[The content of this article is based on authoritative historical data, and there are citations at the end of the article, please be aware.] 】
In 1945, when Ho Chi Minh led Vietnam to independence, China's assistance to Vietnam was undoubtedly a crucial step. However, it is confusing that Ho Chi Minh immediately ordered the abolition of Chinese characters as soon as he seized power, a decision that left many doubts in history.
Why did Ho Chi Minh, a leader who was deeply influenced by Han culture and was fluent in the Chinese language, take such drastic steps to change his culture? What kind of complex national pride and independent will are hidden behind this decision?
1. The thousand-year-old relationship between Chinese characters and Vietnam
The history of Chinese characters in Vietnam has deep roots, dating back to 214 BC, when they began to be introduced to Vietnam after Qin Shi Huang pacified South Vietnam, and gradually became an important tool for official language and cultural exchange. The use of Chinese characters is not limited to administrative and academic research, but also penetrates into daily life, becoming a bridge for social interaction and cultural inheritance.
For example, Vietnam's imperial examination system began to be implemented after the establishment of the Temple of Literature in 1070, and Chinese characters were used as the official language for examinations, deepening its position in Vietnamese society. In addition, the importance of Chinese characters in Vietnamese history is also reflected in their influence on the native Vietnamese language.
The Chinese-Vietnamese pronunciation system of the Vietnamese language was formed in the process of long-term use of Chinese characters, and this pronunciation system played a decisive role in the standardization and development of the Vietnamese language. Chinese characters are not only a means of language transmission, but also a carrier of culture and philosophy.
Through Chinese characters, Confucian culture, Buddhist thought, ancient Chinese literature, history and other knowledge were introduced into Vietnam, greatly enriching Vietnam's cultural landscape.
Although Vietnam began to develop its own writing system, the Chinese character, after the formal establishment of its independent state in 968 AD, still retains its central position in Vietnamese society. Although the character 喃 was created based on the pronunciation characteristics of the Vietnamese language, many of its characters still borrow from the structure and form of Chinese characters.
This mix of words exemplifies the balance between maintaining tradition and pursuing self-expression in Vietnamese culture. Until the end of the 19th century, the influence of Chinese characters in Vietnam remained undiminished. During the French colonial period, Vietnam's official language and education system began to shift to the Latin alphabet, but the use of Chinese characters still occupies an important place in some traditional cultural activities and religious ceremonies.
This state of affairs lasted until the mid-20th century, when the Vietnamese independence movement led by Ho Chi Minh completely changed the situation. After the independence of Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh, in order to better build the country's independence and cultural autonomy, it was decided to abolish Chinese characters and promote the Vietnamese Chinese script based on the Roman Latin alphabet.
The decision marked a major turning point in Vietnam's thousand-year-old cultural ties with China, as Vietnam sought a writing system more in line with its national language as a way to strengthen its national identity and cultural self-confidence.
2. Ho Chi Minh's Chinese Affiliation and Cultural Identity
Ho Chi Minh was a central figure in Vietnam's nationalist and communist revolutions, and his life had deep ties to China. Ho Chi Minh spent his early years living and studying in France, Britain and the Soviet Union, but he spent most of his time in China between 1924 and 1945.
During this period, Ho Chi Minh not only received support and training from the Chinese Communist Party, but also developed close working and personal relationships with many leaders of the Chinese revolution. Ho Chi Minh is proficient in Chinese, and his Chinese language skills are not limited to oral communication, but also can write Chinese characters at a high level.
While in prison, he wrote the "Prison Diary" in Chinese characters, which fully demonstrates his deep affection and superb skills for Chinese character culture. In addition, Ho Chi Minh also participated in many revolutionary training classes as a keynote speaker during his stay in Guangzhou, teaching Chinese language and revolutionary theory to Vietnamese youth, showing his admiration for and dissemination of Chinese characters and Chinese culture.
Ho Chi Minh's love for China is also reflected in his political activities. He has publicly expressed his admiration for the Chinese revolution and Chinese culture on many occasions. For example, when he met with the leaders of China and Vietnam, he often used Chinese to express his respect for the Chinese leaders and the importance he attached to the friendly relations between the two countries.
These public statements not only demonstrate Ho Chi Minh's personal mastery of the Chinese language, but also reflect his use of cultural affinity to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between countries in politics and diplomacy.
3. Nationalism and the Quest for Autonomous Language in the Independence Movement
Ho Chi Minh's decision to abolish Chinese characters at the beginning of Vietnam's independence was a crucial step in his efforts to promote Vietnam's cultural autonomy and national independence. In 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, and quickly introduced the Vietnamese Chinese script based on the Roman Latin alphabet at the beginning of the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
This initiative is not only to break with the long-standing tradition of Chinese characters as the official language, but also to strengthen Vietnam's cultural identity and national unity as an independent country. The main impetus behind the decision came from the strong nationalist sentiment of Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese leaders.
