A considerable number of people would probably say they admire the craftsmanship of Germany and Japan, and they are fans of products from the two countries. On one hand, we as Chinese, feel that it is not bad to learn good things from other countries; on the other hand, we are confused with the question lingering on: Is the spirit of craftsman (gōng jiàng jīng shén, 工匠精神) also imported? What is our own understanding of it?
Perfect example of craftsmen in ancient China
Actually, this term should never sound exotic to Chinese, as China used to be the largest country of originality and craftsmanship. We have our glorious page in history. It was vividly recorded in the book of Zhuangzi (《庄子》https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)) about a Chinese craftsman, Ziqing, around 2300 years ago.
Ziqing was a carpenter in State Lu. Ju was a kind of musical instrument in ancient times. The wooden Ju built by Ziqing amazed people. Everyone who had seen his work thought only divine power can make such ingenious piece. The king of State Lu also marveled at the Ju Ziqing made, so he called Ziqing in and asked: “Do you have any secret in creating such an exquisite artwork?”
Ziqing replied with modesty: “I am only an ordinary carpenter. There is no secret. Every time before getting down to my work, I dare not consume too much of my energy and just stay peaceful to collect myself, which helps me to calm down. I abstain from meat and wine for seven days so that I am not distracted by earthly temptations, untill as if I have forgot my physical body. Then I enter the mountain forest, look at all kinds of trees in order to choose the best material, of which the shape fits most. At this time, the image of Ju has already been presented in my mind. The next step, I put all my efforts in carving it out as carefully as I can, dedicate my sincerity with the nature of wooden texture. Perhaps the Ju finally comes out like what it is now because of those what I have done.”
The story in Zhuangzi simply tells the spiritual world and the strength of an ancient Chinese craftsman character. That is, if you want to achieve perfection, you have to be meticulous in every step in the work.
The spirit went and come
Compared with some in hope of immediate benefit, Ziqing’s practice reflects a higher level of the spirit while he is only one sample in ancient China. During the era of farming economy over 2000 years, China’s product such as silk, porcelain, tea, wallpaper, lacquer, silver and gold ware are lionized by royal palaces and well-offs around the world. Just as the world has been obsessed with made-in-China products for over 2000 years, recognition of the craftsmanship value has never changed.
Manufacture in Germany and Japan both experienced the process of learning other’s countries’ technology including China’s, after that have become the benchmark in industry. Now it looks like history repeats itself. China has been through the similar process: learning, copying, imitating, constantly upgrading until the realization of independent innovation. Made-in-China used to be tagged as something cheap with low quality but now is gradually shifting to something intelligent, efficient with high quality.
That is the return of Craftsman’s spirit, focusing on one thing to seek permanent goal. All the efforts putting at improving professional skills are the pursuit of the higher level to our ultimate objective, with integrity and consistency.
What does this mean in modern life?
First you need to have the right attitude of what you are doing. Behind the success is always unknown loneliness piled up that you have to endure. As long as do your best, no matter how small or ordinary your job is, your efforts will be recognized, because your achievements are full of your endeavor.
For every individual like you, it could be just slowing down your daily pace, to hand write a letter in the age of instant message; to stay cool by calming yourself from heat instead of turning on the aircon; to consolidate your knowledge until you can master something well through iteration…The faster the outer world is, the slower your inner world should be.
As a language school, Mandarin Inn has been working on improving our education service to customers in many ways since 2008. In the development of the last decade, we were constantly trying to find out what our students need as much as possible and provide tailor made solution. We never stop building up our teaching strength and training qualified teachers. We understand as a believer in the spirit of craftsman, only by focusing on our own profession can evolve us into a stronger team in the field of mandarin education. Any suggestion that makes us better are welcomed! Feel free to leave your comment.
