As is symbolically illustrated in the portrayal, there is a boiling hot pot containing various ingredients of multi-cultures. These pluralistic cultures can be categorized as celebrities home and abroad as Bi Sheng, Lao She, Shakespeare and Einstein, philosophical concepts as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, benevolence, ritual, humanism, Enlightenment, post-modernism and deconstruction, as well as performing arts as Beijing Opera, Gong Fu, Liang Zhu and Swan Lake. We are informed that the culture “hot pot” is both delicious and nutritious.
The purpose of the cartoonist is to show us that instead of being outdated and of little value in a rapidly modernizing world, cultural blending should be encouraged and maintained. On the one hand, mosaic cultures are part of the universal heritage of humanity and they are powerful means of bringing together diverse peoples and social groups. Consequently, cultural reintegration has become indispensable as a means of promoting further culture development and maintenance. On the other hand, for China, as for any other rapidly developing country, there is a danger that age-old customs and traditions may become lost in the shadows of modernization. If Liang Zhu, Beijing Opera or Swan Lake Ballet ever perished from the earth, it would be a tragedy of immeasurable proportions.
In my view, multi-cultures can be kept alive by the people with the time to do so, and is extremely vital in ensuring a community’s future development and prosperity. As a consequence of successful commercialization efforts, unwavering government support and growing interest overseas, the future of cultural blending looks brighter and more secure than ever before.