They believe that Vietnam, as a country with a long history and rich culture, should have its own independent writing system as a way to demonstrate its complete independence from colonial rule.
Therefore, the Ho Chi Minh government's promotion of the Chinese character is not only a language conversion, but also a manifestation of cultural self-confidence, aiming to fundamentally eliminate the influence of the colonial period and establish a new sense of national identity.
The implementation of this language policy is not unprecedented. Vietnamese history has used the word "mam" derived from Chinese characters. Since it was first created by the Li Dynasty of Vietnam in the 11th century, it has been used by the Vietnamese Dynasty to record the Chinese language and culture. Although it is not widely used in the civil service and academic circles, its existence is indicative of Vietnam's long-standing tradition of seeking cultural autonomy and linguistic independence.
The decision to implement the Chinese language was also closely related to the socio-political environment in Vietnam in the mid-20th century. At that time, Vietnam had just ended a long period of French colonial rule and experienced the turmoil of World War II, and national consciousness was high.
Ho Chi Minh and the Workers' Party of Vietnam believe that to maintain the country's independence and sovereignty, it is necessary to strengthen cultural autonomy, and that the abolition of Chinese characters and the promotion of the Chinese character are necessary steps to achieve this goal. Ho Chi Minh's policy is also based on practical considerations. The complex Chinese character system and the high cost of learning are not conducive to the popularization of education for all and the increase of illiteracy.
The Chinese language is based on the Latin alphabet and is relatively simple to learn and use, which is more in line with Vietnam's needs to develop basic education for all people and improve the cultural quality of the people. Therefore, this policy is also seen as an important step in the modernization process of Vietnam.
Fourth, the cost and reflection of cultural transformation
While the decision to abolish Chinese characters is in line with Vietnam's policy goal of pursuing independence and autonomy, the shift also comes at a profound cultural cost. With the gradual withdrawal of Chinese characters, Vietnam has encountered many challenges in terms of cultural inheritance and historical research.
Chinese characters have a long place and profound influence in the history of Vietnam, and are written in almost all documents, official documents and academic works of ancient Vietnam. As a result, when this writing system was abandoned, many of the traditional knowledge and cultural essences associated with it became difficult for successors to understand and inherit.
In addition, the interpretation and research of many historical documents have been hindered as a result. For scholars of Vietnam's native history, the obsolescence of Chinese characters means that past records must be interpreted indirectly or by relying on a handful of experts who can understand Chinese characters. This not only increases the difficulty of academic research, but also leads to inaccurate and one-sided historical interpretation.
Vietnam's cultural elite and some intellectuals have expressed concern. They believe that Chinese characters are not only a writing system, but also carry the cultural and philosophical ideas of many dynasties in Vietnam. The abandonment of Chinese characters, especially if the cultural transition and education are not fully done, may lead to the disconnection and forgetting of the ancestral culture of a generation.
Although the promotion of the Chinese language may seem like an effective strategy for modernizing and universalizing education in Viet Nam from a political and educational perspective, it is clear that this decision also has mixed consequences from the perspective of cultural continuity.
Especially in the context of Vietnam's globalization and multiculturalism, how to preserve and respect traditional cultural heritage while maintaining cultural autonomy has become an important issue.
5. Cultural introspection from a modern perspective
With the passage of time and changes in Vietnamese society, relations between Vietnam and China have gradually normalized, especially since the 90s of the 20th century, and political, economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries have become increasingly frequent. Against this backdrop, attitudes towards Chinese characters and the Chinese language have also undergone new changes in Vietnam.
Under the influence of globalization and regional integration, Chinese as one of the important international languages has regained attention in Vietnam. With the rapid development of China's economy and the increase of its influence on a global scale, the practical and cultural value of the Chinese language has been recognized by more and more Vietnamese people.
Vietnam's education system has begun to reintroduce Chinese language education, many schools and language institutions have set up Chinese language courses, and Chinese language tests (such as the HSK) are becoming increasingly popular with Vietnamese students and professionals. This is not only for economic and career reasons, but also reflects the acceptance and appreciation of cultural diversity in Vietnamese society.
In addition, the artistic and cultural value of Chinese characters has been re-evaluated and discovered. In some cultural festivals and traditional celebrations, Chinese characters are once again used to write couplets and other festive decorations, which is not only a return to cultural traditions, but also a reaffirmation of cultural identity.
A number of cultural groups and non-governmental organizations in Viet Nam have begun to work to preserve and revitalize traditional skills using Chinese characters, such as calligraphy and classical literature. This revival of Chinese characters is not limited to the cultural dimension, but also its role in academic research has been rerecognized.
Many researchers of Vietnamese history and literature emphasize the importance of reviving the study of Chinese characters for understanding traditional Vietnamese culture and history. Through in-depth research and teaching of Chinese characters, Vietnamese people can better understand and evaluate their own history and cultural heritage.
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Resources:
Ho Chi Minh
Author: Edited by Jiang Kunyang
Release Date : 2008.04 Pages : 268
Title of the series: The world's great names series