Japanese Author Explores Shandong: Experiencing the Difference in National Power Between China and Japan Through Museums
Renowned Japanese critic and author Hiroki Tō visited Shandong during the May Day holiday. Reflecting on this trip to China, he published an article in the weekly magazine AERA (May 12–18).
Tō wrote: "I traveled to China for research purposes, aiming to gather material for my next book. Shandong Province is a sacred land of Confucianism and Daoism. I visited Confucius' tomb and climbed Mount Tai, where emperors of ancient China once held grand ceremonies."
This trip was undertaken alone. Although Sino-Japanese relations are currently at a chilly stage, I felt absolutely no sense of anxiety or danger throughout my journey.
I don't speak Chinese. I relied entirely on translation software. While everyone knew I was Japanese, no one showed me discrimination or treated me differently.
What struck me most was personally experiencing China's vitality. Partly because the second half of my itinerary coincided with the May Day long holiday, every tourist attraction was packed with people—but almost no foreigners were visible. In Japan, tourism heavily depends on overseas visitors, but in China, domestic tourists alone can fully sustain the tourism market.
Tourism promotion is closely tied to national and ethnic education. Patriotic slogans are prominently displayed at scenic spots. The government’s attitude toward Confucianism is evident in museum construction and architectural styles. The overtly emphasized propaganda slogans made me, as a Japanese, somewhat uncomfortable.
Yet despite this, I was deeply moved by the sight of countless ordinary citizens joyfully strolling through famous landmarks and historical sites with their families, one museum after another.
Travel is merely entertainment. Yet the historical knowledge gained through such leisure activities undoubtedly becomes nourishment for future generations. China clearly understands this.
Due to the coordinated development between museum construction and tourism promotion, China has witnessed unprecedented prosperity. The Jinan Shandong Museum and Qufu Confucius Exhibition Hall, which I visited this time, are both newly built and vast in scale—I couldn’t even finish touring them within a few hours. Such museums are not rare across China.
Regarding the current coldness in Sino-Japanese relations, this journey revealed to me, in places invisible in daily life, how significantly the two nations now differ in national strength.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864973746149450/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.