Bozhou Uses Taoism to Boost Development

Taoism， also known as Daoism， was one of the most important schools of thought in ancient China during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 B.C.) and Warring States period (475-221 B.C.). Laozi (Lao Tzu)， known as a great thinker， was the founding father of Taoism during the Spring and Autumn period.

Bozhou， in central China’s Anhui Province， is not only the birthplace of Taoist culture， but also the place of origin of prominent Taoists such as Laozi， Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) and Chen Tuan.

The Academic Forum on Lao-Zhuang Thought and Coordinated Development was held in Bozhou from Aug. 18 to 20. The forum， which has been held three times since 2013， focuses on the academic frontiers of the philosophical thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi， exploring the enlightenment of the thought and its application to modern social development. The forum has become one of the most influential academic forums on the thought of Laozi and Zhuangzi in China.

Passing on Taoist Culture

Both Bozhou natives， Laozi and Zhuangzi inspired Chinese philosophy and explained the Dao， a multifaceted philosophical concept that has several interpretations. The most widely accepted interpretation is that of the Cosmic Dao， the Way of the cosmos， which is evident in nature. Another influential interpretation of Dao considers it to be the particular “way” of a thing or class of things. Laozi and Zhuangzi are now sometimes collectively known as “Lao-Zhuang”.

Taoism values liberty and emancipation of human nature. On one hand， emancipation refers to giving full play to the knowledge and ability of humans. On the other hand， emancipation means the liberation of a human’s state of mind in life. Laozi said that Dao requires humans to follow the ways of the earth， the earth to follow the rules of heaven and heaven to follow the ways of nature. Everything runs naturally， achieving the circle of life.

In the application of the Lao-Zhuang thought， Hua Tuo， a native of Bozhou and an ancient Chinese physician who lived during the late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220)， created the “Five Animal Play” exercises — movements imitating five different animals. The five animals covered in the exercises are the tiger， the deer， the bear， the monkey and the bird. Regular practice of such exercises is said to improve the functioning of the internal organs.

Chen Tuan， also born in Bozhou， inherited and helped further Taoist doctrine and became a legendary Taoist sage， following in the footsteps of Laozi and Zhuangzi.

Bozhou gave birth to a profound Taoist culture， which in turn edifies its modern vibrance. Under the influence of Taoist culture， people in Bozhou have developed their own unique cultural characteristics， featuring enthusiasm， generosity， credibility and righteousness.

Ancient Values for Modern Times

The Academic Forum， themed “Carrying forward the Lao-Zhuang Thought， Promoting Coordinated Development”， was jointly sponsored by Guangming Daily， the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Publicity Department of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee. The organizers of the forum were the Anhui Academy of Social Sciences (AASS)， the Anhui Province Federation of Social Sciences and the Publicity Department of the Bozhou Municipal Party Committee.

Liu Feiyue， deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and the Party secretary and director of AASS， said that the forum aimed at actively researching， excavating， protecting and promoting Lao-Zhuang culture， and strove to build a national cultural brand so as to better serve economic and social development， as well as promote the progress of human civilization.

Deputy Secretary of the Bozhou Municipal Party Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the Bozhou Municipal Party Committee Fang Xiaoli pointed out that the Lao-Zhuang thought and Taoist philosophy are treasures of China’s traditional culture that can help people further establish an integrated and balanced concept of coordinated development and continuously enhance the overall performance of social development in order to build a well-off society.

During the forum， participating experts conducted in-depth discussion on the historical heritage and contemporary values of the Lao-Zhuang thought， as well as overall coordinated development. The forum was composed of three parallel sessions， which discussed topics on the “Modern Values of the Lao-Zhuang Thought”， “Mutual Reference between Taoist Doctrine and Civilization” and “Historical Heritage of Taoist Culture” respectively， hoping to promote cultural undertakings and the development of the cultural industry in Bozhou， all the while cementing Bozhou’s position as a place promoting China’s traditional culture.

Practical Significance of Taoist Doctrine

Wei Hongcan， a professor at Bozhou University， said that Taoist doctrine has played a positive role in modern society in a variety of ways， such as adjusting modern expectations of quick success and instant benefits.

Lao-Zhuang thought and Taoist philosophy integrate nature， society and human nature， which coincides with the “Five Development Concepts”: innovation， harmonization， green， openness and sharing. Strengthening research on the Lao-Zhuang thought bears important practical significance.

In recent years， Bozhou has made steady progress and pursued both speed and quality in its development， firmly pushing forward supply-side structural reforms and implementing the action plan of the “Five Development Concepts” in order to maintain the sound momentum of healthy and rapid social and economic development.

In the first half of this year， the Anhui provincial government conducted an assessment of the province’s cities. There were 11 performance indicators covered in the survey， and Bozhou had eight indicators ranked in the top six， seven indicators in the top five， four indicators in the top three and one indicator in the first place in the province. Bozhou’s GDP reached 54.88 billion yuan (US$8.3 billion) for the first half of this year， up 9.1 percent compared to the same period in 2016. With a 9.1 percent growth rate in the first half of 2017， Bozhou’s development rate was 0.6 percentage points higher than the average of Anhui Province.

According to the Anhui provincial government’s assessment results for the first half of 2017， Bozhou’s GDP ranked third in the province， the best ranking that Bozhou has achieved since it was first classified as a city.

In terms of coordinated development， Bozhou aims to position itself as a city central to the millions of people living in the inter-province intersection area. It coordinates the development pace of the central urban area it lies in， as well as nearby counties， villages and towns， striving to become a livable city with modern infrastructure and services.