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Editor's Note:

Themk concept of "Hehe" in Chinese culture, with the first "He" embodying harmony, peace and balance and the second representing convergence, unity and cooperation, is central to both the individual and collective mind-set in China. Rooted in thousands of years of philosophy, the idea of "Hehe" serves as a guiding principle for living in harmony with others, nature and oneself. In a broader context, the concept of "Hehe" has significant relevance to the world today, as addressing the global challenges we face in various areas requires the principles that "Hehe" emphasizes. Viewed through a contemporary lens, "Hehe" is a timeless and universal concept that can guide China and the world toward a more harmonious, peaceful and balanced future. The Global Times gathers opinions from experts and scholars around the world to explore the global significance of Hehe culture from various perspectives. This is the 10th piece of the series.

President Xi Jinping identified "peaceful nature" as one of the five distinctive features of Chinese civilization during a meeting on cultural inheritance and development in June 2023. To fully understand the profound historical perspective and broad global vision behind this significant statement, it should be considered in the context of Xi's years of discussions on Hehe culture.

With a long history, Hehe culture is the essence of traditional Chinese culture. As early as the pre-Qin period (221BC-206BC), ancient Chinese sages viewed and addressed the relationships between all things through the idea that harmony is a "common good," forming a series of theoretical perspectives on "Hehe."

In a speech delivered at the China International Friendship Conference in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in 2014, Xi summarized these perspectives as "a world view of harmony between humanity and nature, a global view of coordination and cooperation between all countries, a social view of unity without uniformity and a moral outlook of kindness and friendship." Guided by this cultural philosophy, the study of Hehe culture has deepened, with more theoretical viewpoints being refined. These viewpoints include the theory that harmony begets new things, the belief that harmony is the most precious, the thinking mode of holding fast to the golden mean, the perspective of civilizations as mutually reinforcing and the social ideal that all people under the heaven are one family.

The Hehe culture, in simple terms, is the collective term for cultural phenomena that embody the idea of "Hehe." It defines the characteristic of traditional Chinese culture that emphasizes harmony over conflict. Since the ideological system of "Hehe" was already established in the pre-Qin period, Hehe culture is both historical and uniquely Chinese.

Hehe culture originates from the division of labor and cooperative relationships. If labor creates culture, then Hehe culture arises from the labor relations of division and cooperation. For humans to survive, production is essential and primarily a collective activity. As long as it is a collective production, there will inevitably be the division of labor and cooperation. The culture that develops from these relationships of division and cooperation is cooperative culture, also referred to as Hehe culture.

In an agricultural society, the phenomenon of harmonious relations between a husband and a wife is rooted in resilience, which arises from the natural division of labor and cooperation. At that time, men engaged in physically demanding farming to meet the family's food needs, while women focused on weaving to address the family's clothing needs. This division of labor and cooperation between the sexes was essential for sustaining the family's survival and development, providing a material foundation for the phenomenon of "a harmonious union lasting a hundred years."

In modern society, the market economy has replaced the natural economy, and the traditional division of labor - where men farmed and women wove - has transformed into a social division of labor connected to commodity production. The social division of labor has become more developed, and cooperation has become more closely knit, with division and cooperation now serving as the fundamental logic of modern society.

This illustrates that division of labor and collaboration are widespread forms of labor relations, whether in a natural economy or a market economy. If the conditions are met, a culture rooted in this labor relationship must be one based on the ideas of "Hehe." From this point of view, Hehe culture is not only relevant to China, but also has significance for the world as a whole.

Unfortunately, Hehe culture failed to thrive in the West. This is due to the presence of not only division of labor and cooperative relationships established through collective effort but also competitive relationships arising from the scarcity of resources. Similar to the duality of competitive dynamics, the role of a competitive culture is also twofold.

Classical economist Adam Smith noticed the duality and advocated for free competition while also calling for "economic agents" to constrain over competition by moral sentiments. Keynesian economics adheres to the principle of market competition, emphasizing the need for state intervention to moderate the booms and busts in economic activity. 

Despite these efforts, excessive competition has continued to expand its reach without bounds - sweeping through the economic, political, cultural and international relations spheres of modern society and leaving little space for a culture of harmony. Moreover, it has grown to encompass not just individuals, but also major nations and even humanity's relationship with other species. To this end, the new era calls for a culture of harmony. As President Xi Jinping noted when meeting former US president Joe Biden in Lima in last November: "Major country competition should not be the underlying logic of the times. Only solidarity and cooperation can help humanity overcome current difficulties."

Culture is the foundation of institutional change. For humanity to overcome its predicaments, it must achieve the "two reconciliations" between human beings as well as between human beings and nature, as indicated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. To this end, we must transcend the limitations of moral and legal regulations, and develop a Hehe culture that can ensure the harmonious coexistence of people and the harmonious coexistence of people and nature.

The significance of Hehe culture has been recognized by many knowledgeable people. As early as the 1920s, the renowned Western philosopher Bertrand Russell recognized the significance of China's "He" culture in the context of its time. In his book The Problem of China, he noted, "something of the ethical qualities in which China is supreme, and which the modern world most desperately needs. Among these qualities I place first the pacific temper." Chinese philosopher Zhang Liwen, in his work Hehe Studies, proposed using the five principles of Heheism - Hesheng(harmony generating life), Hechu(harmonious coexistence), Heli(harmonious establishment), Heda(harmonious flourishing), and Heai(harmonious love), aiming to resolve the conflicts humans face between nature, society, individuals, the human spirit and civilization. These ideas from both Chinese and foreign thinkers reflect the growing call for Hehe culture in the modern era.

The author is vice dean of the Hehe Culture Research Institute of Taizhou University. [email protected]