When HarmonyOs, the Chinese self-developed operating system for Huawei mobile devices, was released on Aug 9, it quickly became a hot topic on social media. Many believe it not only represents the rise of the country as a tech power, but also shows respect to classical Chinese culture by naming the system “Hongmeng” in Chinese.
“Hongmeng” is a classical word from Zhuangzi. In the ancient times of Chinese legend and myths(神话), “Hongmeng” was used to describe the original state of the universe before matter existed. For HarmonyOS, “Hongmeng” indicates the developers’ aim to make an innovative operating system, unlike any other.
Besides “Hongmeng”, Huawei has also registered many of its products under the names of legendary creatures from Chinese myths. For example, the company’s Kirin mobile chip got its name after a lucky monster called “Qilin”. And its server chip is called “Kunpeng”, a creature that changed from a fish into a giant bird.
Many Chinese Internet users and media have praised Huawei’s use of these names, “as they stand for Chinese wisdom and ancient people’s imagination and spirit of exploration”, Global Times noted.
In fact, Huawei is not alone in using traditional culture for modern ventures. Ne Zha, the new film, also portrays traditional culture in a modern context. The movie is loosely based on the well-known work of classical Chinese myth The Investiture of the Gods. Earlier this month it became the biggest animated movie in China and was called “the glory of domestic anime(国产动漫)”.
Indeed, the long history and splendid classic works have given China a profound culture. Myths and legends are the creative woks of tremendous imagination. As Global Times put it, today by revisiting a modern context, “ancient myths has the power to inspire imagination in young people”. After all, imagination is the beginning of creation.
【小题1】What do we know about HamonyOS?| A．Its release raised a storm of objections. |
| B．It is named after creature in myth. |
| C．It combines high technology and culture. |
| D．It’s the best operating system. |
| A．creative | B．modern |
| C．popular | D．intelligent |
| A．The film Ne Zha is not adapted from myths. |
| B．The film Ne Zha is a big hit. |
| C．More businesses follow Huawei’s lead. |
| D．Ancient myths is a good choice for entertainment. |
