Chinese poems on Japanese donations show cultural ties

Chinese netizens not only expressed their appreciation for Japan’s recent assistance in battling the novel coronavirus, but also had a heated discussion over the ancient Chinese poems posted on the boxes of Japanese donations to China.

Together with another three organizations in Japan, NOP Renxin Association, a non-profit organization of ethnic Chinese in Japan, donated 3,800 protective outfits to Central China’s Hubei Province. And on the boxes with the supplies, they placed an excerpt from an ancient poem in Chinese – “How can you say you lack clothes? Don’t worry, I will share mine with you.”

The excerpt comes from an ancient poem compilation dating from the 7th to 11th centuries BC.

Pictures of the donations with the poem went viral on Chinese social media. Netizens also started a heated discussion over whether traditional Chinese culture is better preserved and appreciated in Japan.

Chinese netizens made the comparison between straightforward slogans such as “Stay strong, Wuhan!” and the intricate poems. “Compared to the classic poems used by Japanese, our slogans seemed too explicit and simple and have less cultural connotations,” a netizen said.

“It is pointless to make such comparisons. Japan pays attention to cultural education. But it is still China that inherits the traditional culture and we have been promoting its beauty in recent years,” Lian Degui, a professor at Shanghai International

Studies University, told the Global Times.

Other Chinese netizens also pointed out that these poems showed that China and Japan have been bound deeply in history and that the two peoples have a shared culture.

Seno Kiyomi, former Consul-General of Japan in Chongqing, told the Global Times on Thursday that Japanese culture originated from China, and characters and poems were also introduced to Japan through ambassadors from the Tang Dynasty.

No matter who comes up with the verses posted on the aid materials, they all show the deep friendship between the two peoples, said Kiyomi.

Photo: cnsphoto Two retired officials volunteer to clean and disinfect shared bikes with rubbing alcohol on Thursday in their community in Hefei, East China’s Auhui Province, which is believed to be effective in preventing cross-infection. Anhui has reported 910 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of midnight Wednesday.