Uncovering the myths and miracles of Asia

By Jia Baohua

SEOUL: The recent spy plane incident between China and the United States appears to be reaching a resolution.

Asia, in the eyes of Westerners, is still a land abundant with miracles and myths. In the last several decades, we have seen the Japanese miracle, the Han River miracle, the East Asian miracle, followed by the myth of the Asian miracle and finally, the destruction of all miracles and myths after the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Although the miracles have disappeared, the myths still linger. This time, the international mainstream media has turned to the myth of "face" or "face-saving" -- a parable with a long history among the Chinese. One powerful argument is that China, as opposed to the West, is a nation that particularly emphasizes face. What followed were detailed stories and commentaries about what some called a "war of words" (daoqian or baoqian) between the two sides.

Such popular opinions are merely myths, indicating that many people only noted the superficial phenomena and linguistic disputes, while overlooking the much more important implications and basic features of our human nature behind the face. There are three reasons for this:

First, it may not be wrong to say that the Chinese or Asians are "face-adoring" people; but it is also true to claim that the Anglo-American or Westerners are fond of face as well.

Face-saver, as an English word, has appeared in the Webster's Dictionary since as early as 1923. Hence, Westerners have been familiar with this Eastern idea for about 80 years. According to some popular English dictionaries, the meanings of face include pride, reputation, respect, dignity, prestige, etc., in the sense of "lose face" or "save face."

Even if English dictionaries had not adopted this Chinese word or if the English-speaking world were not aware of the origin of this term, all people, whether in the East or West, would still share the same feelings and opinions about pride, reputation, respect, dignity and prestige.

Looking back slavery, feudalism, colonialism, fascism and Soviet-style-communism have all been toppled. One of the main reasons for this is that people could not live with pride and dignity under such systems.

Second, emphasis on face has only emerged, and been recognized, at higher phases of the human evolution process. Prehistoric humanity did not have such a conception. In the later societies divided by class, those people, who belonged to the group of "have-nots," did not have face, or did not have the capacity to save face.

These facts illustrated, from another point of view, the validity of what the ancient Chinese sages teach that people will know etiquette well only after they are abundant in clothes and food. Translated into modern words, it can be said that only when the people's basic needs have been fulfilled, can their dignity and pride be restored.

There are, in fact, two kinds of face. One is a real, concrete, and honest face, namely, the people's pride, reputation, dignity and prestige, as mentioned above. The other is a fake, morbid, and artificial face, such as excessive vanity, dissimulation, arrogance and discrimination. Not many know the difference between the two faces -- even some politicians and intellectuals in China.

The idea of face or saving face is not indigenous to Chinese and Asian people, but a common characteristic of humanity throughout the world.

Until recently, most people could not save face, and still many people who are in poverty cannot save face even today. In addition, there have been, and will be, numerous morbid and false faces and face-saving as we have seen in the past and in the present, regardless of the nation or region.

Face and face-saving forms the essence of noble souls of human beings and has its basis in human rights and dignity. Unfortunately, except in the case of a few people, who know the importance of and the right ways to reach this higher spiritual realm, most people sadly have been, and still are, living below this status.

Therefore, if all people and nations can save their own face while respecting others' face at the same time, there would be no more violence, no more crime, no more wars in this world. Therefore, the implications of the recent event between China and the United States have given us a chance to rethink not only the idea of face, but also the nature and future of our own human race.

The writer is an associate professor at the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, and a visiting scholar at the Korea Development Institute.

-- Korea Herald/Asia News Network