Beautiful Family in Hunan Sheds Light on Continuous Improvement in People's Lives, Nation's Development

He Fangjing and his family members get a reunion to share stories and all-year gains for celebrating 2024 Chinese Lunar New Year. Photo: Courtesy of He Xiufeng

Editor's Note:

Harmony, or "He," lies at the heart of the Chinese civilization, representing a core spiritual value that has shaped the ethos of the Chinese nation.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of preserving and promoting China's outstanding traditional culture, with harmony as one of its most essential elements. At the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in late October, he extended this philosophy on the global stage, calling for harmonious coexistence among civilizations and closer cultural exchanges between nations.

In China, the value of "He" is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, guiding the country through a complex, interconnected world. The Global Times is launching a series "He Culture in Xi Jinping's Quotes of Classics." Drawing upon ancient Chinese literature and illuminating examples from President Xi's speeches, the series delves into the essence of "He" through five interconnected dimensions: Self-cultivation, family management, state governance, bringing peace to all under heaven, and reverence for nature. By highlighting these core aspects of "He" culture, the series aims to share China's unique cultural wisdom with the world, promoting values of peaceful coexistence, mutual prosperity, and harmonious living.

The second installment highlights the story of the "most beautiful family" in Central China's Hunan to illustrate how the tradition of teaching and nurturing has fostered a harmonious small family, serving as a model for larger families, which are the cornerstone of a prosperous nation.

In the village of He Ci in Hengnan county, Central China's Hunan Province, a family exemplifies love and wisdom across generations. At the center of this four-generation household is nearly 90-year-old He Fangjing, the eldest of the He family dedicated to rural education for over four decades. As a devoted teacher, he has not only educated countless students but also instilled values of learning and kindness in his descendants, fostering a family ethos that prioritizes moral integrity.

Every Chinese Lunar New Year's eve, the He family gathers to share stories and all-year gains, highlighting the enduring power of love, education, and familial bonds. Reflecting on this cherished tradition, the elder expressed pride in their family's heritage with the Global Times.

Family values are the spiritual core and of societal values. President Xi has stressed the importance of family virtues and traditions on many occasions.

At the mid-Autumn Festival on October 1, 2020, a traditional holiday for family reunion in China, Xi said that "the Chinese nation has always valued the family. As an ancient saying goes: 'The state is essential under Heaven. The family is essential for the state.' A harmonious family will prosper," the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The ancient saying quoted by Xi originates from the classic work Mencius, a classic work of Confucianism in China's Warring States Period (475BC-221BC). It conveys the idea that the foundation of the world, the country, and the family lies in each family, and the foundation of each family lies in each of us. Every individual should strive to be a good person with a sense of reverence. When families are harmonious, it paves the way for a well-ordered nation, ultimately leading to world peace.

In the He family, the aspirations of both the family and the nation are intricately intertwined, because many later generations have taken on important national positions such as engineers, doctors, and civil servants under He Fangjing's education and influence. This family exemplifies how 490 million households across China are united in their efforts to form a powerful collective force aimed at achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and realizing the Chinese Dream.

A spokesperson for 'He' family

Promoting strong family values is also a cherished tradition of the CPC. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party has prioritized the development of family values, education, and traditions, recognizing that countless families serve as vital cornerstones for national development, ethnic progress, and social harmony, Xinhua reported.

The descendants of He Fangjing have blossomed in this fertile soil. Every year during the Spring Festival, three generations in He's family would gather for a family symposium to discuss gains and losses, work, and interpersonal relationships. This tradition has been upheld for over two decades.

He noted that each year's family symposium has a different theme, but the core message is always to inspire the younger generation to treat others with sincerity and to be willing to help.

This enduring legacy remains closely tied to He's original profession in education. After retiring, he continued to promote his educational philosophy through family values. "This practice originated from an experience I had 30 years ago, shortly after I retired from teaching. During the New Year celebrations, I visited my village and noticed that everyone was either indulging in feasting or playing cards and mahjong. I felt that the New Year should not only be about family warmth but also about the spirit of learning," said He Fangjing.

