ISSUE147

civilppUID: 2999177

147
Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them

15：20-16：24

The speaker claims that tradition and modernization can not be both maintain in the real world. I concede that sometimes tradition may impeded the development of modernization, while under some circumstances it is possible to use both ways-whether traditional or modern, contributing success of shaping a city or forming a daily life of high quality.

While determine whether to keep tradition or to develop modern pattern, there often exists confusion for which to remain. After all, contradiction between tradition and modernization has long been justified by history. We can look no further than the traditional custom in ancient china. The ancient Chinese society exercised polygamy, which is a programme means one male can marry more than one women. For centuries, women suffered from severe discrimination judging from the tradition that women are not allowed to have meals with their husbands, not allow to go outdoors without permission, and not allow to remarry after the death of their husbands and so on. Thanks to the awareness of equality and rights of every human being, people refused to continue that obsolete tradition which is obviously unfair to every woman's right. Such a impedance will the tradition bring to development of our modern society today, for if the society still follows this tradition, no one would see so many women's achievements and efforts contributing to the our colorful world.

While the architects highly praised the modernized skyscrapers, the historians value the traditional way of living the most. Both of them ignore the fact that it is possible for these two kinds of ways of life to contribute each other. On one side, the traditional buildings maintaining symbolic designs of the history which present architectures lacks may act a main role in tourism attraction whether for domestic tourists or people abroad. Therefore, business and culture establishment needed for modernization can be the result. What's more, the development of modern society followed with an increasingly popular trend that people who may rich in materials may suffered from mental diseases like pressure and self-confusion with vacant spiritual satisfaction, while some philosophy mind and traditional legacy generated from centuries ago can heighten people's spiritual world. On the other side, with the modernization change, tradition can be transformed by contemporary thoughts or recreated to adapt the need for current use, thus resulting revitalization of tradition.

It is not a dilemma to choose between tradition and modernization, because we can also choose a way mixing with both. After all, when we concede the virtue and highly think of the value maintaining a valuable tradition, we also benefit a lot from the modernization covering our everyday life. For architects and city planners, the best way for them to shape a city of modern but also rich in culture is to keep parts of the city traditional with historic buildings and also enough modernized skyscrapers to show the image of power and thriving.

To sum up, under some circumstances, tradition and modernization may totally contradictory to each other. Society needs modernized power for revolutionary development as a whole; yet without tradition, people will lose themselves in the process of modernization. There should be a balance between modernization and tradition for revitalize a better future and benefit society in a long run.