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- Scholars call for China's own Mother's Day
Date: 16-May-2007 Sources: (Shenzhen Daily)
As many people around the world celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday, a Chinese scholar* and member of the top national advisory body is leading around 100 scholars in a mission to create China's own Mother's Day.
Li Hanqiu, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, suggested that the second day of the fourth lunar month, which falls on May 18 this year, be celebrated in China as Mother's Day.
It coincides with* the birthday of the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius, whose mother has long been considered a symbol of maternal* devotion and love.
Li has called for the traditional Mother's Day gift of carnations* to be replaced in China by lilies*, which in ancient times were planted by mothers in courtyards as a sign of sorrow at their children leaving home.
'In a country with a deeply rooted tradition of filial piety*, we should have our own occasion for people to express love for mothers according to Chinese custom,'Li said.
He has founded a non-government organization 'Chinese Mother's Festival Promotion Society?with the support of around 100 Confucian* scholars. It plans to celebrate its first festival on May 18.
'This is our first year and the celebration will be held only in Zoucheng, Shandong Province, and Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, but we believe it will be accepted by more Chinese people at home and abroad as it is good to revitalize* our traditional culture of filial piety,'said Li.
He also plans to build a theme park on motherhood in Zoucheng, the birthplace of Mencius.
'Even though the Western Mother's Day is becoming more and more popular worldwide, countries like France, Egypt, South Korea, Portugal and Indonesia celebrate their own mother's days in their own ways,'said Lu Zonghai, secretary of Li's society.
According to Li, the society plans to send pamphlets* to a million students in 100 cities over the next few years, advocating* filial piety.
'To ensure the festival is accepted by more people may be an difficult process, but it is definitely worth trying,'said Chen Xuxia, an academician* with the Hebei Academy of Social Sciences.
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