Collision of thought: College students review cultural China

Contestant Shi Jia expressed her worries over Chinese cultural identity in the new era and appealed for revitalization of tradition. "Abandoning Chinese cultural identity is very dangerous. Only if we keep our cultural identity, then we know who we are, and our nation will survive," she said.

Contestant Lin Wanlu was adamant in her criticism of a pro-western attitude in China. She advocated that Chinese should first try their best to dig out and digest their own culture, and then extend the wisdom of Chinese traditional culture as a treasure to the world.

"After over 100 years of humiliation by the west, many Chinese still cannot step out of the shadow that Chinese culture is inferior to that of the west. This is eroding our cultural self-confidence. Now it is time for us to speak out and tell Chinese stories both past and present to the whole world," she said.

"Chinese culture seeks a balance between yin and yang. We believe that only in this way could people build a harmonious world. Chinese kung fu shares more of a reputation abroad than other Chinese cultural elements, like Beijing Opera, paper-cutting, painting, etc," said Liu Biqi, a contestant who is a member of the Mongolian ethnic group.

Others, however, apparently have different views. Liu is one of them. "If we want to build cultural confidence, and want to make our voice heard by the world, we have got to change," Liu said. Her opinions were those of reformists. She might reflect her own experience of pervasive prejudice and hope to change the status quo. But on the whole, most students showed great interest in and confidence over the future of traditional Chinese culture.