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Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my opinion on preserving the Chinese traditions and customs which are disappearing. I strongly believe that we should preserve these traditions or customs, for example, the traditional building style in China, the scissor-cut, martial arts and so on. These conventions are part of our traditional culture and are worth preserving.
Apart from preserving the Cantonese opera which was mentioned in the two letters in the SCMP Talkback column on 25 September 2008, in my opinion, the traditional building style in China should also be preserved. The building style, no matter whether in Hong Kong or China, is becoming westernized these days. We can now hardly find some buildings in a traditional Chinese style. Only when we visit the museums or the Forbidden City in Beijing can we admire this architecture. The ancient Chinese people were so intelligent that they did not even need a nail in building a magnificent structure. I suggest the Government film some television programmes about this art so that people will be more concerned about this declining traditional culture.
In addition, scissor-cut is a folk handicraft that I recommend being saved. Some TV shows have invited some artists on scissor-cut to exhibit their skills on the screen. No matter how delicate the final products are, the artists can still finish them perfectly with their hands and a pair of scissors. However, this praised art is declining because fewer people are interested in it. I suggest having some exhibitions in large shopping malls to attract people to those handicrafts. By this activity, I am convinced that more people will be infatuated in this folk art.
Last but not least, traditional martial arts in China, which are now commonly called Kung Fu, are valuable heritage. Promoted by the famous artist Bruce Lee, Kung Fu has become a magic spell which attracts the Westerners to Chinese movies. Martial arts are also said to be sports. However, they are treated unfairly in Hong Kong. Sports like football, basketball, swimming and so on are over-promoted while Kung Fu is seldom treated as a major concern in sports promotion. This causes the recession of Kung Fu in Hong Kong. I advise the Government not only to promote sports which are already very popular among citizens but also promote sports that are unfamiliar to them. This would certainly help preserve the Chinese traditional martial arts.
Those I mentioned above are just part of our traditions and customs which are in danger. I hope the Government can take actions so that those traditions can survive and people in the future can still have access to these customs.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Tang