識先王法服的地步了,我和我的同袍才做起了漢服復興運動。我們做漢服復興運動就是要復興大家都認同的東西,用漢服找回華夏禮儀而從此達成復興華夏之意。所以,全球的漢服復運動都有個共同的理念那就是,“華夏復興,衣冠先行!”。

**若大家有興趣一同弘揚華夏文化,想參與我們的活動或者對我們的運動很支持,那我們邀請大家加入我們《馬來西亞 - 漢服運動》的Facebook page。

華夏復興,衣冠先行。我們等待您的參與! ^^

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

我們又再次上報了。。呵呵 ^^v

東方日報 - 28/1/2011
詩華日報(砂拉越)- 28/1/2011

評論:字眼的選擇不適當,會讓人誤會我們是在玩復古而不是真的想要復興華夏。 強烈強調!漢服非古装,這和稱一個語言為古語一样,會讓人以為你在說那些已經没有活人在日常生活中使用的語言。漢服是華人的傳統服飾,此服飾可穿來過節赴宴上班上學上街購物,不是什麽古装!

古裝此名號是滿清政府在當年欺壓華人時挂上去的。目的在於要讓華人對自己的另一半的文化產生陌生與遙遠感,最終達成讓華人忘記自己的華夏文化裏的華。
華夏裏的華代表著漢服,華夏裏的夏代表著禮儀。兩者缺一,次文化就等同死了一樣。沒了文化,我們華人還是一個民族嗎?

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

10/11/2010 Muhibbah Dinner 2010

With the collaboration between MMU Melaka & the state government of Melaka, a state event dinner called Muhibbah Dinner was held in Dewan Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, Melaka. Even though is a state dinner, the food provided is kind of little for 8 people in a table. Luckily, this event was not defined by its food but by the awesome people in their traditional clothing. It is not always everyone has the chance to wear their traditional clothing and sit together with each other in a dinner and because of this, this event is awesome.









After 300 years of absence and forceful replacement with Manchurian garb, Chinese Traditional clothing is finally back in the eyes of the world.

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