His granddaughter, He Xiufeng, chuckled as she recounted to the Global Times, "At first, my family didn't quite understand. They thought New Year was all about eating, drinking, and having fun, and they found it too complicated to hold a family discussion; they felt it was too serious."

However, He Fangjing remained steadfast in his beliefs. To ensure the family discussions were meaningful, he meticulously prepared speeches before each meeting, pouring his hopes and expectations for his children and grandchildren into those texts. Gradually, these discussions evolved into an annual grand event, gaining more influence and attracting many visitors eager to attend.

In 2015, He Fangjing compiled the discussions into a book based on the meeting transcripts, printing over 1,500 copies. He also created three volumes of family archives, distributing 300 copies to neighbors and friends free of charge. Many relatives and friends sought out the book, hoping to share it with their families and children for inspiration.

In 2023, the second volume of book was released. The introduction describes the book as "a substantial work, boasting over 420 pages and nearly one million words. Yet, it can also be considered a concise volume, as its entire essence can be distilled into three words: good family traditions."

Family values are our foundation; they have flowed from my grandfather's heart into mine. I believe this embodies the true strength of family values, He Xiufeng said.

He Fangjing dedicates over four hours each day to reading, meticulously recording any valuable insights he encounters for his children. These notes have become his cherished "admonitions" to them.

He also designed and constructed a 90-meter-long family cultural corridor and holds special recognition ceremonies at the ancestral hall each year to motivate the younger generation to study diligently.

In 2018, Xi urged the people to integrate their personal and family dreams with the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

"We should pool the wisdom and strength of more than 1.3 billion Chinese people in more than 400 million households to strive for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation," Xi said during his Spring Festival speech on February 14, 2018.

He Fangjing said his Chinese dream is made up of countless family dreams. The premise of the realization of this dream is that everyone lives diligently, actively and optimistically, and strives to create a harmonious society.

Achieving greatness of big families

A skit titled "A harmonious family will prosper" debuts at a spring festival gala in Yangzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on January 17, 2024. Photo: VCG

This expectation of inheritance and love extends beyond the immediate family to encompass the larger community.

In addition to educating her own children, retired He Fangjing has embraced the role of an extracurricular teacher for other children in the village. Whenever he receives salary or some money from her children, he finds ways to invest it in repairing roads, schools, and ponds within the community.

To inspire future generations and foster cultural development within the clan, He Fangjing took the initiative to establish a special fund and to hold an award ceremony on August 8 every year to honor He family members who have been admitted to prestigious universities across the country.

Under his influence, since 2007, 134 members of the He Family in the village have been admitted to top national universities, including four who were accepted into Tsinghua University and Peking University.

As ancient Chinese scholars put it, "If you love your children, teach them the right path," and "Love your children the right way, or you will cause them harm." Young people are the hope of the future for not just families but also the nation. President Xi quoted these ancient sayings when he had a meeting with attendees at a Beijing conference to honor model families across the nation on December 12, 2016.

The first ancient saying Xi quoted was coming from Zuo's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (Zuo Zhuan). Zuoqiu Ming (556-451 BC) was a historian of the Spring and Autumn Period. The other one was from Historical Events Retold as a Mirror for Government (Zi Zhi Tong Jian). The ancient wisdom conveys that if you do not guide your children with moral principles or love them through a moral lens, then what you offer is not true love; rather, it may harm them.

He Fangjing draws upon this age-old and straightforward family tradition to cultivate wisdom that shapes future generations and reaches a broader segment of the community.

A home is not just a personal space; it is the smallest unit of a nation, and a nation is made up of countless homes. The well-being of a small family is intertwined with the larger harmonious community and the country. Similarly, family matters are not merely private affairs; they are also concerns of the nation and society, said Professor Zhao Dongmei from Peking University.

He's family exemplifies that a good family ethos is a family's true immovable asset. If countless families possess such valuable assets, they collectively support the spiritual edifice of the nation and the people. This is why Chinese leaders place such great emphasis on family building and the cultivation of family values, said the scholar.