NPC Delegate Proposes Chinese Thanksgiving
China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, March 6, 2012 Adjust font size:
A National People's Congress delegate said on Monday that China could have its own "Thanksgiving Day" during a NPC meeting session for Guangdong delegates held in Beijing.
Huang Xihua, the director of Huizhou City Tourism Bureau, said that the government work report called culture the "spiritual home of the human race," so the new holiday could serve to promote the China's philanthropist culture.
The proposal came following the 50th anniversary of the death of Lei Feng, a Chinese national hero and icon promoted for his altruistic deeds.
Huang proposed that China could create a national charity day on June 30, which has been proposed by Wang Yang, secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and approved by the State Council to be Guangdong's Helping the Poor's Day.
Huang also suggested that Chinese lunar Aug. 16 could become Chinese Thanksgiving Day. The delegate explained that according to the Confucius legend, on that day Confucius returned to his parents after he toured around nations and found out that his parents were old and weak. Confucius felt that he didn't hold to his own principle of "when parents are still living, you should never drift far," so he held a grand ceremony to thank his parents.
Huang's proposal is echoed by Feng Jun, founder and CEO of consumer electronics giant Aigo and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He too proposed a bill to set up a "Chinese Thanksgiving Day" in this year's two sessions.
"I suggest Aug. 8 or Sept. 1 to be the Chinese Thanksgiving Day," Feng said. "We can discuss the exact date later." He did not give a reason for the two choices of dates.
"Feeling grateful is a foundation for respect and trust, which is good for people's relationship with others and with the society," Feng said in his proposal. "Chinese people should enhance the mutual respect, and the gratefulness for parents, hometown, teachers, friends and all the overseas friends who are as grateful as we are."
