The Kunshan Way
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Chapter 2: What Kunshan Has to Offer
No discussion of Kunshan's economic success will make sense unless you understand its history, culture and environment.
First Impressions
Late November is at the end of the Kunshan crab season. The sweet freshwater crustacean beckons the faithful each fall to the picturesque seasonal eateries rimming the lakes and river towns. It is an ancient migration, probably as old as the local Stone Age artifacts, which attest to the area's antiquity. Fertile lands and abundant water have been the constants, even as the tides of history have brought change. When you leave the superhighways and toll booths behind, you will notice the even well-tended fields, leveled by millenniums of minders, merging seamlessly into the horizon. Like the moss on a Live Oak, the feeling of age and magic in Kunshan's unchanged fields and river towns is often palpable; but as you land at Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport, this reality is hidden by the grey forms of concrete and steel, ubiquitous to China's urban superstructure.
Ancient and Modern
When in Kunshan you are constantly aware of the struggle between ancient and modern energies; sequences of empires and invaders, rural agriculture and urban manufacturing, a modern republic founded by idealism and governed by pragmatism, the needs and desires of the local people and the economic forces driving globalization.
Today, as in the past, Kunshan uses strategic planning, innovative approaches and hard work to find the opportunities in the swirling tides of seasonal and economic change.
In area it is a little less than a thousand square kilometers, it encompasses nine towns and villages, four special economic development zones and multiple waterways and lakes, which take up about a third of its landscape. It is a place of four seasons, at the outlet of the Yangtze River; a river which like an arterial vein stretches from the eastern slopes of the Himalayas, past the Three Gorges Dam to Kunshan and Shanghai, delivering water and opportunity.
History
Pre-Republic
In 2003, the government reported that archeologists had discovered 10 paddy fields in northern Kunshan that were over 6,000 years old. They are the oldest paddy fields ever found in Yangtze River Delta, 3,000 years older than those found in Tokyo, Japan. The organization and complexity of the paddy fields indicate that south Suzhou was probably one of the earliest places where human beings developed intensive farming techniques. It gives you a sense of how ancient and settled this land is. It is a stark contrast to the vast wilderness from which the US was carved out over the last 350 years.
Interview with Mr. Chen Yi, Cultural History Scholar
Mr. Chen Yi is a noted local cultural scholar who is currently Academic Director of Kunshan's Cultural Development Research Center. For Mr. Chen who is 61 years old, the history of New China is in essence a description of his own life.
When he was young life was hard, but it became even harder during the "cultural revolution„(1966-1976). Afterwards he worked in different cultural departments in Kunshan and devoted his spare time to writing a number of books about Kunshan's culture and history.
Q: What are the historical keys to understanding Kunshan?
A: For people outside of China, it is probably easiest for them to understand Kunshan if they understand the relationship between Kunshan and Shanghai. Kunshan was established as a county over 2,500 years ago. Shanghai was established 1,500 years later. Most of what is Shanghai today was administered by Kunshan before the Song Dynasty (960-1279). But, rather than being rivals we have always sought to share our benefits.
Shanghai although established later, developed faster. It grew rapidly as a trade center during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and has since then used its geographic advantages and trade expertise to enlarge its economy. Kunshan although established first developed second, it was not until the mid 1980's that our modern economic face started to emerge. In Kunshan we believe what was once one thing can never really be divided and that the success and influences of one part will always eventually work to the benefit of the other.
Q: What has Kunshan contributed to China's history?
A: Much of Kunshan's contribution came during the Ming and Qing dynastyies (1368-1911). Shen Wansan, at the time, reputed to be the richest man in southern China, used Kunshan's geographical position in the Yangtze River Delta to create a thriving pioneer international trade business. The three famous wise men of Kunshan Gu Yanwu, Gui Youguang and Zhu Bolu developed new standards of teaching, style and philosophy which changed the face of China. They also left a strong moral legacy which stressed courage, practicality, directness and service which are the building blocks of what has become the Kunshan Way today. Like many things in China Kunshan's development was often dictated by events and directives created elsewhere, but the people have remained true to their ancestors' values and beliefs. The "opening up" gave us a stage and we have done our best to play our role.
Q: As a cultural scholar do you have any opinions about the future Kunshan?
A: The older generations who led China suffered a lot and lost time. The younger generations have had better living conditions and more opportunities but they face the challenge of preserving the essential parts of traditional Chinese culture.
The influences of Western ideas and culture have helped China and some changes are inevitable but if we lose what makes us Chinese we will have paid too high a price.
Personally I am optimistic about traditional culture as I believe that as we develop socially and economically people will be more and more interested in preserving our traditional culture, because it defines who we are as a nation. As an example, I have been encouraged by the renewed interest young people have developed in some of our great philosophers and writers like Confucius and Lao Tse (Lao Tzu, or Lao Zi). Who would have predicted that a generation raised on video games would be so interested in the wisdom of the ancients. I am also encouraged by the efforts our government has made in protecting traditional culture like Kunqu Opera, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
My sense is that the value of a place is more than its economic advantages and that the values of the people and traditions are the defining element which separates places and makes one more attractive than another. For instance, whether you appreciate Kunqu Opera as an entertainment form, is separate from understanding its value as a cultural treasure. In the end the things we value and act on are the things that define us. Our reverence for the ideas of our ancestors and our actions today will be what makes Kunshan different and attractive to those who share similar values tomorrow.
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