History cannot be "dissolved or melted away"

The adverse current of "de-Sinification" and "rectification of Taiwan's name" has shown signs of spreading inside China's Taiwan Island.

In amending the "organic regulations" of the prestigious Palace Museum in Taipei recently, Taiwan authorities have deleted the wording that "treasures come from the Palace Museum in Beiping (currently named Beijing) and the Central Museum, and changed "the Chinese ancient relics into antiques from both at home and overseas". In so doing, they attempt to fade and blur the fact that the Palace Museum in Taipei originated from the Palace Museum in Beijing, so as to sever the "ties of blood between the culture in Taiwan and the Chinese culture.

Since its assumption of power, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been persistent with its move for desinification in a bid to peddle the notion of "Taiwan-centric consciousness". Whatever contents in political documents and those names of institutions, enterprises and schools, which are somewhat relevant to China, have been deleted. They revised textbooks to peel off the common history across the Taiwan strait; they incorporate the Revolution of 1911 led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, which overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), into the Chinese ancient history and regarded Dr. Sun himself as an "alien". An examination commissioner clamored that "China is (in essence) Taiwan's enemy" and "those who are well versed in China's history are the common enemies." Their moves for the "rectification of Taiwan's name" have been absurd at times. In Taiwan, there is a very good breed of goose, called the "Chinese goose", which had been raised there from the imperial Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but a local agriculture (bureau) "official" insists that it has to renamed, for the simple reason that its version, both in Chinese and English, is alive with Chinese colors or flavors.

It is particularly heartless for those agitators and peddlers of "desinification" to single out Chinese ancestors for the target of their attack and viciously smear the language, culture, scripts and history, and trample on the cultural gems left over the ancestors. The deletion of the source for these cultural relics being displayed at the Palace Museum in Taipei is nothing but slapping themselves on the face. How can it be that more than 600,000 pieces of gems and valuables drop from the sky?

Ordained by fate, there is a palace museum on either side of the Taiwan straits, and they share the same root and represent the common cultural assets of the Chinese nation. With a glimpse at the imposing and gorgeous Palace Museum in Taipei, one cannot but amaze the feat and greatness of the Chinese ancient civilization with the aeon wisdom of the Chinese nation embedded in piece after piece of ace bronze ware, pottery, porcelain and jade wares, and elegant calligraphy and painting works. With their traces throught war flame and turmoil, transport and relocations, they tell of the fate of the Chinese nationals and the vicissitudes in the life of the Chinese people and they themselves are engraved with their traumatic experiences in the longstanding Chinese history.

At the Palace Museum in Taipei, exhibits are often replaced and renewed one after another, but three priceless objects, namely the "tripod of Duke Mao", Green Jade Cabbage and "Dongpu meat-shape Stone", nevertheless, remain there and have never been substituted for. An invaluable article of the Zhou dynasty more than 2,800 years ago, the "tripod of Duke Mao" was unearthed at the Siqi Hill in Northwestern China's Shaanxi province during the rein of Emperor Daoguang during the Qing dynasty, and it enjoys equal fame with another ancient tripod, the "Great Squarely Tripod of Sima Fu". The exquisite and life-like Green Jade Cabbage, a marvellous piece carved out of a wonderful half-emerald and half-white jade, was the dowry of Imperial Concubine Jin for Emperor Guangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

The name of "Palace Museum," which means the elite palace of different eras in Chinese history, is naturally associated with China and reminds its people with the outstanding ancient civilization. For those working with "Taiwan Independence" factions, they have a guilty conscience and are anxious to get rid of them. But then, where is the "heart and soul" of the world-famous Palace Museum if it is stripped off all historical and cultural relics that have been shipped to Taiwan? Noted critic, writer and historian Li Ao acknowledged that traces of China is alive and vivid everywhere in Taiwan. Indeed, what will be left for the culture on Taiwan Island, provided the country's language, characters, the Chinese names of people and places, books, literature and art, history and customs are discarded with one stroke.

Equipped with the concept for "Taiwan independence", Taiwan authorities are bent on with their vain "desinification" endeavor to cultivate their exclusive "identity of Taiwan." In the meantime, they have put to use much of their political and administrative resources to spur the erosion and weakening of the identity and sentiments of Taiwan populace for the Chinese mainland. And the impact involved cannot be overlooked. So people around China should be alert to the cultural policy of Taiwan authorities with their manipulation of "Taiwan independence" ideas.

By People's Daily Online