About thirty years ago Yang Mo's novel The Song of Youth was made into a movie portraying young people committed to change and revolution. In the ideological confusion one sentence rang out very clearly, as the words of Maxim Gorky were used to express the essence of Chinese culture: "In this world the most glorious thing is to be a man" (Zai shijieshang zui guangrong de shi jiu shi zuo yige ren).
The death of Mao and the change of political environment was the starting point for a new way of thinking. Maols political and ideological role has been delicately dealt with by trying to preserve the legitimacy of the revolution while discardingsome of the basic elements of Mao Zedong-thought. Thenext move has been to look towards traditional Chinese philosophy to serve ideological development and national pride.
