By Li Hongmei People's Daily Online

Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday proposed a formula to better understanding between the people across the Straits—'know the traditional Chinese characters and write the simplified version,' pointing that the traditional characters, widely in use in Taiwan, Hong Kong and many other Chinese communities around the world, are representative of the Chinese culture, but the simplified version is the standard in the Chinese mainland.

Admittedly, language is the carrier of a culture, and writing styles and characters shed light on the continuation and development of the culture. Thus, written words are invariably well-accepted as something of a genetic code inbuilt in a culture. The agreement reached on the approval of both traditional and simplified forms will undoubtedly take a great leap forward to the promotion and prosperity of the culture stemming from the same root. And in a long run, the culturally common ground will also serve as a medium to facilitate communication of both sides, and an effective platform to greatly lift the image of the Chinese nation as a whole on the world stage and enhance the soft power of the Chinese culture.

Ma's proposal was hailed as a substantial progress so far made by Taiwan leaders, and it came not by accident or acting on a sudden impulse, but more of a product attributable to Ma Ying-jeou's consistent respect and full acquaintance to the traditional Chinese culture, as seen in his handsome calligraphy and his high-profile appearance at rituals for the worship of Confucius and Emperor Huang, a semi-legendary emperor in ancient China.

As a matter of fact, the contention of seeking the common ground for the cross-strait culture is not Ma's invention. Dating back to 2008, there was the concerted voice from across Taiwan Straits calling for both sides jointly applying for World Heritage for a wide array of Chinese cultural relics and heritages, including the intangible heritage like Spring Festival and Chinese characters. Unfortunately, the proposal aborted short of an effective mechanism for negotiation and promotion.

Now that more and more people of insight and with breadth of vision begin to realize it a matter of great significance for the Chinese culture, separated for decades by the stretch of water and the political gap, to remain in harmony and regain integrity, the written forms, or more exactly, both the traditional and simplified systems, which reflect the culture and relay it from generation to generation, must be mutually recognized as equals in existence, and valued equally if measured by both historical and cultural standards.

The simplified version of the Chinese characters rose to popularity in the Chinese mainland in 1950s, immediately following the People's Republic of China was founded, in that the simplified forms, created by decreasing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of traditional Chinese characters, were found easier to learn and more effective to improve the nation's literacy. In addition to the Chinese mainland, the simplified forms are also officially used in Singapore and the United Nations. Since the policy of reform and opening up was adopted in late 1970s, China has attracted an increasing number of overseas students who come to China in droves each year to learn Chinese culture and language; and the simplified version has helped them have a sound command of the Chinese written language comparatively in a more time-saving and easier way. This, in turn, has accelerated cultural communication and bridge the gap caused by culture differences.

On the other hand, the traditional version of the Chinese characters is also irreplaceable as a link between now and then. As a symbol for the civilization and the quintessence of the classic Chinese wisdom, these traditional characters came into being more than 1,000 years ago, and had been in use for centuries and are still in use, particularly, in Taiwan. People may need to recognize the traditional characters before learning more and better about the Chinese culture.

In a nutshell, traditional characters are treasures bestowed upon the Chinese by history, while the simplified version represents the change and advance of an old civilization. In this light, Ma Ying-jeuo's proposal was set forth in good conscience, as cultural integrity across the Straits is the trend of times and the aspiration of the Chinese people on both sides.

Hence, it is a total nonsense and a clamor braying to smear the truth, that Ma's opposition camp, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, blasted Ma's intention to adopt the simplified characters for what they said a move to trash the Chinese culture. The so-called Chinese culture in some DPP members'mind is nothing more than a molded mud readily shaped for the political interests of these 'valiant fighters for Taiwan Independence.' But fact will speak for itself, and any attempt to buck the general trend will be doomed to a defeat.