Gao Huan

When I was in high school, history was a subject that I disliked. To me, it was no different from remembering facts: when and where an incident took place. I found it even harder to memorize causes and significance of the incidents, which were invariably in long parallel paragraphs. Because of the examination requirements, history appeared to be all mechanical work.

But now I know history is very important and it is more than the put-together of facts. It is a study of past events, political, social, cultural and economic. Events were not isolated but linked and historians are to examine these links and draw conclusions. The textbooks are largely presenting the views of the officially-sanctioned historians.

Apparently, not many people are historians in the world. And we have lost the accuracy in recounting the historical events as time goes by. But we still have a sense of history; the general implications and impressions about the past we get from the books and mass media are inculcated in our minds ceaselessly. The historical concept is within ourselves, modified or unmodified by our own thinking. Moreover, the national consciousness of national history is what we call cultural heritage, something that largely affects how people look at things and how they act.

Since history is initially a study done by human scholars, it follows that it is not one hundred percent objective. Yet it nonetheless has a powerful influence in the functioning of society.

History has a fundamental impact on the present and the future. Take the ��Cultural Revolution�� for example. How people judge it in reflection is significant to the destiny of China. If we regarded it as a great success and decided to go on with it, we couldn't imagine what China would have looked like now.

Good that we have realized that it was a big mistake or even a disaster; we are now rightly committed to an appropriate cause of development and have got where we are.

History is a source of lessons and experience. But to let it function properly, we must make sure that it is as accurate and objective as possible.

We used to be preoccupied with the splendor of our long history. We were so indignant when foreigners attributed movable type printing, one of the Four Great Inventions, to someone else. We indulged in the past and tended to forget about the much-more-important present. National pride is very good, of course, but it should not be allowed to blind us to the reality. (Anyway, whoever invented the movable type printing, it was not a profitable patent now.) The loss of sense of proportion was induced by an undue emphasis on that part of history by the textbooks and mass media.

Japan is a bad example in treating its history. They invaded China and perpetuated numerous brutal atrocities during World War II. And China was not the only victim. It is particularly outrageous that many Japanese today are still denying their shameful past. Their textbooks deliberately omit it or even bend the truth about the War. They are hurting the victimized people again and again in spite of their strong protests.

Compared to that of Germany, Japan��s attitude is insincere. However, the facts are there, invincible to any denial. But the history in average Japanese minds is somewhat distorted. They are cheated by some official ��historians�� backed up by their government. They don��t think they have made a gross mistake and they don��t feel sorry. They tend only to think they were just unfortunately defeated militarily. If this point of view continues to prevail, it is not unlikely that they will make another ill-willed attempt. Anyway, the military tradition has a root in their national character (though they seem to be losing themselves in westernization). But surely one who doesn��t see clearly cannot do things wisely. Any action against the general historical trend is doomed.

We can neither say history always makes man wise nor say it is all bunk. While admitting an inevitable trace of subjectivity in it as a study, we must make it as objective as possible so that we will not be misguided by the great force of history.

Professor Sun Li's Comment: Good.

** My P.S. to Professor Sun, who reviewed this essay:

Mr. Sun, I have been late for classes several times. I absolutely hate to be late. I promised myself again and again that I wouldn��t be late next time. But I always woke up too late. So to be late was inevitable, even if I skipped my breakfast. I feel truly sorry for that.

Professor Sun: I hope they will give you a job in the local zoo, and then you'll have to rise very early, or at least be woken up by the animals. Don't mind the joke!