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Three Origins of Chinese Hehe Culture

The Academy of Contemporary China and World StudiesUpdated:  March 20, 2023

Three Origins of Chinese Hehe Culture 

Chinese Hehe Culture is profound and long-standing, and its origins date back to remote ancient times. According to The Philosophy of Hehe, Hehe Culture has three major origins: the culture of dragon totem, the culture of three Chinese legendary ancestors (Huangdi, Yandi and Chiyou), and the culture of the Tiantai Mountains. 

The dragon, as a symbol of the Chinese nation, is different from general totems. It is not a single animal but a collection of animals, which fully manifests the Chinese nation's Hehe thinking. The culture of dragon totem is thus one of the earliest origins of Hehe Culture. 

Building a harmonious society has been the Chinese nation's consistent pursuit, the origin of which can date back to the culture of three Chinese legendary ancestors over 4,700 years ago. It is said that after the battle of Zhuolu, Huangdi, having defeated Yandi and Chiyou, convened the leaders of all clans, tribes and alliances to have a gathering at Mount Fu, Zhuolu County, where he proposed the idea of "Hehe" for the first time, thus giving birth to the concept of harmony in Chinese culture.

Based on the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, the culture of the Tiantai Mountains is a creative, inclusive and open culture valuing harmony, goodness and upward mobility. The Hehe Culture of the Tiantai Mountains has the characteristics of both mountain and sea cultures, and is a philosophical system with the Hehe thinking featuring the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism as its core and the "Two Immortals of Hehe" as its cultural symbol. As the essence of the culture of the Tiantai Mountains, it can be seen as a quintessential example of Chinese Hehe Culture. 

中华和合文化三大源头说

中华和合文化思想深邃、源远流长,其源头可以追溯到上古时代。《和合之道》一书认为中华和合文化有三大源头,即龙图腾文化、三祖文化、天台山文化。

龙,作为中华民族的象征,与一般的图腾不同,它不是单一的动物,而是多种动物的集合体,充分体现了中华民族的和合思想,这是中华和合文化最深的根。

建设一个和谐社会是中华民族的一贯追求,其源头是四千七百多年前的华夏三祖文化,最明显的标志是涿鹿之战后黄帝打败了炎帝、蚩尤,将所有氏族、部落、部落联盟的首领召集于涿鹿县的釜山,举行了政治大会盟,并首次提出了和合的理念,这是中华文化和谐观念的源头。

天台山文化是在儒释道交融基础上,以尚和、崇善、向上为价值取向,具有创造性、融合性、开放性的文化形式。其中,天台山和合文化兼具山海文化特征,是以天台山儒释道三教的和合思想为内核、以“和合二圣”为文化象征的思想体系。它是天台山文化的精髓,是中华和合文化的典型形态和鲜活样本。

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