Since ancient times, Chinese have been concerned about happiness. The concept of happiness is a crucial part of Chinese religion, which is clearly seen in Chinese superstitions, fateful numbers, signs of happiness and so on. According to Confucianism, the concept of happiness in Chinese culture is adherence to the moral basis of liberating oneself from wealth and honor, which helps to experience true existential joy or happiness “lè” (乐).
It is important to share happiness with others because that is the only way it becomes a real joy. For most Chinese, happiness is associated with success – good job, high social status, etc., and the greatest value is family. A good happy life with family responsibilities reflects the core virtue of Confucianism – filial piety.
In a public lecture “The Search for Happiness and Ethical Dilemmas in Modern China” on 14th of December, we tried to understand, what the Chinese themselves think about happiness, and what obstacles and ethical dilemmas they see in the pursuit of happiness. Did the improvement in material well-being, brought by economic reforms at the end of the XX century, really made the Chinese happier, and how the Chinese happiness differs from the happiness of other countries, especially the West.
The lecture answered these questions, and at the same time discussed the variety of Chinese concepts of happiness, their change from ancient times to the present day. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the term “xìngfú” (幸福) has included two aspects: joy and benefit. There are more terms in Chinese to describe happiness, such as: “joyful” (kuàilè 快乐), “happy” (huānlè 欢乐), (kāixīn 开心), “occasional happiness” (xǐxǐ 喜喜), “successful” (jí 吉), "happiness" (fú 福).
After listening to the lecture, it could be concluded that happiness in contemporary China has many faces and forms: it can be spiritual, material, perceived as consumption or as aspiration, or perhaps something that is granted, or simply a destiny, in which one has to be satisfied with. That happiness is propagated in a variety of ways and supported by Confucianist ideas ranging from the science fever, growing nationalism, reborn Taoism, to assimilation to the West. However, Chinese happiness is more often understood correlatively than individually. Happiness is intertwined with family happiness and is associated with the greater good - the nation.