latelenovela Chapter 238: Patience and Persuasion: Is it a Waste or a Cultural Invasion?
Chapter 238: Patience and Persuasion: Is it a Waste or a Cultural Invasion?
On the way back to NTU.
Su Ying tightly grasped Pan Yinian's hand, and with her eyes hidden behind her glasses, she looked at Pan Yinian worriedly, "You lost your composure today, didn't you? Did something else happen that I don't know about?"
Pan Yinian patted Su Ying's hand and said, "I guess so."
"Really?"
Su Ying frowned, "You mentioned earlier about banning firecrackers and straw burning. Could this be related to this?"
Looking at Su Ying, who was a little confused for the first time due to the limitations of her vision, Pan Yinian smiled and said, "Is it almost done?"
Su Ying's brows furrowed even more tightly. "What does this have to do with the freshmen?"
Pan Yinian shook his head. "It doesn't matter much. I just thought of something and got a little angry for a moment."
Su Ying, "Angry?"
Pan Yinian nodded. "You can also understand this as a case of angry youth. Let me ask you a few questions. Once I'm done, you'll understand."
Su Ying, "You ask."
Pan Yinian, "Do you think it's a good idea to ban the use of firecrackers?"
Su Ying nodded, "At the moment, it seems that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
"First, reduce environmental pollution: setting off firecrackers produces a large amount of harmful gases and particulate matter, which not only pollutes the air, but also the soil and water sources."
"Second, to ensure public safety: setting off firecrackers poses a safety hazard and can easily cause fires or casualties."
"Third, it saves resources and money: banning firecrackers can reduce people's spending on firecrackers, and these funds can be used for more meaningful purposes. At the same time, it can also reduce the consumption of resources."
Pan Yinian nodded and gave Su Ying a thumbs-up. "Your answer is very official, even impeccable. Now, let me talk about the opposing view."
"First, the Wen Huan inheritance."
"Firecrackers are an important part of our traditional culture, especially during the Spring Festival, when setting off firecrackers is seen as an important ritual to ward off evil and usher in the new year. Banning firecrackers could be seen as a denial of traditional culture."
"As a result, stories about the Nian beast and other myths and legends began to slowly disappear, replaced by Ultraman, who was held in the arms of children."
“Second, the festive atmosphere.”
"The setting off of firecrackers can create a strong festive atmosphere and increase people's sense of happiness and participation. For many people, a New Year without the sound of firecrackers would lack the flavor of the New Year and reduce everyone's anticipation for the New Year."
"Young people are starting to avoid going home for the Lunar New Year, and visits between clans and relatives are becoming less frequent, and family ties are gradually fading."
"Third, economic benefits."
"It goes without saying that there are countless alternative industries."
“Fourth, the virus breeds.”
"In ancient times, setting off fireworks and firecrackers was believed to purify the body of filth. This was not just superstition. The gases released by setting off fireworks and firecrackers also killed a large number of viruses and bacteria suspended in the air, attached to the ground, and outside houses."
"Of course, these are generalities."
"There are a few key points that I won't discuss for now."
Facing Su Ying's puzzled gaze, Pan Yinian said, "Let me ask you the second question: does straw burning have more advantages than disadvantages, or more disadvantages than advantages?"
Su Ying frowned, "What do you want to say?"
Pan Yinian: "I still hold the opposing view."
"Li, I won't say anything more. You should know this better than me."
"Let's just talk about the disadvantages. Burning straw can kill insect eggs, pathogens, and weed seeds to the greatest extent possible, converting it into waste material that can be used for the next season's crops. For ordinary people, burning it can save at least two-thirds of the fertilizer and pesticides used."
“How much money can ordinary people earn from one mu of land?”
"Everyone has calculated this account clearly, but some people just don't do it on purpose."
Su Ying opened her mouth but said nothing.
Pan Yinian smiled and said, "Do you feel something is wrong, but you can't put it into words?"
Su Ying nodded.
Pan Yinian smiled and said, "Then let's talk about something more direct."
"It is forbidden to burn paper at graves."
"Although this hasn't been fully implemented yet, some places have already started. It's even been labeled a bad habit by some experts with ulterior motives."
"Hey, ancestor worship is the most important part of our entire national culture. If even this is banned, what will people do when they miss their parents in the future? Will they have to follow the Western way and place flowers at graves?"
Hearing this, Su Ying became anxious, "This is not right. Even if there are special circumstances in some places, we can't treat them all the same."
Pan Yinian nodded and said, "Believe it or not, I will definitely do it in the future?"
Su Ying shook her head repeatedly, "That's absolutely impossible."
Pan Yinian did not argue. Although this incident was criticized by people in later generations, there was no way to bring it up.
Pan Yinian just smiled and shook his head. "Let me ask you another question. What do you think of Traditional Chinese Medicine?"
Su Ying lowered her head and pondered for a moment. "Traditional Chinese Medicine is slow to take effect, and many of its theories haven't been scientifically proven. The meridians and acupuncture points can't be found through dissection..."
Before Su Ying finished speaking, Pan Yinian burst into laughter.
It wasn't until Su Ying angrily stretched out her slender jade fingers and twisted the soft flesh on Pan Yinian's waist that Pan Yinian stopped laughing. "Su Ying, let me ask you, what is science? Is anything that has not been verified pseudoscience?"
"There's no need for us to dwell deeply on this issue."
"I just said, three o'clock."
"First, can Chinese herbal medicine and prescriptions cure diseases?"
"Secondly, can traditional Chinese medicine techniques like acupuncture, massage, and bone setting cure diseases?"
"Third, Traditional Chinese Medicine also has surgery, and it has an extremely long history. Why hasn't anyone mentioned it?"
"Fourth, both Chinese and Western medicine have diseases they can't cure, and both contain scum and degenerates. Why is someone only targeting Chinese medicine?"
"Fifth, since Traditional Chinese Medicine is rubbish and superstitious, why have the small-foot basin people been secretly acquiring folk medical books and ancient prescriptions, even registering international patents? Why have the Koreans and the small-foot basin people established universities and programs specifically for this?"
Su Ying's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, but the eyes hidden behind the black-framed glasses became sharper and sharper.
She had already vaguely thought of some questions, but they were not clear.
Pan Yinian continued, "If this isn't thick and straightforward enough, let me ask you a few more questions."
"Why are traditional Chinese festivals considered superstitious and rubbish? And why are foreign ones not? Why do we celebrate Christmas, Halloween, and April Fools' Day with such fanfare?"
"Why are Chinese weddings considered feudal dregs, while foreign ones aren't? Instead, they wear traditional mourning clothes as wedding dresses."
"Why are our myths and legends considered superstitious and rubbish? And yet, the fabricated ACG stories from abroad have become fashionable?"
"Why are Chinese divination and fortune-telling both fascinating and detrimental? Foreign horoscopes and card games, on the other hand, are so popular?"
As Pan Yinian asked questions one after another, the light in Su Ying's eyes grew brighter and sharper. Finally, she uttered eight words with an icy gaze...