【正确答案】Many people believe that traditional stories are irrelevant for modern society. Do you agree or disagree?
Actually, I couldn't disagree more. I think that traditional stories often contain a strong moral or message for how we should live our lives, and these morals remain constant regardless of time. Traditional stories are an excellent reminder to return to these values and morals and remind us what is simple but important in our lives. Anyway, you see these same morals repeated in modem forms of storytelling such as movies so they are definitely still topical and relevant.
What type of traditional stories do children generally enjoy? Why do you think this is so?
I think young children tend to enjoy stories which have a little of everything because they like to feel all the emotion, such as suspense, fear, happiness and courage. They also need to be fast moving to keep children entertained. As well as this, children like stories which have happy endings. That's because happy endings make them feel more secure and confident and don't give them nightmares!
What can traditional stories tell us about a culture?
I think that traditional stories express many things about a culture. Obviously, there are cultural references to basic everyday things like food, clothing and housing, but beyond that there are messages about the values a society holds important. For instance, that might be family values, or it might be related to love or fidelity, things like that. Stories also tell us about the position of certain people in society, such as men and women, rich and poor. Therefore, I believe that there is a lot of cultural information contained within traditional stories.
In what ways have traditions changed in your country, if at all, over the last fifty or so years?
I don't think that cultural traditions have changed significantly because Chinese people are very proud of their culture and traditions so we like to hang on to them carefully. For instance, our festivals and celebrations have remained the same, and people observe traditions at New Year and other special occasions. The only thing that has changed is the material that we use to make things—for example traditional lanterns can now be made from more durable material than paper. Progress can aid the preservation of tradition, I believe.
Many societies are losing aspects of their culture and tradition as time passes. What are some of the solutions to this issue?
I think the solution lies in what value is placed on traditions, because this sends a message to people about what is important. For instance, if the government funds festivals and events which support traditions, then I think this is a proactive solution which helps to maintain the traditions associated with that festival. Another way to preserve culture and tradition is to ensure it is passed on to the next generation, so this involves spending time explaining and sharing traditions with young children. In these ways culture can be preserved.
Do you think the current generation is more or less interested in tradition than previous generations? Why might this be so?
It's hard to say. I think my generation might be slightly less interested in traditional ways than my parents though. Perhaps my generation is more concerned with the latest technological item than learning how to make dumplings the way our grandmothers did. But that's not to say that we don't value traditions any less, it's just that society has changed somewhat and we all have to keep up with our busy lives, so maybe traditions get streamlined or something like that. Important holidays and festivals are still very important, however.